It's Not Racist to Say Some Black People Are Racist

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A curious thing happened to me last Thursday while I was reading Bim Adewunmi's article on The Guardian website. Adewunmi was describing, in a very rational and factual manner, the circumstances surrounding her Twitter chat with Diane Abbott - which made headlines after the Shadow Health Minister seemingly accused all white people of being colonialists who "love playing divide and rule". I appreciated Adewunmi's dispassionate article, and I aired my opinion to that effect. Here's my comment in its entirety:

"Thanks for this explanation, and congratulations for (unwittingly or otherwise) exposing Diane Abbott's true views about white people. Last time I checked, I'm not a colonialist. So I now consider her a racist."

Harmless enough, I thought. And my fellow readers appeared to agree. As the tenth comment in a thread which now runs into the hundreds, my highly visible two cents quickly became the second-most 'recommended' post beneath the line. But The Guardian's moderators took umbrage to my contribution, deleting it under the pretext that it had failed to "abide by our community standards". I hastily re-posted the comment, appending a request that they explain which specific standard - racism, offensive behaviour, or another - had been breached. But that post also disappeared within minutes...

Flying Through EU Skies? Then Expect to Play by EU Rules

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America's airlines are at it again. Barely a year after quashing European efforts to reform the transatlantic Open Skies treaty -- a lop-sided agreement which gives U.S. carriers unfettered access to Europe, while barring our airlines from operating domestic flights in the U.S. -- America is now bellyaching about EU efforts to curb global warming.

When Phase II of the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) comes into force next year, it will at long last hold the aviation sector accountable for its CO2 emissions. The scheme has gradually been rolled out across Europe since 2005, allocating carbon permits to large companies and forcing them to purchase extra credits if they exceed their allowance. By attaching a financial incentive to energy efficiency, the ETS is estimated to have delivered annual emissions reductions of 2.5 to 5 percent since its launch...