Recently I mentioned Brendan O’Neill’s confusing and (to me) inexplicable denunciation of Tommy Robinson’s “views”.
“It doesn’t matter what you think of Robinson’s views — like the vast majority of people, I oppose them.”
That’s what he wrote in the Spectator. Yet he’s recently penned this piece in Spiked, titled: We must have the right to blaspheme against Islam. (note: I don’t know why our sidebar link to Spiked isn’t updating properly) The article has also been endorsed by Kathy Gyngell over at Conservative Woman.
“We must have the right to blaspheme against Islam Student unions agitate for the banning of speakers who criticise Islam too harshly (whom they of course brand ‘Islamophobic’). Charlie Hebdo continues to be shamed by British leftists as a publication that ‘punches down’ because it dares to publish cartoons that mock Muhammad or take the piss out of Islamic beliefs. Even the Metropolitan Police recently decreed that it is ‘Islamophobic’ to describe Islam in any of the following ways: as a ‘static’ belief system, as ‘other’, as ‘irrational’, ‘sexist’ or ‘aggressive’, or as a ‘political ideology’. Apparently anyone who holds these entirely legitimate views of Islam is guilty of an act of ‘phobia’ – which in essence means blasphemy.”
So what’s going on?
It’s just that when critics of Islam take pains to distance themselves from Tommy Robinson’s views it smacks of a class thing. It’s understandable if they don’t agree with his - shall we call it ‘ham-fisted’ M.O., but to say they disagree with "his views" needs a bit more fleshing out.
That Brendan O’Neill article was about denouncing violence against TR and all election candidates. I think the extract you quote is because B O’N thinks he is a racist and a thug, not because of class or his views on Islam.
ReplyDeleteTR has too much baggage from his various altercations and this has influenced many. The MSM hate him and their concerted and frequent attacks and exposes have made him a toxic figure for the majority of the electorate.
I don’t think he can ever be anything but a fringe player and he will not gather mass support in the way that Farage does.
@Arne I actually find your point offensive.
DeleteWe believe in equality and justice don't we ?
So when press label black people as thugs
and write hundreds of articles on that premise .. that is wrong.
When they do they same TR it's wrong
His false imprisonment in Leeds was wrong, the lib establishment did nothing to help.
So a million white working class mothers thought 'that could be my boy'
Yes every press article in the press seeks to toxify him. I guess that's cos they are all cutNpasted from HopeNotHate material.. and HnH are a pseudo-anti-racist Labour front group.. who leverage the issues to neutralise political opponents of Labour
... that's why they never act against lefty-racism etc.
Note the way the articles almost always don't allow free comment.
Giving up on Tommy is like giving up on a black guy, just cos the press have ganged up against blacks.
As for popular support
after Brexit betrayal we were waiting for Farage to organise large rallies but he didn't.
TR did , you could see on YT
and when masked HnH people came to make trouble the press didn't report on them.
There are in this society genuine thugs, maybe genuine violent BNP thugs who have genuinely hurt people. When people like that see a TR rally they start to observe that bad things are not from skin colour but from ideology and thus they move away from racism.
People who push against TR asserting that he is in the same basket as racist thugs end up pushing those people back towards racism.
Conservative Woman also has an article "Why the leftie thinkers despise the white working class" which is covering similar ground, basically they are sterotyped as thugs.
ReplyDeleteTo be an intellectual is to think in abstracts, one doesn't soil oneself with harsh reality and they have seen the 'warts' on the white working class and want nothing to do with it. The 'other', however, the Muslim, the immigrant, doesn't immediately touch their lives so can be celebrated as a blameless cause that they can adopt a righteous position over.
Brendan O is a fallen marxist with a view to his future career. TR is the limit for him. He may never get the opportunity to sit next to Y.A.B on the B.B.C again if he endorses TR.
ReplyDeleteBrendan O can talk to Delingpole - large toothed irrelevant posh bloke who makes a living being 'of the right' and making a fool of himself on the BBC. But TR is the limit.
Sue's well judged criticism of TR's tacticts is somewhat negated by this video....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rED4U9nuUQ
If only TR stayed on this path, and was given the opportunity to stay on this path.
Why does Brendan feel the need to Vjrtue Signal that he is Anti-Tommy ?
ReplyDeleteWell #1 he has to signal to be in with his media-land mates
and/or #2/He might have loyalties that are against UKIP
ie a loyalty to Farage or to the Conservative party.
... It might also have something to do with his funding.
Label and Dismiss is common thinking
ReplyDelete... people seek a way to easily dismiss someone/some issue.
So people seek of an easy way to dismiss TR
.. You wouldn't dismiss a wrongly jailed black person and say 'he has baggage, the press are against him'
... so why do it to TR ?