The appearance of the leader of the British National Party on a mainstream political television programme last year sparked an intense debate. Furthermore the BBC documentary Panorama recently aired an undercover investigation into racism in Britain (“Undercover: Hate on the Doorstep,” 19 October 2009, BBC One), and I was horrified to find it was based in Bristol, my home town of the past 10 years. I was even more distressed by the fact that the housing estate in question was where the hospital I had worked in as a new house officer was located. It led me to consider my experience of race relations in Britain. I must say I feel very fortunate: it has been a long time since I have experienced any sort of racial abuse, something that has not been a large feature in my life. This is in contrast to the experience of my father, who was …