You know, I love a lot about the SW- it's where I come from,where my people are etc etc.
But absolutely there are issues down there with just enough for people for it to be an issue. The majority are fine of course, but whether it's a lack of exposure or what I don't know.
My good friend (Indian) emigrated becuase of the abuse she and her family (father white British, two mixed race children)- and I left becuase of a wish to study a relevant area because I worked for a charity and none of our volunteers would work with non white people; even one staff member refused but I hold nothing but deepest contempt for them (and they weren't emlpoyed by the charity, an outside agency, or i'd have kicked off until their arse was well and truly tanned).
I'veonly liveed there and here ( a city with a much bigger racial mix) so cannot compare much, but my family, who were very anti-racism and also willing to make a stand against homophobia etc did directly contrast against the famillies of DH and my best friend, sad though that is (I should emphasise the place we lived was notorious for all sorts of things, may not be representative)
I used to think the answer was education and exposure and I still beleive that at the top levels- but at a class level I have come to think its not really about race at all, but a generation of have nots who are turning on other deprived groups in some kind of territorial way. Give them a ladder out and I suspect the rest will gradually resolve, but the ladders seems as if it is being pulled up instead.