BBC Blogs: Justin Webb

The Mormon backlash

I have never met a Mormon I did not hugely like.

Well, alright, the presidential candidate fellow was a touch reserved when I had a sandwich with him and his jolly Welsh wife many moons ago in Des Moines, but he had his reasons for caution and he certainly was not hostile.

Normally, a Mormon is a decent person, that is my experience.

The Guardian

Mortarboard blog

Bring a Fit Jew? How stupid can clever students be?

Oxford University should take firm action against the rugby boys using crude racial stereotypes as party themes

They're supposed to be among the best and the brightest of Britain's student population, but lately the Oxford University rugby boys can't seem to help making fools of themselves.

Last week it was Bring a Fit Jew night and yesterday we learned that some of the same partygoers had had a whale of a time earlier this year "blacking up" for a Safari Bop.

Apparently, they see this as a jolly good show. One of the rugby boys, Phil Boon, doesn't seem to think he's done anything wrong, telling the Daily Mail: "I have organised a lot of party nights but I do not see why there should be any fall-out.