Joining the dots...

 

Never a man to knowingly understate an argument, Peter Oborne has come down heavily against the new BBC chairman, Richard Sharp. 

Writing for the controversial, Islamist-linked Middle East Eye, Mr Oborne raises the alarm that Mr Sharp donated "thousands of dollars" ("thousand of pounds" surely?) to Quilliam - Maajid Nawaz & Co's counter-extremism organisation. 

Peter Oborne calls Quilliam "controversial". It's not trusted by Muslims but admired by the super-rich, he says.

He then cites a controversial fellow Middle East Eye writer, Nafeez Ahmed (he's the sort of 'investigative journalist' who writes articles connecting Michael Gove and Douglas Murray to white nationalism, the far-right and white supremacism), using him to bring in another 'controversial' organisation:

Since then, its supporters have included the John Templeton Foundation, described by investigative journalist Nafeez Ahmed as “an American conservative philanthropic organisation, with close ties to the Tea Party and extreme right-wing Christian networks”.

That's the very same John Templeton Foundation that awards prize for writing in a 'science & religion' context - many scientists - the winners of which have been quite regularly interviewed on Radio 4's ultra-liberal religious affairs programme Sunday over the years. Past winners include Martin Rees, Paul Davies, the late John Barrow, John Polkinghorne, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa, Lord Sacks, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and the Dalai Lama, etc. [It's not like Edward Stourton to have the extreme right-wing on his programme - especially those sort of ultra-right extremists!]: 

Mr Ahmed is clearly never a man to knowingly understate an argument either. 

Lots of nudge-nudge-wink-winking and joining the dots by Peter O here...

...but Peter Oborne is particularly angry about Quilliam - and, thus, by association, Richard Sharp - for giving credence to the idea that Pakistani Muslims are disproportionately involved in the paedophile grooming gangs that have blighted so many British cities in recent decades. 

He claims Quilliam "helped to fuel racism and division" because Pakistani Muslims aren't disproportionally involved - as per an article in the Guardian (of course) by two controversial academics, Ella Cockbain and Waqas Tufail, who put a very particular (and controversial) slant on a government report last year. 

All this means that the BBC risks "pursuing a sectarian agenda" by having Mr Sharp as their new boss, says Mr Oborne, ending thunderously:

Sharp needs to explain himself. Major public appointments cannot be left to patronage and cronyism, and their holders should be ready to tell Parliament and the British people everything about the causes they have chosen to advance. 

Quilliam, Mr Sharp and the BBC haven't apparently been returning his wacky calls on this apparently. 

I'm not sure Peter Oborne is on the side of the angels here. 

*******

Anyhow, Peter Oborne might inspire others - or, indeed, himself - to further, similar feats of the human imagination. 

How about this, for example? 

Peter Sharp's CV, submitted to Parliament, reads:

Richard has served as a member of the UK Board of International Rescue and serves as a supporter and trustee of other Refugee focused charities.

International Rescue is, famously, nothing to do with Thunderbirds but the relief organisation now headed by David Miliband. So Mr Sharp must be linked to extreme far-Blairite, pro-immigration globalist Mr Miliband. And 'some people' say Mr Soros is involved with funding International Rescue too.

Join the dots again Peter...

[After the passing of Robert Fisk, there's a gap in the market for someone to fisk. And Peter Oborne might very well be that man].