Perhaps we should look at this issue from another standpoint. I watched the last night of the proms as well and the thing that struck me was the ethnic make up of the audience. There was not a black face to be seen! What does this tell us? That (A) black people don't like classical music? or (B) black people are not patriotic and don't like to attend concerts that are steeped in English patriotism?

A pan round with the camera at such a vast crowd is not a scientific study I will readily agree, and there may have been some ethnic minority people lurking out of shot on the periphery, but during the coverage of the concert and the outside broadcast at Hyde park I did not notice anybody who was not white! They were young and old, able bodied and disabled and judging from the pink union flags homosexual as well.

Simon Jary's flippant comment regarding the shooting of a violinist is crass in the extreme, if a violinist had been toting a "Chicago piano" in his violin case and had been shot by the police I would suggest that this audience would have thought he got what he deserved!

What does this tell us?

"There was not a black face to be seen! What does this tell us?"

That they are probably so poor that they can't afford tickets, or that they are working such long hours that they cannot afford the time to queue for the cheap ones.

QB - what about the 'Gollywog variety'. That went for a burton before PC meant anything...

Nice Kinks link - QB.