T’other day everyone was fawning over the BBC’s Andrew Neil for his little rant against Islamic State. “How brave!” they cried, grateful for teeny weeny mercies. It’s not even as though anyone would argue for Islamic State, except perhaps StWC.
Now that Donald Trump has broken the duck - people are venturing into new territory. Not just Islamic State. Moooslims! We’re allowed to discuss Mooslims, as if there’s something slightly antithetical to we atheists and liberals in our cosy western democracies, within their actual religion.
Oh deary me. Whatever next.
Next is Katie Hopkins. In the manner of a Trump-like “I don’t care what people think of my appearance” Katie put forth the best display of how to hold your own against what turned out to be a rather pathetic Neil that one has seen in a long time. Bravo Katie! Her performance bristled with quick thinking and self assuredness the likes of which we rarely see in the hostile, adversarial BBC interview scenario.
In the manner reminiscent of “when Jeremy Paxman met Tommy Robinson” Katie rocked. She startled ol’ brillo out of the complacent stupor in which the BBC’s National Treasures and icons languish, assuming their very presence will be enough to demolish the humble nobody who dares to sit before them.
Katie has acquired one of those tags that attach themselves to Tommy Robinson, Trump and Geert Wilders etc etc.
It goes “I’m no fan of” (insert appropriate pariah) then the “but” and then the reiteration of the appropriate Katie/Tommy/Donald sentiment. That’s a badge of honour to which I aspire / am thinking about aspiring to it.
So as the border between the baddies of Islamic State and extremists, fundamentalists, radicals and moderates continues to blur, it will be less likely that people in power will be able to get away with that “nothing to do with Islam” nonsense.
Amazingly and rather sadly, over at Huffpo they’re trying to convince themselves that Katie was ‘skewered’.
They cherry-picked examples of what they saw as ‘skewering’ more in desperation than comprehension. The mind boggles. I suppose it shows how people can view the same thing and come away with entirely different impressions, but really, skewered? Not even slightly.
