Identity tests' can be unfair

“Luck is not a lady — they are unpredictable’ From Mamma Bola Biskit Lao by Bachchoo Some decades ago, then Cabinet minister Norman Tebbit formulated what he called the cricket test: when England was playing a Test match against, say, Pakistan, would British immigrants of Pakistani origin cheer for the English team or for the Pakistanis? One of the first callers, a lady whose ethnic origins could only be traced through her accent and idiom on the radio, called to ask the interviewee if she was British first or Muslim first. She, the host, added that she was brought up Jewish and her answer would certainly be that she didn’t put her Britishness before her Jewishness or vice versa. The absurdity of the question can be highlighted by substituting any profession or predilection for religion: “Are you primarily British or primarily a cyclist?” or “Do you feel you are British first or non-vegetarian first?” if I was asked if I was British first or Indian I would have to say I was both or dodge by saying I am British-Indian or Indo-Brit.