Boris, Burqas and Blackadder

'Boris shouldn't have to apologise.' This, or a variation of it, has been the statement those on the right who wish to defend Boris Johnson's comparisons of Burqas to postboxes. And I agree. He shouldn't have to apologise, he simply should apologise. By adding the words 'have to' it takes the responsibility away from Johnson, and fuels the 'illiberal PC' narrative. He is a liberal speaking his mind but the illiberal world is forcing him to apologise. It's utter crap but that's the image a couple of additional word ('have to') can invoke.

This brings me onto the related point of Rowan Atkinson's defence of Boris Johnson. Again it boils down ultimately to free speech vs the scourge of illiberal lefties who want to shut down any dissent from the fascism of progressive politics. Supporters of Johnson have taken Atkinson's support and used it as an excuse to share a speech the Blackadder actor made a few years ago on the issue of free speech and censorship (link here). One in which he talks about how many so-called tolerant people wish to 'gag dissent'.

He goes on to state that intolerance isn't addressed by arresting or gagging people, but by these views being aired, argued against, dealt with outside the legal process. This all sounds very reasonable. In fact it is exactly what we are doing. We are arguing against Boris' comments, we are highlighting how they are offensive, who they are offending, why we think he should (not 'have to') apologise. To the best of my knowledge nobody is trying to gag him, to arrest him or to use any legal process to force him to apologise. We are doing precisely what these apparent proponents of free speech are saying we should do. I believe strongly in free speech, and in calling out prejudice and intolerance when it appears. Using free speech as an excuse to distract from islamphobia is disingenuous and helps nobody.

Adonis and the Fake News Crusade

Andrew Adonis is currently using his significant platform to attack the BBC, calling it the 'Brexit Broadcasting Coorporation' over what he deems to be the biased favourable coverage of Brexit. He cites the lack of coverage of pro-remain events and the 32 appearances of Nigel Farage on Question Time as examples of this pro-Brexit bias. This crusade has had him lock horns on Twitter with Nick Robinson over the issue. Guido noted Lord Adonis had tweeted 72 times about this apparent bias in the space of a week, it is clearly an important issue for the New Labour giant. It isn't concerning to see an individual accuse the BBC of bias, people on the 'political correctness gone mad' side think it's pro-left, Corbynites think it has a vendetta against Jeremy Corbyn, a large element of the pro-Indy movement in Scotland believe it to be biased in favour of the Union. 

What's concerning is that Lord Adonis is a significant figure, particularly to political centrists, the group who have largely stayed firm in defending the BBC even if we are sick of seeing Farage on Question Time. In this era of fake news, of people proclaiming their distrust of the MSM (mainstream media), of protests outside BBC Scotland's buildings in Glasgow, of fictionalised stories from alternative news sources being taken as gospel by whichever group that story is designed to appease the beliefs of, in this time of all of that seeing a centrist big hitter crusading against the BBC it gives a sense of legitimacy to the radical anti-MSM elements of society. He is telling people it is ok to ignore uncomfortable truths, to dismiss them as lies. 

I'm vehemently opposed to Brexit and unapologetic in my beliefs that we should have a second referendum on the issue. I'm biased on this issue. As I am on pretty much every issue I've spent any time learning about. That means when something on the news or in a paper comes out that doesn't conform to the biased world view I've got it is difficult to take on board. I understand why people want to shut it down, but that isn't how news works. News isn't there to conform to my bias, nor to Adonis' bias. Adonis isn't attempting to change the BBC, he is trying to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of his Twitter followers or readers of his articles. If Adonis says the BBC is biased against my position, and I felt initially as though it was biased, maybe it is. It isn't me that's wrong, it's the children, as Pirnciple Skinner might put it. This is a dangerous path, one that leads to fake news, to important issues being ignored and dismissed and for the echo chambers of modern politics to be emboldened even further.