SAY `CHEESE`...

There`s a lot of fuss going on about whether to ban the burka following a Tory MP putting down a private members bill in Parliament, which means it`s doomed to fail anyway. France are doing it so it must be right? Quelle horreur!

Quite honestly, I really don`t mind either way whether it gets banned or not and there are powerful arguments both for and against. What does intrigue me though is the notion that the idea of actually banning the burka is `not very British,` according to the Government Minister in charge of Immigration.

Now being Minister for Immigration, I guess he would say that, wouldn`t he? And he may have a point in a country which professes to uphold tolerance and mutual respect and to defend freedom of speech and expression. However, I can`t escape the feeling that to walk around our green and pleasant land dressed from head to toe in a black shroud with only a tiny slit so the eyes can peek out, thus being shielded from the prying eyes of the authorities and our myriad surveillance cams, is `not very British`either. And taking a picture of yourself on your mobile phone to send it to one of your burka shrouded mates seems just a tad pointless? Oh well, live and let live, I suppose.