'I am a PPE undergraduate at Oxford University. I had been hoping to obtain an internship placement at various government institutions, such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). However, to my utter bemusement, it appears that the FCO wishes to restrict the employment or recruitment of white students. How? Allow me to explain.
'This link is the FCO work experience page. As the FCO website illustrates, candidates of all racial backgrounds can apply for a one year economic placement, on the condition that they follow a sandwich course. Moreover, 16 to 17 year-olds of any racial background can apply.
'However, the websites indicates 2 areas where only non-white candidates should apply. The Windsor Fellowship Scheme offers placements to Black and Asian people only. And the ethnic minority scheme finds placements at various embassies for ethnic minorities only.
'But I am a 2nd year PPE undergraduate and white (non-ethnic minoity too). I cannot apply for the sandwich course placement because (to state the obvious) I am not on a sandwich course. Also, I am not 16 or 17. Therefore, the Foreign Office has nothing to offer a person such as myself (and my status is common of many, for a tiny percentage of students study Economics with a sandwich year, or are 17). However, if I was of a Black or Asian origin, or of an ethnic minority, schemes would be open to me.
'In fact, I am aware of students at my college who have gained placements at the Egyptian Embassy, which were processed by the FCO, through the ethnic minorities scheme. I am also aware of Windsor Fellowship Candidates. But in my case, nothing was offered because my application was simply not allowed. I failed the entrance requirements because of race.
'To state my point more clearly, it is apparent that the FCO is wilfully rejecting a meritocratic approach to the recruitment of students. Instead it seeks to rig the process by excluding white candidates such as myself. Why? Why purposely exclude candidates from the application process? Is this not unjust discrimination, serving to yield disutility? I claim disutility on the (reasonable) assumption that a meritocratic recruitment procedure would yield placements that are more capable and thus more able to serve their country in future years (irrespective of race). Thus the negation of a meritocratic process will lead to less able candidates and a less able FCO serving the nation. I am appalled at such clear race based recruitment.'
