He's not a racist - but he is - Boris aide quits

[belboid]

Belboid - have you met this guy? How much do you know about his life, work and how he's behaved towards ethnic groups in the past?

You don't - you're basing it on one comment made in reply to an equally stupid one by Darcus Howe, yet you are happy to call the guy a racist.

Howe's comment wasn't equally stupid - a tad exaggerated perhaps, but not totally stupid.

As for McGrath - other than this comment, my knowledge of him extends to knowing he took a job as a senior advisor to the idiot scumboy Johnson.

And from that, yup, I am happy to call him a racist.

 

[exosculate]

It was pretty much a lose-lose situation for Boris, either stand by McGrath and compound the opinions against him, or get rid of McGrath and appear to be caving to the 'PC Police'.

I think you miss the point perhaps.

The question what is a person, supposedly racist like this, doing in Boris's camp in the first place!

 

[editor]

Yeah, but an instinctive opinion about who? See, you're putting this comment in the context of Boris, and his past, so Boris has tried to remove himself from the firing line as much as possible by getting rid of McGrath.

Yes. But. he. hired. him.

His decision. His judgement.

It's only taken a matter of weeks in the job for this clown to hit the headlines by telling black people they should go home if they don't like the way Boris & Co are going to run things - so what does that say about Boris's judgement in bringing him on board?

 

[Lord Camomile]

Boris hired this clown as his advisor which strongly suggests that he fully endorses his opinions and politics.

Also, I think it's a bit misguided to think that because someone hires a person it means they subscribe to each and every one of his opinions and politics. To be fair, you say "strongly suggests" but it's the "fully" bit that I don't agree with.

 

[belboid]

It was pretty much a lose-lose situation for Boris,

good

either stand by McGrath and compound the opinions against him, or get rid of McGrath and appear to be caving to the 'PC Police'.

he could have straightforwardly sacked him, rather than accepting a resignation, or he could have stood by him and said it was just a foolish, but not racist, comment. Either would have shown a little bit of principle.

 

[exosculate]

good



he could have straightforwardly sacked him, rather than accepting a resignation, or he could have stood by him and said it was just a foolish, but not racist, comment. Either would have shown a little bit of principle.

Belboid - you clearly don't believe Boris has any principles to begin with. I too have my doubts to be fair.

 

[STFC]

If he's not a racist, then bloody well stand up for him. Don't tell him to sacrifice his career to save your reputation.

And I'm sure everyone on here would have applauded Johnson for backing his advisor...

 

[_angel_]

I think that's entirely possible, but also disturbing. It says 'you disagree with us? Fuck you, then.' But elected representatives are supposed to represent all their constituents, not just the ones who like them.

So maybe not racist, but still nasty. Enough to lose your job over? I reckon not, personally.

From the BBC article:



If he's not a racist, then bloody well stand up for him. Don't tell him to sacrifice his career to save your reputation.

Good point.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Yes. But. he. hired. him.

His decision. His judgement.

It's only taken a matter of weeks in the job for this clown to hit the headlines by telling black people they should go home if they don't like the way Boris & Co are going to run things - so what does that say about Boris's judgement in bringing him on board?

Oh god, I'm never going to be defending Boris' judgement, but in this instance it's entirley possilble he picked McGrath for his talents in one area, and then McGrath completely fucked up in another.

My response was in the context of "why would McGrath resign/be pressured to resign if he wasn't actually racist".

 

[exosculate]

Oh god, I'm never going to be defending Boris' judgement, but in this instance it's entirley possilble he picked McGrath for his talents in one area, and then McGrath completely fucked up in another.

What areas would they be, some substance please.

 

[kyser_soze]

by telling black people they should go home if they don't like the way Boris & Co are going to run things

Well that's not exactly what or how he said it is it? It was a response to someone saying to him 'So and So said X, do you agree?'

 

[belboid]

Belboid - you clearly don't believe Boris has any principles to begin with. I too have my doubts to be fair.

yes I do! Just really really shitty right-wing ones.

 

[Lord Camomile]

he could have straightforwardly sacked him, rather than accepting a resignation, or he could have stood by him and said it was just a foolish, but not racist, comment. Either would have shown a little bit of principle.

Would you really have accepted that? Or, as STFC suggests, applauded him for it?

I don't think he could have hoped for even a neutral result from this.

 

[dennisr]

More specifically, Marc Wadsworth, who is definitely a man of the Left and a veteran of organisations like the Anti Racist Alliance...

I agree with the reasoning in your first post but Wadsworth - a "man of the left" !!?

 

[Lord Camomile]

What areas would they be, some substance please.

Oh I have no fucking idea, I was just making the point that it's possible that he hired him on that basis, rather than his politics or thinking that he was a total whizz in every area.

 

[STFC]

You, likewise, claim to 'know'.

Unsurprisingly, you choose to know that he is a good bloke really.

Where have I said that, O Wise One? For all I know he could be a bigger twat than me and Darcus Howe put together. Before this story broke I'd never heard of him.

 

[editor]

Oh god, I'm never going to be defending Boris' judgement, but in this instance it's entirley possilble he picked McGrath for his talents in one area, and then McGrath completely fucked up in another.

He was appointed as his "chief political adviser". That's rather a major role, no?

And it was only when the media storm kicked off did Boris think he's done anything wrong:

The sacking last night represented a rapid U-turn by Johnson's camp - which at first had maintained that McGrath had done nothing wrong when his remarks were set in the context of hostile questioning from Wadsworth.

The Guardian was warned earlier in the day that it might face legal action from McGrath if it reported McGrath's remarks in an inappropriate way.
This initial firm response was directed by McGrath who issued a furious response to Wadsworth when he reported his remarks on the citizen journalist website (the-latest.com) on Friday.

McGrath resisted standing down until late yesterday, did issue a statement to Wadsworth confirming that he had made the comments but he insisted they were made in response to "inflammatory comments" by Howe, a supporter of Ken Livingstone.



Describing himself as "an immigrant myself," the Australian-born McGrath wrote: "I felt that this suggestion [by Howe] was ridiculous and intended as a slur and responded by saying with words to the effect of 'let people go if they don't like it here'."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jun/23/london.race

 

[scifisam]

And I'm sure everyone on here would have applauded Johnson for backing his advisor...

Nope, of course not. But, in my own, personal opinion, it's better to let the man keep his job and take the flak for it, rather than say 'he didn't do what he's been accused of, but he's going to pay the penalty for it anyway. I'd prefer a politician who was more concerned with substance than show. (It has happened now and then that such a person has existed, too - I'm not just being idealistic!)

 

[Lord Camomile]

He was appointed as his "chief political adviser". That's rather a major role, no?

And it was only when the media storm kicked off did Boris think he's done anything wrong:

Fair enough, hadn't seen that, but doesn't that actually support the idea that he resigned due to public perception?

And fair point on the importance of his role, like I said I was just responding to Melinda's question of why he would resign if he wasn't racist.

 

[treelover]

I am not sure about the remark, but what worries me with the left is they seem to look for racism as a witch finder looks for witches, I have no doubt in a Trotsykist nirvana racism would be a state crime along with treason. This near obsession actually diminishes what racism is and what its consequences can be.

'I think there is a view that most Conservatives are racist, amongst a significant section of the left.

 

[bluestreak]

I am not sure about the remark, but what worries me with the left is they seem to look for racism as a witch finder looks for witches, I have no doubt in a Trotsykist nirvana racism would be a state crime along with treason. This near obssesion actually diminishes what racism is and what its consequences can be.

Which left is this? The non-existant one that can't achieve anything in this country? this wasn't a sacking based on a leftist witch-hunt, it was a sacking based on johnson's fear of the mainstream approbium to racism.

 

[tangentlama]

David Cameron is on record saying that "But I don't think it would be right to say that James is some sort of Neanderthal back-woodsman who's been keeping his views to himself all these years"

It's clear that the senior figureheads for the Conservative Party hold intolerably racist attitudes towards non-whites by insulting elderly Londoners who are British Citizens and held British passports before they moved to Britain all those years ago.

They also have no qualms about portraying prehistoric people as racist thugs, in order to defend their seven-year-long employment of this Australian racist as a director of political strategy.

I'm wondering if they actually got an education - they are remarkably bigoted and ignorant.

Appalling attitudes.

 

[belboid]

Would you really have accepted that? Or, as STFC suggests, applauded him for it?

I don't think he could have hoped for even a neutral result from this.

me? Of course not, even if he nationalised the top 200, declared london a nuclear free zone, shot david cameron, and then himself, I'd still think he was a twat. but I am not his constituency, nor am I ever likely to be. All he's done here is dither and look (even more) pathetic

 

[tangentlama]

what worries me with the left ... in a Trotsykist nirvana .. near obsession ...

Record. Stuck.

 

[Belushi]

They also have no qualms about portraying prehistoric people as racist thugs, in order to defend their seven-year-long employment of this Australian racist as a director of political strategy.

Eh

 

[belboid]

Where have I said that, O Wise One? For all I know he could be a bigger twat than me and Darcus Howe put together. Before this story broke I'd never heard of him.

you claimed that what he said was explicitly NOT racist - so you are claiming to 'know' as well.

 

[belboid]

I am not sure about the remark, but what worries me with the left is they seem to look for racism as a witch finder looks for witches, I have no doubt in a Trotsykist nirvana racism would be a state crime along with treason. This near obsession actually diminishes what racism is and what its consequences can be.

you really have become a right little turd haven't you?

it's a good thing you are also a lazy twat who never does owt, except write shit on a message board.

 

[tangentlama]

Eh

David Cameron is on record saying that "But I don't think it would be right to say that James is some sort of Neanderthal back-woodsman who's been keeping his views to himself all these years"

How simply super that James ISN'T a NEANDERTHAL back-woodsman who's been hiding his racism

 

[STFC]

you claimed that what he said was explicitly NOT racist - so you are claiming to 'know' as well.

I've said nothing about the man, only his comments. I don't think they were racist and I have demonstrated why I believe that to be the case. That's the REALITY.

You however, seem to know everything about him.

 

[tbaldwin]

Now what was it about somebody telling someone to go back to Iran and see if they can do better under the ayatollah?

Very true and while the Mcarthyite liberals are at it again...perhaps some of them could look at their own racism......or not....perhaps....