British parliament:  PC brigade refuses to let bar sell ale featuring black-faced Morris dancers

Even if your face is black from working in a coal mine, black faces are still a no-no.  So how come black people don't have to whiten their faces?  I guess I must be missing something

When an MP was asked to nominate a guest ale from his constituency to be served at a House of Commons bar, he was only too happy to help out.

But Jake Berry’s chosen tipple from an award-winning brewery in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, has fallen foul of the Commons PC brigade – because its label features black-faced Morris dancers.

The beer from the Irwell Works Brewery was intended to celebrate the Britannia Coconut Dancers from nearby Bacup, who have been performing since 1857 with blacked faces to celebrate the area’s mining heritage.

But officials said the image may cause offence, so the beer will be served in the Strangers Bar sporting the Bacup crest instead.

The Coconutters have hit out, saying their traditional black make-up and colourful turbans, red and white kilts and clogs, are a celebration of Lancashire’s mining heritage.

‘After recent comments made about us, I felt compelled to go back through our history, and there is no racial element whatsoever. There is no mention of race or ethnicity.

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