The PC brigade is going to town on the subject of racism after the Firle bonfire incident, providing some politicians and media guardians of the nation's conscience with opportunities to pontificate and express their self-righteous horror.

What is racism and can it be applied equally to all? In the not too distant past, a bonfire society burnt effigies of Blair and Bush. Is this an example of racism?

After all, Bush is a citizen of the USA.

Who were the Firle Bonfire Society protesting against?

In hindsight they admit their mistake and should have left off the word "pikey" and the effigies.

If they had substituted "you know who", everybody would have got the point.

They are now being compared to the Ku Klux Klan on this page. If that was really the case, bodies would be hanging from trees and real caravans would have been burned like the two in Lewes recently.

If the people who found this tableau offensive had registered their protest to the society, I'm sure they would have taken their comments on board and explained the point they were trying make.

-Brian Beck, Lewes