You're a natural with the northern accent. Marvellous.

Imagine if Peter Cargill was black rather than northern. Would you have even contemplated such crass stereotyping? It is fairly obvious that your southern sensitivities were upset by straight talking criticism. Get over yourself.

Recently I was a judge for the prestigious Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Peter Cargill was one of our most impressive winners. Let me de-construct your stereotype..... Cargill is an accountant by training, massively bright and able. While his competitors Sports Direct and JJB are languishing in the current downturn, he has just posted a 54% rise in profits.

How did he achieve this? Slashing staff, focusing on blunt northern cost cutting?? NO......through some of the best brand marketing the high street has seen in a decade. Creating mass market brands such as McKenzie and Carbrini and riding the popularity of growing brands such as K Swiss and Bench.

I think you need to reflect on your patronising blog and apologise to Mr Cargill. That's if you've got the balls.

I don't dispute that he has been successful where others have failed and credit is due to him for this.

However I'm not going to apologise because I think that 'imagine if it was a black person' is a ridiculous one and needs subverting.

What if me or the contributors that he was bellowing at me about were black? Would that make any difference to his attitude?

I hope not. As well as pigeon-holing black people as 'victims' it plays on the paranoia of white people of offending anyone.

That said I wish him every success in bucking the retail market, Wigan-based or no, because success stories are few and far between at the moment.

He sounds to me like the Joe Kinnear of the retail world. At least he didn't call you a c*nt

He certainly wasn't like the young Mr Grace. 'You've all done very well'