DEI: Destroying Excellence Intentionally

In Britain, it is now an open secret that our cherished institutions are discriminating against the white majority of the population they supposedly exist to serve. The armed forces don’t want white recruits. Ofsted wants to prioritise non-white teachers. And naturally, the police have long been doing everything they can not to hire white Brits. Is it a coincidence that we now have a Britain where police don’t police, armies don’t fight, and schools don’t teach? Would that it were only that bad.

Things got ratcheted up a notch last week, as senior police figures confirmed they want such discrimination enshrined into law. Enter stage left Chief Constable John Robins, Head of West Yorkshire Police (where gun crime is at an all-time high incidentally), who is concerned that only 9% of police officers are from an ethnic minority background—woefully below the 23% of ethnic minorities who live in the county.

While white applicants face a temporary block (and those already in post suffer the indignity of ‘white privilege’ training), a whistleblower has revealed prospective candidates are split into tiers according to ethnicity. Black and far-east Asians are the ‘gold’ standard, followed by south-east Asians in the ‘silver’ tier, and ‘white others’ (Irish, eastern Europeans) snatching the ‘bronze’. To say that ‘white Brits’ are considered also-rans seems wildly optimistic.

The story has understandably ruffled a few feathers, but Robins is not the first senior policeman to attempt the move (and he certainly won’t be the last). Cheshire Chief Constable, Simon Byrne, got there almost a decade ago. Criticised by then Home Secretary Theresa May for not having any black officers, Byrne admitted he ‘considered breaking the law’ to speed up the recruitment of Black and ethnic minority candidates. Like Robins, Byrne’s explanation was memorable:

I’ve even taken legal advice about breaking the law, which might sound crazy as a senior police officer. But if we’re put under pressure to change, then what are the consequences, other than reputational, from breaking the law?

What does it say about Britain that the authorities are so ideologically driven, that they openly demand the legalisation of their own criminal practices? More to the point, what exactly are they afraid of? The current Labour government, for instance, seems determined to criminalise ‘Islamophobia’—but why bother, when even legitimate criticism of Islam or Muslims generally is already de facto illegal?

Would that this farce were limited to Britain, but it appears to be a continent-wide cesspit. While America dumps DEI policies en masse, Europe is still wading knee-deep in the quagmire—and is united, if nothing else, by its refusal to be pulled free by the Trump administration.

In France, the Ministry of Education has overhauled the curricula, emphasising systemic racism and colonial guilt. Critics argue that this indoctrinates white French students into viewing their identity as inherently flawed while favouring minorities. Laïcité? Fat chance, when the state’s new religion is DEI.

In Sweden, the Police Authority launched diversity drives which offer tailored training and mentorship for non-white candidates. Opponents have suggested this creates unequal standards, undermining meritocracy by applying stricter criteria to white applicants.

Norway’s corporate boards now demand 40% non-male, non-white faces, leaving white Norwegian blokes wondering whether they ought to apply in drag.

Germany’s ARD and ZDF broadcasters aren’t interested in hiring you unless you tick a diversity box. ‘Underrepresented groups’ are now all the rage, although of course once those underrepresented groups include white Germans, don’t expect similar treatment.

The Netherlands’ Rijksmuseum, meanwhile, has decided Dutch history’s too Dutch, so they’re rewriting it to make colonisers the bad guys—guess who’s playing that part?

Belgium’s Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities is pushing affirmative action like it’s going out of fashion, ensuring ‘positive measures’ for non-white hires as white Belgians get sidelined.

Spain’s Labour Ministry has set diversity targets for civil service jobs, prioritising ethnic minorities. A 2024 policy brief noted preferential scoring for non-white candidates, which appears to have bothered no one who matters.

In Milan, university faculties now require applicants to submit DEI statements, demonstrating their loyalty and commitment to equity goals—which presumably leaves Italians who reject progressive ideology nothing more to do than choke into their espresso.

In Denmark, firms like Novo Nordisk tie executive bonuses to diversity hires—so white Danes better hope their boss likes their ‘vibe.’

And the EU Commission has set targets for 50% female and increased minority representation in leadership by 2025, which doesn’t leave much time for the white European male employees to quit, take early retirement, or commit suicide—whichever’s the most expedient.

I could go on for as long as you want.

DEI policies are controversial, but they shouldn’t be. No one who has seriously considered the likelihood of eradicating racism by employing racism could possibly be in favour. At best, enforcing equality is a well-intentioned mistake; at worst, the death of excellence and therefore, ultimately, of civilisation itself. You cannot sacrifice beauty and truth for the childish lie that everyone is equal. Equal in dignity? Sure. Equal in ability? Do me a favour. You want to relieve us of the burden of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert? Fine. Who are you going to replace them with, Stormzy?!

DEI is quite literally the road to hell—arguably paved with good intentions, but little else. What’s worse, is that the architects of this madness—the politicians, academics, and corporate suits—won’t pay the price for their mistakes. They’re too well-heeled, too insulated in their ivory towers. It’s us, the plebs, who’ll bear the cost: fractured societies, hollowed-out cultures, and institutions that prize skin colour over skill. When law enforcement values quotas rather than convictions, universities churn out guilt-ridden graduates in lieu of thinkers, and history is rewritten to shame rather than inspire—what’s left? A civilisation on its knees, apologising for existing.

There will be a reckoning for this ultimate betrayal. Back in Britain, we have already witnessed the foreshadowing. The exasperation at finding yourself second-class in your homeland exposed by the Southport massacre was merely a sign of things to come. And if Keir Starmer and his ilk think they’ve crushed the mutiny by jailing those who sent mean tweets, they’re even stupider than they clearly think we are!

Frank Haviland is the Editor of The New Conservative, and the author of Banalysis: The Lie Destroying the West.

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This piece was first published in The European Conservative, and is reproduced by kind permission.