Cameron must take sides

But before we find closure and carry on with "business as usual" surely we need to ask the Conservative party, and in particular David Cameron: how did an individual harbouring such archaic views found himself in one of the highest political offices in the land? Surely no one believes that Mercer woke up on the ill-fated morning and espoused these views from nowhere. And he could neither claim that he made a throwaway remark that was taken out of context, or that he was suffering from a medical condition that educed such remarks. His views were measured, well articulated and consistent with anyone aspiring to be Alf Garnett.

David Cameron must now answer a number of uncomfortable questions. How does he choose his shadow cabinet? Does he know members personally? Are they recommended to him by some other internal authority, and if so by whom? Whichever way you dress this up Cameron has a serious problem on his hands. The public can only but conclude that the Tory leader either knows that he has bigoted individuals in his shadow cabinet, and they are tolerated - unless they get caught - or he has a collective of individuals who aspire to help him run the country, who he knows no further than the CV they put in front of him.

When Cameron began his leadership many from black and minority ethnic communities felt that at last the Conservatives had leader who would adopt a more celebratory vision toward multicultural Britain. Lib Dems and particularly Labour had been justifiably worried. But in recent months the Tory leader has abandoned the A-list selection process, rubbished "multiculturalism", and labelled Muslim enclaves as "ghettos".

In a long run-up to a general election Cameron can no longer be all things to all people. He is either with his party's neocons who harbour a profound dislike for anyone who isn't like them or he is a liberal moderniser that weeds them out, and champions a multicultural inclusive society.