A survey carried out several months ago found that Hindus are more likely than any other ethnic or religious group to "want to fight for Britain", even more so than white Britons. 56% of Hindus who participated in the survey were willing to fight for the country.

Many expressed surprise at these results, myself included, because there is (a) not a large number of Hindus in the army, and (b) most of us have never spoken to many Hindus who are seriously considering pursuing a career in the army.

So, why is it that out of a group of people out of whom 56% are willing to fight for the country, so few are actually army recruits? There may be more than one reason. However, the idea that the army can be a very hostile place for ethnic minorities is likely to be one of the foremost.

I have personally known two Hindus who were considering joining the army after their schooling had finished, but who opted out due to the perception amongst friends and family that racist bullying is endemic. Although this is just a perception (most people have never been to the army barracks to see for themselves) news that occasionally appears in the media about the general culture of bullying that exists in the army served to augment such fears.

Recently, Patrick Mercer MP, former army colonel, who was also the Conservative Party's 'Homeland Security Spokesman', suggested that a certain degree of racism was taken for granted in the army. "If someone is slow on the assault course, you'd get people shouting: 'Come on you fat bastard, come on you ginger bastard, come on you black bastard', " he told The Times Online, an interview.

The suggestion that such racism is a harmless part of everyday life lost Patrick Mercer his post as a Shadow Minister. Conservative leader David Cameron, keen to safeguard his efforts to make his party appear more modern and inclusive, was fast to remove him from the post, although he still remains an MP. "We should not tolerate racism in the Army or in any walk of life. Patrick Mercer is no longer a shadow minister," said Mr. Cameron, in a brief statement.

At first glance it seems commendable that a person should penalised for suggesting that certain kinds of racism are acceptable or harmless. However, such an action carries the risk of stifling free discussion on a much deeper issue. How are safeguards going to be put into place in the army to ensure that Hindus and other religious or ethnic minorities who join the army are not going to accept facing day-to-day abuse? The army is not going to be able to solve its general recruitment crisis unless this question is answered soon.