Far be it from me to stand up for a Conservative of any stripe, hue or flavour, but this is really too much:

“Conservative candidate takes pains to obscure his Tamil background,” shrieks the Globe and Mail hed. Then: “Before becoming the Conservative candidate in Scarborough Southwest, Gavan Paranchothy was known as Ragavan Paranchothy.”

Good grief, way to conceal your Tamil background, Gavan. Have you considered “Mike Smith?”

(Reminds me somehow of the old joke about a certain Joe Dumbhead who changed his name to John Dumbhead because he didn’t like folks greeting him with, “Hello, Joe, whaddya know.”)

Anyway, Diva Rachel has this one nailed. What say you, Bill Burroughs (Beaches-East York)? How about you, Ed Holder (London West)? “William” and “Edward” too revealing? Wear your ethnicity with pride, I say.