Racism and Hate Rear Ugly Heads in Britain
From Thatcher's daughter using racial slurs to a Foreign Office bigwig cursing Jews, it's been another bad month.
Over the past week there has been a string of controversies dominating the airwaves of Britain; indeed, if you live in the United Kingdom you will be blissfully unaware of the “stimulus bill” turmoil on Capitol Hill. In recent weeks our news cycle has revolved around the national crisis over a blizzard and the ensuing absence of grit, snow tires, and plows; the tragic death of Baby P; and the firing of Chelsea boss Luis Felipe Scolari. As this article goes to press Britain may very likely see the demise of the venerable Lloyds Bank (born 1765) and Halifax Bank of Scotland (born 1695), and a quote by Gordon Brown made in 1992 has come back to haunt him: “A weak currency arises from a weak economy, which in turn is the result of a weak government.” But there are other stories to boggle the mind.
As I reported in Pajamas Media, the disgraced BBC presenter Jonathan Ross suffered a three-month suspension. He had been stewing at home because he co-hosted with Russell Brand a BBC radio show in which a series of obscene telephone calls was made to the actor Andrew Sachs. No sooner had Ross returned to work at the end of January than he made lewd remarks about sexual adventure with an 80-year-old woman. Calls were made to the BBC for him to be fired. So far he is still in gainful employment and has even hosted the BAFTA Awards.
The British actor Ricky Gervais angered Golden Globe audiences on January 13 by issuing forth with a crack, “Holocaust movies get you awards.” Ricky’s compatriot Sacha Baron Cohen made tasteless jokes about Madonna and, to the astonishment of attendees, Gervais carried on backstage with cracks about the Holocaust.
But the cherry on the sundae came in early February when Carol Thatcher, daughter of the former prime minister, said she thought a French tennis player resembled a “golliwog,” a disparaging word that describes a black person. (Golliwog dolls still sell around the world and an antique dealer who used to work from Alfie’s Antique Market in London once told me the biggest deals he did for Golly dolls were with buyers of African extraction.) All hell broke loose in Britain and Carol Thatcher’s slip of the tongue, in the green room at the BBC, even made the rarified discussion roster of BBC’s Question Time, the prestigious television debate program.
The radio and television airwaves have been filled with listeners’ views on the racism of Carol Thatcher, and on February 6 she was told she would no longer be employed by the BBC. There has been wide debate as to whether a remark made in the privacy of an anteroom in a studio constitutes grounds for dismissal.
Carol Thatcher’s formative years were spent in an era that is still alive and well because her generation runs this country. The irony of this major news story is this: despite the many tirades expatriate Americans in Europe receive about their racist legacy, the United States has produced a vast array of world-famous African-Americans, culminating in the election of Barack Obama by a white populace whose average age is that of Carol Thatcher. Moral of the story: Europe has a long way to go.
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Carol Gould is the Philadelphia-born author of Don’t Tread on Me: Anti-Americanism Abroad, Spitfire Girls, and A Room at Camp Pickett, a play about her mother’s experiences as a WAC in World War II; she has just completed films about black GIs and GI babies. Carol has been a panelist on BBC's Any Questions?, hosted by Jonathan Dimbleby, and is a commentator on Sky News, Press TV, the BBC World Service, and Five Live.
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40 Comments
1. Nature:On 06.02.09 I sent a complaint to the BBC about an interview of Sarah Montague and Mark Regev, the Israeli spokesman on BBC radio 4 on 06.02.09. What I find more alarming is Robert’s Wright (BBC complaints) response on 17.02.09 to my initial complaint, to which I responded again on 18.02.09. Here is all the correspondence. It is long but it is worth reading:
My initial complaint submitted to the BBC on 06.02.09:
I was listening to the morning news show on Friday, 06.02.09 on BBC radio 4 at about 8:40am. An interview was held with Mark Regev, the Israeli spokesman and Sarah Montague. As a listener I was horrified to hear the hate and the revolt in Sarah Montague’s voice toward Mark Regev. She blatantly rejected his claim that Hamas was responsible to the collapse of the ceasefire, by saying “this is simply not true” this is a blunt and unprofessional statement of a journalist who do not accept the turns of events in Israel and tries to vilify the Israelis for the their reaction to Hamas terror attacks. I do not recall any journalists interviewing Hamas terrorists on BBC rejecting any of Hamas claims whether they hateful or fabricated, however, Sarah Montague did not have a problem claiming that Mark Regev was simply lying. Furthermore, this journalist had a silence too long in a sentence when she was trying to find her words to describe Hamas militants, this was almost to imply that she was trying avoiding calling Hamas as freedom fighters. She had to think hard until she was able to pronounce “Hamas militants”. I have grave concern of this horrible journalistic misconduct to show a biased and a blatant hate toward an interviewee, and I call for her resignation. This is too serious for just an apology.
Robert Wright’s (BBC Complaints) response on 17.02.09:
Dear XXXX (Nature)
Thank you for your e-mail regarding Radio 4.
I was sorry to learn that you feel the BBC reports of the conflict in Gaza aren’t impartial.
The BBC is committed to due impartiality and across our programming we have tried to explain how the current situation in the Middle East started and has since developed. We have also given air-time to representatives from across the political spectrum and our correspondents are equally vigorous in their questioning of interviewees regardless of whether they are Israeli or Palestinian.
While the BBC agrees that political figures and others in positions of responsibility should be given the opportunity both to explain their thinking on matters of public concern and answer criticisms of it, the job of interviewers is to put the questions likely to be in the minds of listeners and to look for answers. Our interviewers’ intention is always to ensure that their contributions are kept as relevant and useful as possible. The interviewer’s job is to put the questions likely to be in the minds of viewers and to look for answers. Many interviewees and politicians in particular, are very adept at evading questions and following their own agenda when replying. It is part of a professional interviewer’s role to ensure that they are reminded, when appropriate, of the original question or pressed on points that are of particular public interest.
We have reported the casualty figures from both sides: the fact is, however, that there have been many more Palestinian deaths than Israeli. We have also explained clearly and frequently that Israel sees this conflict as a necessary defensive action because of the rocket attacks it has faced for many years. It is for the audience, not the BBC, to judge whether, in its view, the action is justified.
The aim of our news reports is to provide the information across our programming in order to enable viewers and listeners to make up their own minds; to show the reality of a situation and provide the forum for debate, giving full opportunity for all viewpoints to be heard. We are satisfied that this has been the case in respect of our reporting of the Middle East.
Nevertheless, I recognise you may continue to hold a different opinion about the BBC’s impartiality. Please be assured that all of your comments have been registered on our daily feedback log, this is a daily report of audience feedback that’s circulated to many BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, channel controllers and other senior managers.
Thank you for taking the time to contact the BBC.
Regards
Robert Wright
BBC Complaints
____________________________
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints
My new response to Robert Wright (BBC Complaints) on 18.02.09:
Dear Robert Wright
Thank you for taking the time to response to my initial complaint about the integrity of the interview Sarah Montague conducted with Mark Regev on 06.02.09, which was only partially answered. Your response did not explain however why as an “impartial” interviewer Sarah Montague had a clear revolt and anger in her voice toward Mark Regev. This incident was not only picked by myself but was largely discussed on the Biased BBC website, as well.
I however would like to point out to a much more disturbing claim presented in your reply. You write: “We have reported the casualty figures from both sides: the fact is, however, that there have been many more Palestinian deaths than Israeli”. I find this statement to be particularly disturbing as it implies that the BBC disputes the classification of Hamas as terror organisation (by the EU, Israel and the USA). As it now has come to light, one third of deaths were of Hamas terrorists, one third were of Arab Palestinians affiliated with Hamas terrorists, and unfortunately one third were indeed Arab Palestinian civilians who paid the price of being used as human shield by Hamas. By writing “there have been many more Palestinian deaths than Israeli” you do not distinguish between the two thirds of the deaths to be attributed to terrorists who are in fact a legitimate target. The journalistic coverage of the death of Hamas terrorists should be equalled to the coverage on BBC of Al Qaeda terrorists deaths when is then considered to be a success and a positive progress. However, when you write “Palestinian deaths” without the specification of who actually were the dead it signifies the fact that the BBC defies the classification of Hamas as terror organisation- it actually implies that the BBC is masking Hamas terrorist deaths as Arab Palestinian civilian deaths. This clearly demonstrates that the BBC has its own political agenda, in breach of partiality, which is most alarming.
I will finish with another quote from your response “The aim of our news reports is to provide the information across our programming in order to enable viewers and listeners to make up their own minds” if this was the case, why is then the BBC paid £200,000 from the tax payer money in 2007 to suppress the release of Balen report damming the BBC coverage of the Israeli – Arab Palestinian conflict as a constitutionally biased against Israel?
Feb 19, 2009 - 1:33 am 2. Eric R.:The BBC is not a news organization; it is a Nazi terrorist organization, dedicated to vilifying the Jews and celebrating a second Holocaust when it comes. A Der Stuermer on steroids.
They are no more journalists than was Goebbels.
Israel should deal with them as the terrorists and racist mass murderers that they are.
Feb 19, 2009 - 2:33 am 3. Jonesy55:So there are some racist people in the UK just as there were last year and just as there will be next year. There are also some racist people in every other country in the world, is it news?
I don’t think that any British person who pays any attention to current affairs will be “blissfully unaware of the “stimulus bill” turmoil on Capitol Hill”, it’s been all over the newspapers, TV news reports and internet sites for the past couple of weeks.
Feb 19, 2009 - 3:13 am 4. Jonesy55:“The BBC is not a news organization; it is a Nazi terrorist organization, dedicated to vilifying the Jews and celebrating a second Holocaust when it comes.”
lol.
Feb 19, 2009 - 3:14 am 5. RightwingHippyChick:Yes you’re right, Carol — those evil white racist people should simply stop noticing all non-white people and not talk about or to them at all, in case someone somewhere is going to call them racist and destroy their livelihood in the ensuing witch hunt.
This is the result of folks like you stoking the race paranoia — it’s not that people will get aggressive towards each other, but that they simply move away from difficult issues or potential problems, which in this case unfortunately means that in future, white people will think twice about engaging with non-whites and probably avoid them whenever is possible, just to keep out of trouble and safe from shakedown artists.
Of course, this is one sure-fire way of avoiding future occurrences of racism (…)
Btw, you all may want to consider that Ms. Gould, an immigrant to the UK who still has not taken citizenship after all these years and thus properly integrated herself here, has made a lucrative career being a prominent part of the racism industry, and it’s poison-pen writers like her that stoke the flames of hatred over trivialities whenever possible, instead of dousing the petty anger of petty people down with common sense and conciliatory tones.
Feb 19, 2009 - 4:14 am 6. Mary Jackson:Well surprise surprise. Carol Gould cherry picks random bad things about Britain and revels in them. No wonder she still lives here, despite those unspeakable rude taxi drivers. How could she get so much pleasure living anywhere else.
Another glitch for Britain’s image in the world came on February 6 when television presenter Jeremy Clarkson, in an interview in Australia, referred to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a “one-eyed Scottish idiot.”
Well boo hoo. Gordon Brown is a one-eyed Scottish idiot. Jeremy Clarkson is a breath of fresh air.
Feb 19, 2009 - 5:27 am 7. Lynn:North America and Western Europe are more racially diverse and religiously diverse than other continents and countries therefore there can be more racial and religious tensions at times. North American and Western Europe have a free press overall, therefore information and news reporting about racial and religious tensions are more available.
These stories can serve to be a catalyst for discussion about the subject. Overall the laws and attitudes in North America and Western Europe lean toward condemning racism and religousism. This is not so in other parts of the world.
The fact that this article points to people singlely being caught making thoughtless, crude, comments that are rejected by many, shows that these countries and governments peoples are attempting to be diversive and inclusive with laws and actions.
Feb 19, 2009 - 6:06 am 8. Judy, NYC:ricky gervais is a very boring fat slobby queen, the sort only the brits can produce. any show that hires him, any movie producer, any advertiser who supports this drunk can forget the participation of those who heard and saw these filthy anti-semitic toads fall out of his viscious, stupid mouth.
Feb 19, 2009 - 7:54 am 9. mariecurie:This article makes me almost glad about political correctness in America. At least in the university setting in the U.S., you have to be really, really careful what you say, how you refer to different groups, etc. While it can feel like a limiting of one’s freedom of speech, it does create a society in which we attempt to be careful of how we relate to others.
But a lot of this doesn’t even have to do with political correctness but with plain old decency and graciousness. Having travelled extensively in the UK and even lived in Scotland for two years, I miss the England of tea parties, Masterpiece Theatre, and old-world charm. Alas . . . I guess that England only ever existed in the imagination. Didn’t it?
Feb 19, 2009 - 8:07 am 10. Mary Jackson:miss the England of tea parties, Masterpiece Theatre, and old-world charm. Alas . . . I guess that England only ever existed in the imagination. Didn’t it?
That England was far, far more racist than today’s, which is scarcely racist at all except in the minds of the hypersensitive.
Feb 19, 2009 - 8:43 am 11. Jael:Shame on Carl Gould for pointing out racism in Britain. She should take it all back…as soon as England has a black queen.
Feb 19, 2009 - 8:59 am 12. jonesy55:“as soon as England has a black queen.”
England has plenty of black queens, just go to Soho of an evening and you’ll find queens of every colour you could wish for.
Feb 19, 2009 - 9:54 am 13. deguello:Jonessy:Good one!What is Gould going to do now? Will she complain that jonessy is being offensive to transvestites! England wouldn’t be england without nasty,cruel, and offensive epithets,Mary Jackson is spot on about Brown,by the way!
Feb 19, 2009 - 10:09 am 14. james:The BBC doesn’t represent Britons. It is a government-funded mouthpiece for all the ugly little orthodoxies that the ugly little government is forcing down your spindly little necks. It is like PBS here, or CNN, or NBC, or MSNBC, or….
Feb 19, 2009 - 12:12 pm 15. Roderick Reilly:Is there anyone who’s suprised that a tv outfit is anti-Semitic? Anti-Semtitism is the logical – the only logical – outcome of liberalism because it is one of the tenets of totalitarianism.
RIP, UK. We’ll meet up with you in Hell pretty soon since we are headed the same way. We might even get there faster because we don’t have just a weak office-seeker in the top job. We have an out-and-out communist and he is setting the house on fire.
“”"”"”"This article makes me almost glad about political correctness in America. At least in the university setting in the U.S., you have to be really, really careful what you say, how you refer to different groups, etc. While it can feel like a limiting of one’s freedom of speech, it does create a society in which we attempt to be careful of how we relate to others.”"”"”"
Fool.
You can get busted in Britain for expressing “hate speech.” Our campus policies are a harbinger of the same thing happening in the U.S. in the near future.
Seriously, be careful what you wish for.
Feb 19, 2009 - 12:16 pm 16. Laura:I work for a large non-for-profit healthcare agency in Toronto. My Chinese boss has made several nasty comments about whites; my Arab colleague is a Marxist who is obsessed with everything Moslem and rants about it every day; another is Indian who loves to comment about elitist whites at every meeting; my white British colleague believes that whites should die out by marrying non-whites. There is racism all over for sure, and it’s not being directed at non-whites.
Feb 19, 2009 - 1:01 pm 17. Aldo:There have many shameful statements in Britain lately, but how come you leave out all the anti-Christian bigotry? Are Christians and Irish not human beings?
Feb 19, 2009 - 1:13 pm 18. Larry:Yes Carol Gould’s obsessiveness over British racism has become tiresome and needlessly repetitive. Plus she focuses excessively on the trivial and inane, I mean Russell Brand! Gervias’s remarks are tasteless but I wouldn’t compare them to the consistent anti-Semitic blather passed off as Middle-East reporting by the likes of the BBC, Guardian and Independent.
The anti-Semitism in the UK is dreadful, but it’s there all over Europe and whilst not as bad in North America, it is always a problem there too. Especially among the self-appointed elite.
Gould should move onto something else, really before she puts us all to sleep.
Feb 19, 2009 - 1:31 pm 19. Fantom:Talk about racist, you should see the number of people who throw the word “redneck” around.
Feb 19, 2009 - 1:46 pm 20. Eric R.:Jonesy #4
So you think that the BBC spewing up genocidal hatred is a laughing matter?
Maybe you should post over at discussion boards of Al-Guardian and das-Independent, where they also laugh at, and celebrate, dead Jews.
Feb 19, 2009 - 2:49 pm 21. Eric R.:Mary Jackson:
Well surprise surprise. Carol Gould cherry picks random bad things about Britain and revels in them. No wonder she still lives here, despite those unspeakable rude taxi drivers. How could she get so much pleasure living anywhere else.
Two questions for you:
a) She is no more alarmist than Melanie Phillips, who after all, writes for TWO major British newspapers. Are you telling me the Spectator/Telegraph and the Daily Mail are lunatic papers hiring only paranoiacs?
b) How many “anecdotes” does Ms. Gould have to point out to you before you concede that Britain has an anti-Semitism problem of truly Nazian proportions?
What gets me, Ms. Jackson, is that your own very good weblog points out a lot of this anti-Semitic, pro-Islamist, far-left garbage as well. Why are YOU not similarly alarmed?
I read last year where something like 200,000 Brits emigrate each year now, and it is growing. Now I realize that many are retirees, but many are young or middle-aged people with a lot of life ahead of them who see the same thing that you see (and Carol sees) and decide that their future and that of their children does not belong in a country that is fast becoming a cesspool of Islamofascism, Naziism, and Marxism.
Why get on Carol’s case for blowing things out of proportion when thousands of Brits each year DON”T see it as being blown out of proportion, but rather a country in terminal collapse?
Feb 19, 2009 - 2:56 pm 22. Carol Gould:Larry,
Every news story tonight in the UK has been about racism, the human rights of Abu Qatada and the papers are full of stories about the colossal rise in anti-Semitism in Britain. Shami Chakrabarti, champion of human rights and anti-racism, and head of Liberty, was apoplectic on ‘Question Time’ a fortnight ago. There has just been a major symposium on anti-Semitism in Westminster issuing a declaration signed by prominent disgnitaries. In today’s Daily Telegraph there is a letter about Caryl Churchill’s anti-Israel play, signed by a host of concerned Britons:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/4691028/The-laws-duty-is-to-protect-the-innocent-not-to-make-them-prove-their-innocence.html
Put you to sleep?
Read two books both entitled ‘While England Slept;’ the first one by Winston Churchill and the second one by John F Kennedy.
Also, if you are still awake, read ‘Anti-Semitic Passions are Aflame’
http://jta.org/news/article/2009/02/19/1003132/conference-anti-semitic-passions-are-aflame
Feb 19, 2009 - 3:36 pm 23. Federale:Gollywogs? Racist? Are you kidding? So, I read the Noddy books as a child, does that make me racist?
And with regard to the exommunicated Bishop, it was not the Holcaust that got him excommunicated, but being ordained a bishop irregularly. And that issue was settle. You cannot be excommunicated for disagreeing on the number of Jews killed in the Holcaust. Since the manner of his ordination of as a Bishop was settle, there was no option under canon law but to remove his excommunication the same as the other Bishops. Matters of faith and canon law may be of no importance to you, but they are of singular importance.
Feb 19, 2009 - 4:01 pm 24. Mary Jackson:Shami Chakrabarti, champion of human rights and anti-racism, and head of Liberty, was apoplectic on ‘Question Time’ a fortnight ago.
So what’s new. Apoplectic is her default mode.
Shami Chakrabati, that champion of liberty, was strangely silent on the Wilders affair. She is also the most irritating woman in Britain, who deserves a custard pie in her smug, self-righteous face.
Feb 19, 2009 - 4:19 pm 25. Morton Doodslag:“She is also the most irritating woman in Britain, who deserves a custard pie in her … face.”
Pot, meet kettle.
Feb 19, 2009 - 5:05 pm 26. Carol Gould:Interesting episode:
Eric Holder, US Attorney General, slams Americans for their ‘cowardice and racism :’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4699166/Obamas-attorney-general-claims-US-is-voluntarily-segregated.html
Feb 19, 2009 - 6:44 pm 27. Eric:The racial tensions in Britain, and the rest of Europe, will only worsen as self-loathing Leftist politicians continue to ignore the will of the majority and continue to allow millions and millions of 3rd world immigrants to flood Europe. Europeans who see their nations, culture, history, and very identity threatened will eventually fight back and when they do…Europe will once again become a blood bath.
Feb 19, 2009 - 7:18 pm 28. Morton Doodslag:“Europeans who see their nations, culture, history, and very identity threatened will eventually fight back and when they do…Europe will once again become a blood bath.”
You’re too optimistic, Eric. What makes you think the Europeans will fight? They always avoid fighting for principles, causing genocides thereby. By mere demographics the barbarian invader will out-breed their aborting Euro counterpoints in a mere 50 years. Dar ul Islam has already claimed vast tracts, and the Europeans continue to foot the bill. Those few who are fighting are excoriated and humiliated into retreat by both the Saracen hordes and the PC gestapo running their media, their schools, and their governments. Also, they have no second amendment, and the average European relegates firearm ownership to the outer reaches of knuckle dragging American hayseeds. God save them. No one else will, and Allah’s got his own agenda for them which seems to be on track.
Feb 19, 2009 - 9:54 pm 29. jonesy55:“the papers are full of stories about the colossal rise in anti-Semitism in Britain.”
“How many “anecdotes” does Ms. Gould have to point out to you before you concede that Britain has an anti-Semitism problem of truly Nazian proportions?”
Anti-semitic attitudes in the UK are the lowest of any European country surveyed by the ADL and have been found to be declining significantly.
http://www.adl.org/Public%20ADL%20Anti-Semitism%20Presentation%20February%202009%20_3_.pdf
Indeed on comparison with the most recent US survey, the UK seems pretty similar in terms of the attitudes of the population.
http://www.adl.org/Anti_semitism/poll_2007/Anti-Semitism%20Poll%202007.pdf
Try not to get carried away with your own hyperbole.
Feb 20, 2009 - 12:59 am 30. jonesy55:“I read last year where something like 200,000 Brits emigrate each year now, and it is growing. Now I realize that many are retirees, but many are young or middle-aged people with a lot of life ahead of them who see the same thing that you see (and Carol sees) and decide that their future and that of their children does not belong in a country that is fast becoming a cesspool of Islamofascism, Naziism, and Marxism.
Why get on Carol’s case for blowing things out of proportion when thousands of Brits each year DON”T see it as being blown out of proportion, but rather a country in terminal collapse?”
Every country in the world has people who emigrate and when you have some of the highest house prices in the world, lots of people have capital which they can use to easily trade up the social ladder in another cheaper country. The number of emigrants actually fell last year as house prices and sterling declined which just shows that over the past few years the main reasons for people leaving were to take advantage on the stupidly high house values and overvalued currency here, not to flee from oppression and nazism. If people were genuinely fleeing then currency decline would not put them off, they would still be fleeing in fear of their lives.
Quite why you think that some emigration means ‘terminal collapse’ isn’t clear to me either. If you think that the trends of a couple of years can be extrapolated into infinity then it seems that you have no grasp of the scale of history, these phenomena come and go, always have, always will.
Emigration from the UK was far higher a century ago at a time when travel was far more difficult and emigration was far more of a permanent wrench compared to these days when a Brit in Spain can pay £30 for a plane ticket and be at home with their family in the UK within a couple of hours.
I know several British people living in other countries and not one of them has ever mentioned Britain “fast becoming a cesspool of Islamofascism, Naziism, and Marxism” as a reason for living elsewhere, some go for the better weather and more relaxed lifestyle, some go for a cheaper cost of living to make their pensions go further, some go just to experience the world as young people have always wanted to do and many come back, two of my friends with a young family are returning from Sydney, Australia later this year.
Feb 20, 2009 - 1:15 am 31. james:Aldo, you’re absolutely right. They hate Jews because they’re Jews, whether religious or not; they hate Christians because they’re religious. And they hate everyone who doesn’t believe in their religion: The State.
Feb 20, 2009 - 6:47 am 32. Michael:Does Ms Gould live in London? Of course she does. In London 25-33% of the people are foreign nationals. Another bunch, 10-25%, are foreigners or the children of foreigners who hold British passports.
Outside London, in England, we are a decent tolerant bunch. What happens in London is nothing to do with us. The BBC is nothing to do with us. The Scottish government in London is nothing to do with us. We tend to read the Daily Mail & Daily Telegraph. We are NOT members of the GRC (Guardian Reading Classes). We think the war in Afghanistan is silly. We think Americans are arrogant. When your new president says he is going to change the world, we say – hang on – don’t bother! We noticed that the film “Saving Private Ryan” didn’t mention that over half the troops landing on D-Day were British or Canadian. How many Americans know that?
Lets just calm down!
Feb 20, 2009 - 8:54 am 33. Morton Doodslag:“Outside London, in England, we are a decent tolerant bunch.”
“We think the war in Afghanistan is silly. We think Americans are arrogant.”
Non sequitur, meet kettle.
Feb 20, 2009 - 12:22 pm 34. Roy M:Here is the opening of an inteveiw between a Hamas member and a journalist from the Nazi jew hating BBC…
“TIM SEBASTIAN – Khaled Meshaal. A very warm welcome to the programme. In the wake of the Israeli assassination of Sheikh Yassin, is Hamas planning yet another cycle of pointless revenge violence?
KHALED MESHAAL- In the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful. Bloodshed in Palestine is going on because of the Israeli crimes before and it didn’t begin after the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. The Zionist crime requests a Palestinian response. This is something very ordinary. This reciprocity is acknowledged by all human and spiritual laws and legislations.
T S – Where does it get you? Where does it get you, this retaliation? It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t get you anywhere does it? More people die. More of your people die, more Israelis die. No progress is made. Haven’t you got anything else to offer to the process?
KM: Our goal is to end the occupation and not kill people. If the world was able to be fair with us and give us back our land and rights, we won’t need anymore fighting and resistance
TS- And when you take this revenge and you see the bodies of Israeli women and children on the streets, does that make you feel better? ……”
And so on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/hardtalk/3639093.stm
Feb 20, 2009 - 3:15 pm 35. jonesy55:Roy M
Sssssh, they don’t want to read that type of thing here, it doesn’t fit the groupthink narrative.
Feb 21, 2009 - 12:21 am 36. LynnS:Perhaps the BBC is learning to talk out of both sides of their mouth from their Hamas masters. Thanks for pointing out the show from back in 2004, and we know that 4+ years later, they are still talking out of both sides of their mouths.
Ssssh, Sssssh, please no loud noises Hamas is talking. Did you hear that? Did they say that in their charter? Do they really want to wipe Israel and the People of Israel off the face of the earth, so that Islam can rain supreme over all the land?. Forty-eight Islamic countries and counting.
Feb 22, 2009 - 2:55 pm 37. fouse, gary c:Both in Europe and North America, the recent events in Gaza have led to very disturbing demonstrations in which some Pro-Palestinian supporters are chanting, “Love Live Hitler” and “Jews go back to the ovens”. Yet the media ignores it. One has to go to the Internet to see the videos.
We cannot allow the issue of Israel and the Palestinians to bring back Jew-hatred to our countries.
Feb 22, 2009 - 3:56 pm 38. David H:34. I was aware of that one interview, but one out of so many that go the other way, for example everytime Bowen opens his rancid mouth more anti-semite hate bursts forth.
“We think the war in Afghanistan is silly. We think Americans are arrogant.”
I disagree with the way that the war in Afghanistan is being played, and if they think a surge will work then think again, it needs a whole new strategy, so if that is what you mean then silly is right, do you think it is silly to hunt down Al Queda however and have them spending more time just surviving rather than planning and carrying out more mass casualty attacks?
In fact the deal by Pakistan in one of their regions is interesting, many people are about to come under the control of pure Islam, best news I have heard for a long time as tha is the lesson that Muslims have to learn everytime we have a wave of extremism, also gives the blighters something to have to defend…
In my experience the only arrogant Americans I have come across are Democrats and the Share option loving big bosses, the normal American people are wonderful, I just hope that all this anti-American rubbish by my fellow countrymen do not ruin that for me. I had some French friends going to the USA, I told them that they would find the Americans really nice and helpful and friendly and when they came back that is what they said, they were really impressed with the normal American people.
Feb 22, 2009 - 11:54 pm 39. Kurt:I’m sorry – but you seem to have your idea of “racism” in the US and UK the wrong way around.
Obama partly got in because people think he’s black and super hyped by the media – the exact opposite of McCain.
Thatcher on the other hand said something which no-one knows what was said – it involved a Tennis Player – supposedly that “French” guy and the term/word Golliwog. It probably wouldn’t have been found crybaby offensive outside London and other sChities depending on what was said and how.
Oct 15, 2009 - 1:42 pm 40. Kurt:@ Eric
If anything, people are leaving Britain as to not get could up in the anti-BRITISH (especially White & English) bullshit (& Laws and ideals) which have been corrupting the Island since the 1960s…. Wait a second, wasn’t that decade when immigrants were allowed in uncontrollably and UNDEMOCRATICALLY ….?! :O
Oct 15, 2009 - 1:54 pm