Merit, Not DEI

Diversity, equity and inclusion began as an attempt to remove unfair barriers. Somewhere along the way it became an industry, complete with officers, consultants, mandatory training and an ever-growing vocabulary.

The core problem is simple. DEI judges people by group identity rather than individual ability. Two candidates with identical qualifications can be treated differently because of characteristics neither chose. That is the definition of discrimination, however carefully it is rebranded.

The costs are real. Public bodies have spent significant sums on diversity roles and training courses whose effectiveness academic studies have repeatedly questioned. In 2023 the Royal Air Force's own inquiry found that efforts to meet diversity targets had led to unlawful discrimination against white male recruits.

Merit, by contrast, is the fairest principle ever devised for allocating opportunity. It asks only: who is