But

I realise that I have to be careful on this one. If I ever became whatever, there would be those who would describe me as the first "BME", or whatever was by then the term, to do so. But I would seldom, if ever, describe myself in those sorts of terms. I would be a very rich man if I had every penny that I have seen drop behind people's eyes on my happening to mention an aspect of my background, or on happening to meet certain of my relatives.

Nevertheless, there is a strange "but" factor to the contest for the Democratic Presidential nomination. It could be a woman, "but" a woman whose husband used to be President and is effectvely running for a third term.

It could be a black man, "but" the son of a Kenyan father and a white mother, only through which latter, if at all, he might be descended (as huge numbers of white Americans, Britons, Irish, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders are) from West African slaves and their masters.

And rumour has it that the Vice-Presidential nominee could be a Hispanic, "but" (in order to carry the South West, apparently) a Hispanic called Bill Richardson.

It is all very strange.