http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7468434.stm
All the usual excuses, "he's not a racist" etc.
Yeah, right.
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Technically Boris hasn't.
Boris' aide has.
Bamos: linked to the spread of aidehas
"Let's elect a conservative...
...Oh he's racist, shocker"
No shocker.
Read the story.
This isn't racist
I fucking hate it when people are forced to resign for things like this. The assumption is that "them" is referring to black people. It clearly isn't. Completely stupid.
^ this
Darcus Howe can be a cock-end
though
I mean, he's not the spokesman for all black people over a certain age
...
“I’m sitting opposite a man, he knows nothing, he talks all the time, the result is he’s a trenchant buffoon, he had no idea how to present television shows, he looks ridiculous in that fashion wear. He swans around all the time hoping that people will recognise him, when in fact nobody’s even remotely interested. He’s taken up enough time on this show already and he hasn’t even opened his mouth. God knows why he’s here, I’ve nothing to ask the guy. And for all I know he may be a coco shunter too."
...
'whats a coco shunter?'
I'm not entirely sure I understand this.
Contextually you'd have to really twist it to sound like a racist remark, certainly based on reading that article. Maybe I'm missing something...
Couldn't this title
apply pretty much for every day of the last eight years or so?
Thats not racist
what would be racist is: ¨well round them up into big camps if they don´t like it here.¨
"middle-class tory in fascist shocker"
'Fascist'?
I'm calling Godwin's Law on this one!
Also, 'middle class'? I'm impressed that you know so much about his background.
Oh, wait a minute...you think this story concerns Johnson, don't you?
Yeah, may help if you'd read it.
cock.
I've read the article, be away with you.
How do you know the socio-economic background of an obscure
aide then?
Oh, you don't!
<yawns loudly>
Nothing to say? Well, I for one am shocked,
Talk me through the 'fascist' thing too, I'm genuinely intrigued.
you don't have a point, do you?
Seems a bit weird this.
Although it seems like it was an attempt to head off a potential storm..well, how likely was it that this was actually going to cause a storm?
I kinda agree with the aide's point
Even though it was worded very poorly. Darcus Howe is a rabble-rousing douchehat, and if people really can't bear to be in the country any more because the populace didn't elect a corrupt socialist then no-one's stopping them going.
It's strange indeed, this.
Man says 'people might go to the Carribean'. Person says 'ok then'. Person is allegedly racist.
This is stupid.
And bollocks like this
actually has a real effect on people's attitudes to equality. Because people will call this 'political correctness gone mad' (which it kind of is, in a way ridiculous as the phrase may be) and it just leads to people feeling like victims of something which should have the opposite effect.
Precisely.
This kind of thing impedes sensible and constructive progress in race relations.
hmm
"But his response to a silly and hostile suggestion put to him by Marc Wadsworth, allowed doubts to be raised about that commitment."
otherwise known as "well, he couldn't possibly be wrong, he's a member of the conservative master race"
In fairness anyone who takes that as a racist comment
is basically
a) silly
or
b) gunning for the Tories and looking for an excuse to call them racist.
no, but what Boris is saying is
Marc Wadsworth shouldn't have asked him the question, which is really not on
It's actually a reasonable argument in this circumstance
You can't ask a question that makes sweeping statements about black people and then get pissed off when the answer makes sweeping statements about black people and claim any credibility of argument.
well that's been the game of politicians and journalists for as long as i can remember
at least, trying to trick people into saying something BAD. and yeah, i might not like it, but for a politician and former current-affairs magazine editor to complain about it is essentially A Bit Rich
Aye.
Heaven forbid that politicians should have to defend any 'doubts' raised about their words or their intentions. It feels like we havn't got the whole story here.
Also, the whole phrase about "no silly questions; only silly answers" comes to mind. The bit you quoted sounds like "nurr, he made me say it."
Depressingly it feels like we have got the whole story.
This really does seem to be it.
Doesn't it strike you as odd
that he'd resign over such a vague comment, though? One that doesn't actually seem to have caused any kind of controversy whatsoever?
Even in the absence of any deeper reasons for this, I think McGrath and/or the Mayor's office is at fault here. If that really was a misinterpretation, then at least try to show us that.
It's not odd that he resigned at all.
In 2008 this is just the way it goes, particularly in light of the smear campaign that sections of the left ran against the Johnson mayoralty.
I'm sure it wasn't a free choice, he would have been told to jump before he was pushed.
In which case, talk about a lack of solidarity;
if Boris' office wants to inspire the public about their commitment to race issues, then they should be displaying confidence in the non-racist beliefs of their staff.
This sends out entirely the wrong message; that they're 'prickly' on the issue. That's what seems odd to me: that they'd get this so wrong.
You raise an interesting point
But then maybe in fighting it, it again brings to the public attention the "Is Boris a racist?" saga and this stage in Johnson's tenure he wants as much breathing space as possible.
It's like with the dropping of the anit-racism tag to that festival. Seemed like a strange move given everything Johnson was tarred with in the election
That's probably it
and it probably is simpler than I'm making it. Cut off the issue before it can go anywhere. It's just that.. well, although I can understand why he'd make this move, I don't think it's a good one for long-term perceptions.
Interesting case, this, actually!
The problem is you can't fight a racism accusation.
As soon as the word "racist" is thrown at someone it's an accusation no logic or reason will ever shake off.
If they denied it they'd only be seen by the media as condoning racism (the question of whether the comment was racist or not wouldn't really figure in this) and the entire of Johnson's administration would be tarred with the "racist" brush.
Sadly it's one of these areas that rational, reasoned discussion can never win against sensationalism.
I think that's overly pessimistic
You -can- fight an accusation of racism; what I'm seeing here, though, is that the Mayor's office chose not to. This was a minor remark at best; very vague, easily turned on its head.
What I take away from this is there's been no attempt to enter into a discussion or defence of what was actually said; the boil was sliced off, nothing more to see here.
I understand that it's modern headline-focussed politics, and all, but it's still not nice seeing it in action.
True
Especially given how the overwhelming reaction on here has mostly been "That wasn't racist".
But as has been said better to just rid of it before it brews
Errrrrrr..........
Not Johnson and nor in any sense racist.
Other than that, I'm duly outraged
I think Darcus Howe's comment is fairly outrageous.
He seems to be implying all Carribean males over a certain age think identically.
Which, as sweeping generalisations about race go, is definitely one of those.
Darcus Howe is an oxygen thief cunt....
who has probably done more to promote racism than prevent it.
My personal favourite Howe anecdote involves a friend of mine....,.
A few years ago Howe embarked on a a tour of Britain in which he set out to prove that various elements of the establishment were racist. This was all filmed for a documentary.
Having failed to find anything in any sense concrete against the likes of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (where finding an outspoken racist is akin for hunting for a virgin in a Southend nightclub) and the Universities of Oxford/Cambridge he turned his attention to the officers of the British army (they must be racists, most of them vote tory, right?)
Well, Howe had dinner with a group of a dozen or so army officers including a friend of mine and began to rather charmlessly and aggressively quiz them about their attitudes to race.
They all answered his questions in full, eloquently rebutting his assertions and asking him some questions of their own which he didn't really seem to like. Then my friend made the mistake of using the term 'monkey see, monkey do' within the context of an answer concerning the way in which bigoted attitudes can become standard practice if people believe that those further up the chain of command hold them.
At this, Howe flew into a rage. 'How dare you use words like monkey when talking about black people!'......
At last, he'd found his establishment racists.
There was just one slight problem.
My friend is black.
Howe in his utter determination to be offended had missed this.
I pity anyone who thinks the story in the initial post is proof of anything other than the ridiculously oversensitive time we live in.
It must be exhausting being so morally indignant 24/7.
..
here here
The worst thing about stuff like this
is that it empowers the actual racists and bigots by giving credence to their opinions on media distortion and over-sensitivity to not-all-that-controversial comments.
How bizarre
I guess he had to resign in case it did spiral out of control, and the last thing Boris needs in his early days is a race row, but what the guy said wasn't racist at all. He was responding to a direct question, and all he said in effect was "ok then". It wasn't as if he said "Good because they fuck me off because they buy all the coconut milk in Tesco so I can't make Thai curries"
: D
the tory candidate
where i live just came out and said that [racist rhodesian leader] Ian Smith was his hero, and that immigrants are 'flooding' the UK or something.
lolz
i imagine the flood of immigrants must be bad on the Isle of Arran
from what i remember, most people who live there are English and retired! not originally from Arran at all! :P
^ this is true.
sadly I don't think he was specifically referring to Arran.
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2356779.0.tory_candidate_calls_racist_rhodesian_leader_a_hero.php
I heard about this this morning.
Think it's all a bit a harrumph over nothing really.
I mean, looking at it subjectively, what answer was the aide actually supposed to give?
Say that he would force them to stay? Get on his knees and say that the British culture and economy would fall to its knees?
Britain is not a prison. If people don't want to stay here, they don't have to.
Well
he could have easily said that leaving the country would have been a very rash and unnecessary decision for those people to make, given that if they were to give Boris a chance, he'd show them a better vision of the capital, etc..
^ FA(S)CIST
Exactly.
If you swap the word black for the word Socialist
i.e. "A lot of Socialists say they would leave London if a right-wing Conserative is elected in the (entirely democratic) elections coming up. How do you feel about that?" "Well, if Socialists want to leave, they can leave"
you realise it's the most ridiculous "racism" story ever...
Wtf
That isn't racist.
After reading this:
http://www.the-latest.com/blacks-should-go-back-home-if-they-dont-like-mayor
I have come to the conclusion that Marc Wadsworth is a bit a of a massive twat.
How is "I get where you are on the radar, Sunshine"
in any sense not politically correct?
I can't even read all of that
What a belter
I see your point.
'Curtly, he added: “I get where you are on the radar, sunshine.” Again, not a politically correct thing to say to a Black person.'
For those who won't read the above piece, Wasdworth is a black journalist type, the quote is by McGrath.
Now, am I right in thinking that the grounds for this utterly absurd remark about the use of the word 'sunshine' is something like this:
Black people originate from countries where there is a lot of sunshine, therefore if you use the word sunshine whilst talking to a black person you are bringing attention to their place of racial origin and as such you are a racist?
Fuck me, this country is in such trouble.
Oh, I took it another way.
I thought it meant that sunshine is 'light', but black people are 'dark'. Therefore, by calling him sunshine you are overlooking the his black heritage.
He should have said: “I get where you are on the radar, darkness.”
Ironic the guy's from Australia really...
in fairness...
sunshine is just a condescending way of addressing somebody. The reason for being condescending might be racist, but is more likely based on frustration at being interviewed in such an aggressive and unhelpful way.
But it would be condescending to anyone regardless of race
It sounds like Marc Wadsworth has a chip on his shoulder.
If there were other factors during the interview (i.e. body language and facial hints) that led him to feel McGrath was being racist then he fails to mention them, which is a stupid omission.
Shine is an offensice slang for a black person but I couldn't find anything explaining where it comes from. maybe that's why he (weirdly) interpretted it as racist?