Sir Lenny Henry worries about the lack of black and brown faces at the Glastonbury Festival. He says: ‘It’s interesting to watch Glastonbury and look at the audience and not see any black people there. I’m always surprised by the lack of black and brown faces at festivals.’
And he has a very serious point. Events such as Glastonbury and the even more self-admiring Hay Literary Festival are summer pilgrimage sites for the Liberal Elite. They go to them to admire each other and themselves. There they are, ageless, virtuous, fashionable, open-minded, or at least that is what they think. But they are also, undoubtedly, as Sir Lenny says they are. And he is absolutely entitled to be worried about it.
Events such as Glastonbury and the even more self-admiring Hay Literary Festival are summer pilgrimage sites for the Liberal Elite
No doubt the organisers of these events feel bad about the problem that Sir Lenny has identified, and wish to put it right. Well, I have an instant solution. Instead of sending cross-Channel dinghy migrants to Rwanda on expensive aircraft, why not bus them instead to Glastonbury? The vast sums saved, in transport costs and legal fees, could be used to erect good-quality housing and provide food and other necessities, while also paying for them to have free tickets to the festival. No doubt they would enjoy it greatly. There, they and the Liberal Elite can make each other’s acquaintance in friendly and relaxed conditions. Once the event is over, the migrants could be housed permanently on the site, unless they had all by then been invited to share the homes of festival-goers. The mingling of migrants and elite could become a regular event.
I am sure the Home Office could provide interpreters, as it seems to have so many already, so that the two groups could have a thorough meeting of minds.
Surely, nothing but good could come of this. I am surprised nobody has thought of it before.
What was Sir Lenny Henry hoping to achieve by seemingly suggesting that Glastonbury is some kind of annual racist conspiracy, set to the beat of all-white alt rockers such as Coldplay or U2?
Yes, Peter!
