Excluded by inclusiveness.
Yesterday, the Communities secretary unveiled the new counter-terrorism strategy, known as Contest 2, a commitment to challenge those who “reject parliamentary democracy, dismiss the rule of law and promote intolerance and discrimination on the basis of race, faith, ethnicity, gender or sexuality”.
Ominously, Contest 2 spells out that the new policy will be reflected in the groups that are supported and the projects that are sponsored as part of the £70m programme to prevent violent extremism. Due warning that there will be a cat fight amongst the many ‘professional advisors’ as to who can get their snout in the trough.
An early casualty was the Muslim Council of Britain. Their deputy general secretary Daud Abdullah was signatory to a document which stated that resistance would be appropriate if UK forces were used to prevent arms reaching Gaza. Inciting your followers to take up arms against British soldiers would appear to be a sound reason not to include you in a list of advisors funded by the government, and Ms Blears has demanded Daud be sacked if they wish to continue to advise her.
The Guardian was most upset about this. They call this a ‘perverse decision if the aim is building the broadest possible alliance to take on the extremists’. An arguable point – if you want to understand extremists, then there is some justification for including them in your debate – a point made by Tony Blair when he decided to court Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness in Northern Island, and I would concede the point if extremists of all hues were to be included.
One of the aims of Contest 2 is to challenge those who “reject parliamentary democracy, dismiss the rule of law and promote intolerance and discrimination on the basis of race, faith, ethnicity, gender or sexuality”.
Logically the Guardian should be calling for ‘inclusiveness’ for the BNP as well. (I doubt that I shall live to see the day!) Two weeks ago, a group of some two dozen people armed with knives and hammers, turned up at a political fundraising meeting in Liverpool. Tony Ward, a BNP party member, needed 11 stitches after he was attacked in an organised disruption of the evening. The BNP polled 14.5% in the Leigh South ward. Understanding why parliamentary democracy is being rejected in Leigh, and by whom, is at least as important as whether a man who supports Hamas is included in a list of advisors. The Guardian failed to ‘thunder’ on this occasion.
Nor did Ms Blears or the Guardian appear upset when Lord Ahmed threatened parliament with an ‘army of 10,000 Muslims’, nor when Harriet Harman decided the ‘will of the people’ was more important than the rule of law in deciding the fate of Sir Fred Godwin’s pension. The hypocrisy is as breathtaking as it is shameful.
If you wish to foster ‘inclusiveness’ as a social policy, then you must include all, it is an oxymoron to exclude those who don’t share your views. Daud Abdullah’s views are as distasteful as the views of those who beat up Tony Ward, or Lord Ahmed’s threats. The Guardian’s views, of wishing to include some extremists, whilst ignoring others, under the banner of inclusiveness, is surely the most distasteful view of all.
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March 26, 2009 at 12:57 pm -
‘Those who ‘… reject parliamentary democracy, dismiss the rule of law and promote intolerance and discrimination on the basis of race, faith, ethnicity, gender or sexuality.’
Let’s kick off with a few national papers, the Telegraph, Mail and Sun for example.
Then MPs, too many to name.
Then …. oh, I give up.
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2
March 26, 2009 at 1:14 pm -
Paul Staines – The truth about the man behind Guido Fawkes on Labour list: http://tinyurl.com/dh26qm
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3
March 26, 2009 at 1:18 pm -
I believe Guido is losing so far …
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4
March 26, 2009 at 7:09 pm -
Janes ……………. Did you notice that Dolly had something really odd going on below the waist of his pants? I found it really strange myself. He appeared to have the nether regions of a lady.
I found myself concentrating more on that – When I should have been listening to what he was saying.No wonder the Labour Party is in such disarray when they have people like this hanging around them.
Have you checked out Dolly’s credentials yet? Mmmmm ………….
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March 26, 2009 at 7:32 pm -
Dammit Coco, I missed his nether regions, and I’m usually very particular in checking them out. I was more concerned with listening to what he was shouting.
As to checking out Dolly’s credentials, I diligently followed both of AR’s links in Guido v Delicate Dolly and equally diligently read both tirades of abuse.
Can’t wait for part 2 of Guido’s holiday video.
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March 26, 2009 at 8:30 pm -
The Guardian has become a washed up version of its former self. When Alan Russbridger took over at the top it seemed the paper might become more incisive and demanding. It has not achieved this end, rather, become the talking shop of the New Stassi Party. It is appalling. The editorial is appalling. Its journalists, in the main are appalling. Toynbee and Ashley epitomise the grandieos nature of its self-image. It has NO connection with ordinary people.
A friend of mine wrote to Toynbee recently about her abusive comment concerning disabled people. Toynbee has not replied. She presumably thinks/ believes she is above such things. She represents, though, all that is nasty about the Guardian and New Stassi – aloof, unprincipled, do what I say not what I do hypocracy.
In summary the Guardian is SHIT and so are its journalists.
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March 26, 2009 at 9:41 pm -
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March 27, 2009 at 1:26 pm -
blink@ – ‘It has NO connection with ordinary people’.
to misquote barry cryer ‘the purpose of the red tops is to keep the riff raff from reading the gaurniad’
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March 27, 2009 at 4:55 pm -
From a purely personal point of view ………… I would like to be ‘included’ in the same kind of group that gets the same kind of respect and fortitude that benefits the likes of Jacqui Smith-Heil, Harrier Harm’em and Fred the Bank.
I would like to scream my head off about the lack of democracy and hang around street corners with banners ……… And not get carted off to the Courts lest the Government was to feel threatened by 10,000 Bloggers.
I would like The Guardian to do what it used to do best ……….. before The Independent started to do their job for them.
Sadly ……… gone are those days. And if the Government gets their way and helps to dispose of all the local presses and the internet bloggers …………… I think we all know where we are about to end up.
No internet blogging and no arrest of screaming radical Moslems adds up to ………….. dumbing-down imposed by the Government and ………. Sharia Law before I can even Christen one of my teddy-bears Mohammed!
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March 28, 2009 at 12:16 am -
The new improved Religion of Peace Subject Index – everything you ever wanted to know about Islam but were too politically correct to ask.
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March 28, 2009 at 1:55 pm -
a point made by Tony Blair when he decided to court Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness in Northern “Island”. hahahaha…very good indeed. I’d stay away from the LSD if I were you. ;o)
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