The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

I had decided to myself to not really comment on the whole Sky football sacking thing. I don't know a lot about football and it wasn't really an incident I knew all that much about. However there have been a series of correspondents to the incident who have followed one familiar theme. That football is a mans game, and that a bit of sexist banter (though telling a female colleague to shove a microphone into your pants seems like stepping over the line a bit.) is just something that women should have to put up with. This is a pet hate of mine. It seems that a certain generation of some men (and it is usually men) have the opinion that casual racism and sexism is both trivial and indeed rather daring. Some of those with this world view have sent letters into the Bolton News (my local paper), one from my old friend Arnold Harrison, the stupidest man in Lancashire, and this offering of verbal crud from Colin Higson of Over Hulton.

ONCE again Steve Jones[1], leading exponent of the PC brigade and all things thereto, twists the facts to suit his argument.

First he says Gray and Keys are entitled to their own views (that itself is an astounding admission for one of his ilk).

Then he goes on to say they should keep their views to themselves (he could take a bit of his own advice and stop lecturing the rest of us with his drivel). If he had taken the trouble to obtain the facts he would have known that they were doing exactly that. It was some other PC maniac that decided on his or her own bat to broadcast a private conversation (nice people, these PC nuts).

If Mr Jones (I apologise if it is wrong or sexist to call him Mr) has ever attended a football match he would know that spectators male and female accuse match officials of not knowing the laws of the game, being blind (sorry visually handicapped ) and having all sorts of afflictions.

He should have heard the woman near me berating the referee’s assistant at the Reebok this week.

Was that sexist? No. She was just doing what all football fans including Gray and Keys do all the time and if by some unfortunate circumstance we are to have female officials forced upon us they will get it, make no mistake, every match as their male colleagues do.

If Mr Jones doesn’t like it he should take up his bed and walk to the top of Rivington Pike away from his keyboard never to regale us with his boring comments ever again.

Colin Higson Over Hulton

This is precisely the kind of mentality that get on my royal tits. Notwithstanding that asking is calling someone "Mr" unPC the stupidest rhetorical question in the history of the universe. No it is that this, and the comments lie it is just blatant apologism for sexist bullying. So I e-mailed this response to the letters page, trying to articulate as best as I can my distaste for this kind of attitude. Hopefully they may actually print it as well.

There have been some worrying letters on this page (Colin Higson “All football supporters have a rant” Feb 5th 2011) and others, as well as in general discussions about the nature of Sky football pundit Andy Grays sacking and Richard Keys resignation in regards to the whole off air furore about their comments about referee Sian Massey. It seems that some people seem to think that blatant sexism is just “something women should put up with.” Because as Colin Higson et al can tell us, just because something like arbitrary discrimination on the basis of someone’s gender is one of this biggest insults to female dignity and liberty going – doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a bad thing[2].

Let us summarise what happened, and why Gray and Keys left. Gray and Keys dismissed the competency of a referee of who they knew nothing about, almost purely on the basis of the XX composition of her chromosomes. How, may I ask; is that any more morally justifiable than when I overheard a guy I once worked with; who upon seeing the new manageress (she was a black lady) sneered “they’ll promote anyone these days.”[3] That comment and this incident highlight why racism and sexism are such moral evils. Writing off the collective worth of a whole subset of humanity on nothing more than them being “the wrong sort.”

Prejudiced comments in (supposed) privacy may be one thing. But school bully boy Grays compounded the sin by making lewd comments about placing a microphone to a female colleague, whilst his trusty little sidekick Keys cackled along like the snivelling little toady he is. Anyone who made these comments would have been disciplined by their boss in any workplace in the UK.

I am sick and tired of chauvinistic bigots dismissing their abuse as a “bit of friendly banter”. Spineless bullies who victimise easy targets always “justify” it in this way.

So let us not say these two buffoons are martyrs to the PC brigade, because they aren’t.

[1] Steve Jones isn't me by the way, and his letter was very good and well argued IMHO.

[2] Yes I blatantly nicked that pun from Ben Goldacres "Bad Science" book.

[3] I have to confess that this never actually happened in the way I said it did. It is a retelling of a quip Tory MP and twat David Heathcote Amery reputedly exclaimed when he saw the black MP Dawn Butler in the members gallery at Westminster. I changed the details as there is a tiny chance that the letters editor might have got cold feet about printing something potentially seen as libelous. But the sentiment of my argument still stands.

The Bolton News Printed It.

Remember that letter to the Bolton News I posted about on Saturday. Well it was printed, and was the letter that made the headline for the letters page as well! It survived remarkably intact from being edited. They've altered some of the punctuation and the odd comment, which I think makes some of the prose lose its original "bite". But 99 percent of what I submitted, made it on there. I must admit, although I thought my letter was quite good, and was pretty much what I originally set out to write (and had to re write as the e-mail deleted the bloody original one I was to send!) I did feel a bit bad at first, the letter is quite scathing, and I'm sure Mr. Harrison wouldn't have been expecting such a "robust" response (I actually think he would have liked a letter backing him up on how right he was about the cushy life on the dole.) But then I thought stuff it a bit. It's a lot worse for unemployed people worrying about their state of affairs, than someone being put out by a scathing letter setting them straight. I suppose that was really why I wrote it, not withstanding the fact that it was combating my pet peeve, lazy [non] thinking and right wing urban myths. But because he was belittling an issue that really affects people badly on a personal level, people who often have little voice. I hope that I spoke up for more people than myself. Challenge a stereotype for once, not perpetuate one.

Arnie. Prepare to be Terminated!

As I said in my previous post. I am currently unemployed at the moment. Another victim of staffing spending cuts during the economic downturn. It's pretty tough, and there is a lot of competition for jobs at the moment. There is simultaneously an up swelling in stories about "cushy benefits anecdotes." and that life on the dole is too rewarding to find real work. There is also talk of encouraging people to find work, which is all good and fine, IF THERE WERE LOADS OF BLOODY JOBS GOING! THERE ISN'T. THAT'S THE GODDAMN REASON PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF ARE OUT OF WORK!! There seems to be a bunch of people who think that everyone on the dole wants to be there. They do not seem capable of distinguishing the majority of people who are out of work due to plain bad luck, than the minority who do fiddle the system. People like Arnold Harrison who contributed this masterpiece of joined up thinking to the Bolton News:

"TO Mr Brian Derbyshire. I have followed your contributions for many years, not always agreeing, but in this case on reading your comments about Mr Stuart Chapman, I totally agree with him.

Many of the present younger generation do not want to work and have no intention of doing so In many cases it being no fault of their own but the system. The lack of quality education, the lack of incentives and deterrents. Why rise early in the morning to start work at 7.30am in a mundane job with little future prospects when I can stay in bed, draw my weekly benefits and with a little wheeling and dealing get by very nicely, thank you.

Why learn? Why conform? Why work? The pot at the end of the rainbow does exist but only for the very few. The remainder are happy to sit and wait for the finger of fate. In the meantime, life is more than bearable and do not gorge, Mr Derbyshire, our nation has a policy of importing foreign workers to do the jobs we will not do ourselves. It is the system.

Arnold Harrison Little Hulton"

Missing the point a bit. Doing Northernbloke has raddled my brain or something. I have a greater urge to hammer these people around the head (spiritually speaking of course!) with the stupid illogic of their own ramblings, than I used to do. So I sent this response to this idiotic letter that goes as follows.

"One of the strongest indicators of healthy self awareness and a good grasp of the topic at hand is when you can judge whether to dive in and explain a complex social problem, or whether it is best to actually do some research on what you’re talking about beforehand. This way you don’t end up being the opinionated voice of the saloon bar pundit. A nugget of wisdom that seems to have escaped Mr. Arnold Harrison; author of (Why work for a mundane job?) a staggering letter about youth unemployment. Which is ironically, written by someone who knows nothing whatsoever on youth unemployment.

Leaving aside the tiresome and insulting cliché that “today’s youth” are a bunch of lazy oafs (they aren’t). Mr. Harrison appears to think that most unemployed people both want and choose to be unemployed. (They don’t) I’ll let Mr. Harrison into a little secret they don’t. Speaking as an unemployed, not so youthful youth, (31) I don’t appreciate being told by someone who doesn’t know what he’s talking about on this issue that we are in the position we are in because we don’t want to work. And that I’m better off unemployed. (Trust me I’m NOT!) There are too many people out of work, and too few jobs to go round. I was made unemployed by the far reaching hand of the economic slump, not through choice. I have e-mailed and written to as many employers I can think of. If you get a response from one in thirty of them you are doing well. I’ve signed up for voluntary work, but there is a back log (work it out.) I’ve walked around retail estates giving out CV’s. I’ve even somehow managed to haul my lazy youthful backside out of bed at 6 am to do jobs in the past. Mr Harrisons letter really could have done with a bit of research.

I can assure him I have never got up thinking I’m on a winner. I’ve gone from quite a well paid job, to 60 quid a week on the dole (taxes which I paid into in previous jobs, and will pay back in future ones.) I am in a kind of limbo – which only those who unintentionally find themselves out of work can understand, as my life is on hold while I find something new. It’s the strangest kind of cushy existence I’ve ever experienced.

So Mr. Harrison, I suggest you get your facts straight, before sounding off in the paper. We live in hope."

I don't pull to many punches, and it is long(ish) for a newspaper letter, so I don't know how likely it is going to get published. But we'll see. I am so sick of this kind of lazy arsed [non] thinking, swallowing the big lie as generously as an alchie necks slugs of whisky. Two seconds of reflective thinking about what he had written should have told him that you do see lots of under 30's working in every day situations, oh all the bloody time! I literally believe people like Arnold have got their heads so squarely up their backsides, they would believe any limit of stuff so stupid and so self evidently irrational, if it backed up their silly world views. I don't think I could even begin to think up the kind of utter arse these people could potentially fall for, if it rang all the right bells. Even if I stayed in a dark room for 20 whole years. Depressing isn't it?

Don't undermine the good intentions by bad behaviour.

A post about two articles today, that although ostensibly seem quite different, both seem (no conclusive proof yet) to have led to the same "problem." The first one is this. On Saturday in my home town of Bolton, the hard right football casual spawned EDL or the English Defence League had a rally in the town centre. They ( website here, if you don't know who they are about.) claim only to be against "jihadists" rather than Islam in general. But there has been incidents of them shouting abuse at pro Palastinian protest, and Nazi saluting by members of the analogous Welsh Defence League. On a more subjective level their website has a large splash for the Jihadwatch a blog /website that combines some legitimate concerns with the more militant strains of Islamism with the dodgier right wing conspiracy theories that the terminally insecure "patriots" seem to like so much, that do the rounds across the pond, and get taken up by like minded souls here. The march itself resulted in 74 arrests and was estimated to have cost 3.3 million pounds (a lot of Boltons shops shut, taxi firms basically shut down over the weekend.) in lost incomes and in the preparation for the day itself. From all reports it was a tense encounter, with mutual recriminations from EDL and the UAF, who counter marched the rally, and according to Assistant Chief Constable, Gary Shewen, the trouble focused around:

"It is clear to me that a large number have attended today with the sole intention of committing disorder and their actions have been wholly unacceptable. Turning their anger onto police officers they acted with, at times, extreme violence and their actions led to injuries to police officers, protesters and members of the public.

"The police are not and should not be the target of such violence and anger and this protest and the actions of some of the protesters is roundly condemned by GMP and by Bolton Council. Were it not for the professionalism and bravery of police officers many others would have been seriously injured. I would also like to praise the efforts of the EDL stewards who worked with us in the face of some very ugly confrontations."

200 miles away in the Berkshire village of Cookham (where the exterior shots for Fawlty Towers "A Touch of Class" episode were filmed incidentally.) gay couple Michael Black and John Morgan were turned from a Swiss themed guest house run by a Christian couple, after she claimed that giving them the double room they wanted would go against her beliefs. This kind of story always makes for a good one to the newsmans eye. Mutual recriminations, zealous minorities victimising decent God fearing folk. "The angry people in newspapers" pictures. Fire and brimstone bible bashers persecuting in the name of God, you know the spiel. I mean it even got a look in on the Jeremy Vine Show!

It's hard not to feel for the guests turned away. Being dismissed by a complete stranger who knows nothing about you, and being shunned because of your sexual orientation would be an unpleasant experience for anyone. It also raises questions of misleading statements on the website of the B&B:

"A warm & friendly welcome awaits ALL GUESTS!! at our Swiss Bed & Breakfast in the idyllic village of Cookham, near Maidenhead in Berkshire." (emphasis mine)

I should also add that they [B&B owners] are not deemed to have commited a criminal offence by the police, though civil action against them has been proposed. which I'm sure the right wing press will absolutely avoid bringing up in articles on the case.


Unfortunately, and this is where it ties in to the EDL caper on Saturday; Swiss B&B has had death threats posted on its website as well as warnings of a potential arson attack. This is plainly wrong for reasons I shouldn't have to explain. Now I must emphasise that I think the lady who runs the B&B was out of line. She may pay quite a price for what she did. She has violated the customer service statements on her own website for a start. She has shunned 2 paying customers she knew nothing about for being gay. Despite her claiming she is free to practice what she feels at her home, it is still subject to business regulations (never mind they had paid for customer service. She refunded them though), I'm sure she has to put all the fire safety stuff in, and all the stuff that goes with providing service to a paying customer. And that is the crux of the matter. If you are putting on a service for paying customers, you have to abide by your contract, grit your teeth at those you may not like but who have not actually broken their part of the contract (like smashing the place up.). At the very least if she insists on putting a bit of Christian spirit into running a B&B, stick up a notice saying that only married couples get double rooms. (I think you can still do that.) So although she has brought this sorry situation on herself, trying to right a wrong (a good thing) with a bigger wrong (the worst way to do this thing) can never the way to go.

Now I wasn't there at the EDL march, so I can't directly comment on the UAF conduct, or the veracity of the police chiefs statement first hand. But if the claims were valid and the UAF did do some of the things stated, then the same thing applies to people threatening the B&B owners. Right minded people know that homophobia and racial prejudice have no rightful place. By sending out death threats to this couple, apart from being an evil thing to do just gives the religious homophobes out there ammunition. Yes it's the GLBT who are the real fascists! I wouldn't be surprised if we get an article this week on this being the next best thing to chucking the Christians to the lions. The usual sort of buck passing twaddle bandied about "it's my religion to oppose gays.**" and the usual semantic party games trying to explain why banning to gay people from a B&B isn't homophobia. The more overtly racist postings on nationalist websites, and the more guarded letters published in "normal" papers by these people are full of passive aggressive squirming references to "liberal fascism" and the "UAF are the real Nazis" etc. They can't really say anything else. It is self evident to most rational people that blatantly judging people on ethnicity and sexual orientation is wrong. They can't justify their prejudices, because they literally have nothing justifiable to back them up. That is why they are so keen to try and shift the blame, to distract from this. The great causes of countering prejudice by its own merit should rise above its opponents. Stooping lower than the people you claim to righteously oppose just harms genuine attempts to obtain a society based on genuine merit, and free of base prejudice. The truth shall set us free and all that.

** I always find this statement by devout Christians odd. The man who their faith is named after was so concerned about homosexuality, he mentioned it the grand total of never. I think that says more about the beliefs of the people making the statement, than J. C. But what would an athiest like me know. Hmmmm)-:

Don't like immigrants? Become an immigrant then. Christ! How consistant.

Now if you are an assiduous reader of the surprisingly good, and endearingly folksy local newspaper the Bolton News, and you stumble across to the often unintentionally hilarious letters page, you may be aware of the wisdom that is David from Malaga. Although he hasn't written in for a while, (so I can't quote him) he's your typical ultra anti - European Union ranter, you know the spiel, trying to destroy the country by banning bandy bananas and the Union Jack, that sort of thing. Now anti - EU sentiment is nothing new, but I'm sure it's never crossed Davids mind when he sits there typing this stuff, beside his pool in his tacky looking villa, that he looks a bit of a hypocrite claiming to hate the EU, and love his country so much that he took advantage of the horrid EU to piss off for good, from the country he claims to love so much. So I wasn't really surprised to discover that another scream it from the rooftops, tinpot patriot, former Australian fish fryer, turned MP Pauline Hanson has decided that she loves her country so much, she's going to emigrate to another one, The UK. She cites:

"Sadly, the land of opportunity is no more applicable. It's pretty much goodbye for ever. I've really had enough."

Which loosely translates to "My political career is screwed. Better luck next time." (she did 3 years for fraud, claiming she had more party members than she actually did, to be eligible for electoral funding)

Yes Hanson who formed the "One Nation" party, a right wing protectionist, populist organisation, running a severe anti-immigration platform. Hanson, like many of the leaders of these kinds of parties, played the tired old populist "real people" card, by constantly draping herself in the Aussie flag (might bring out the patriot in you, but it is just gesturing), and claiming she was fighting against the out of touch elite who know nothing of what "real people" want:

"My view on issues is based on common sense, and my experience as a mother of four children, as a sole parent and as a businesswoman running a fish and chip shop …"

"I may be only a fish and chip shop lady, but some of these economists need to get their heads out of the textbooks and get a job in the real world. I would not even let one of them handle my grocery shopping."

Now as I've said in this post, this is what these people do, I don't think; on this stand alone issue, that this makes them bad people, they honestly think, like many unintelligent people who enter politics, that cookie cutter rhetoric and simple "common sense" can "solve" very complex and staggeringly mulitlayered social issues.

No what I dislike about her, and what makes this "move" doubly hypocritical, and makes her unlike "David from Malaga" is that Hanson is well known in Australia for her strident views on immigration. Which is why she's come out with nuggets like these.

"I believe we are in danger of being swamped by Asians. Between 1984 and 1995, 40 per cent of all migrants coming into this country were of Asian origin. They have their own culture and religion, form ghettos and do not assimilate. Of course, I will be called racist but, if I can invite whom I want into my home, then I should have the right to have a say in who comes into my country."

"Arthur Calwell said: Japan, India, Burma, Ceylon and every new African nation are fiercely anti-white and anti one another. Do we want or need any of these people here? I am one red-blooded Australian who says no and who speaks for 90% of Australians. I have no hesitation in echoing the words of Arthur Calwell."

Yes this is depressing stuff, and these crude generalisations, and collective assigning of cultural traits to non-whites, has all those half-said undercurrents of "civilisation" being overrun by the dusky peoples. A lot of this appeals to the basest and murkiest sentiments on immigration. Her attitudes towards the aboriginals are particularly unpleasant.

"I have done research on benefits available only to Aboriginals and challenge anyone to tell me how Aboriginals are disadvantaged when they can obtain 3% and 5% housing loans denied to non-Aboriginals … "

"I am fed up with being told, 'This is our land.' Well, where the hell do I go? I was born here, and so were my parents and children …"

"Australians" were subject to "a type of reverse racism ... by those who promote political correctness and those who control the various taxpayer funded 'industries' that flourish in our society servicing Aboriginals,"

Now I know that anti immigrant sentiment is hardly an unheard of concept in some circles. But it seems the height of twattery, even amongst the standards we usually expect in this kind of talk, to actually begrudge a group of people who genuinely were swamped out, when the continent was settled by Europeans. Now no living Australian (of European origin) is guilty of their ancestors crimes against the indigenous Australians. But there is something perverse about denying those who have been there a hell of a lot longer, some redress for the land they lost.

That's the problem you see, when you hold these extreme and unsustainable views, you can't live up to them. You can't claim to be against immigration and then become an immigrant. Or is it OK if you are white? She say's she isn't racially prejudiced, but singles out Aboriginals of all people as receiving special treatment, without acknowledging the historic wrongs against the indigenous Australians.

As it happens I think she will probably fade into obscurity back in the UK. But I do wonder if a convicted fraudster who has questionable views, and has been touted by an organisation with links to individuals who would commit acts of terror and violence against British people, will raise as many eyebrows as others who may fit this profile. What do you think.

(I know she holds dual citizenship with the UK, because her family used to live here, so technically she isn't an immigrant. But since when have these people bothered with technicality. And if they don't care. I don't care either.)