The
Politically Correct Scrapbooks Essential reading for anyone who is fed up with political correctness and has a
sense of humour! Just click the picture above to find out more.
Rt
Hon Ann Widdecombe MP, “I just love it, love it, love it!”
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Laura Midgley on ITV's This Morning
and in the BBC Radio Stoke
Studio during
a live phone-in on political correctness.
For more RIDICULOUS
examples of political correctness click below:
For more DAMAGING
examples of political correctness click below:
Morris dancers cancelled from
school's diversity and culture show 30
June 2009
The headmistress of Chantry Primary School, Hazel King,
cancelled a booking for Morris Men saying: ‘We organised the event to
bring a diverse and fragile community together. To celebrate all
cultures we booked a Morris troupe, having failed to recognise the
possible significance for our community of their tradition to perform with
blackened faces. We found ourselves in a difficult position of
weighing up any potential offence versus not wishing to compromise the
Morris dancers’ tradition.’
Laura Midgley, Co-Founder of the Campaign Against
Political Correctness, has written to the headmistress asking if she can
explain what is wrong with being black which could, as she says, cause
offence. Laura Midgley also enclosed a copy of an article which refers to
Nelson Mandela's support for a councillor who had blacked up his face to
go to a fancy dress party (but later found himself at the centre of a race
row) asking Hazel King for her comments on his intervention.
Nelson Mandela's official spokesman said at the time of
the incident involving the councillor: "We are not oversensitive
about matters like these. Whilst we need to be respectful towards the
character [of] events of this nature, we should try not to read racism
into actions which may be completely innocent." The full
comment can be read here
in an article in The Guardian.
Click here
to read the full story about the Morris Dancers in the Daily Mail.
Police in Scotland to be
judged on performance on diversity issues 23
June 2009
Police officers and civilian staff in Scotland will
undergo a review throughout the year of how they are performing in
“respect for diversity” issues. This, along with their performance in
other skills, will decide their promotion prospects. Northern Constabulary
Chief Constable Ian Latimer unveiled the plans at the Scottish Police
College at Tulliallan and said they had nothing to with political
correctness. He said, “Promoting equality and recognising diversity is
fundamental to the success of policing. Understanding, promoting and
respecting equality and diversity are key components in creating greater
and sustained public confidence and trust in policing, as both a service
provider and employer."
The Campaign Against Political Correctness said, "What
seems ominous is that officers could be judged on how well they have taken
the diversity agenda on board. Their promotion could depend on it which
seems Orwellian.”
Click here
to read the full story in the Scottish Daily Express.
The Data Protection Act cannot be used as an
excuse to ban parents taking photos of their children 23
June 2009
Deputy Information Commissioner David Smith has joined
the debate about the banning of parents or grandparents taking photos of
children. He said: 'We recognise that parents want to capture
significant moments on camera. We want to reassure them and other
family members that whatever they might be told, data protection does not
prevent them taking photographs of their children and friends at school
events. Photographs taken for the family photo album are exempt from
the Act and citing the Data Protection Act to stop people taking photos or
filming their children at school is wrong.'
Specific examples of what is allowed as far as they are
concerned include a parent taking 'a photograph of their child and some
friends taking part in the school sports day to be put in the family photo
album' and the video recording of school nativity plays.
Click here
to read the whole article in the Daily Mail.
Now it is a "Gypsy
Month" that is proposed for schools in the Black Country 15
Sandwell Council’s Equality and Diversity Scrutiny
Panel has made a list of 23 recommendations for the local authority to
consider in order to prevent discrimination against nomadic communities
and having a "Gypsy Month" in schools is one of the proposals
they have put forward. Cultural awareness training could also be
made compulsory for anyone in regular, direct contact with gipsies or
travellers. John Midgley, Co-Founder of the Campaign Against Political
Correctness, said: "This is a suggestion for yet another so-called
minority "month". The calendar is increasingly becoming
taken up by these events - soon there will not be enough months in the
year to include every group of people and surely that will be
discrimination against another group who has not yet had a month allocated
to them!"
Click here
for the link to the full story in the Express and Star.
New Doncaster Mayor, Peter Davies,
says public funding for gay pride marches should be cut 6
June 2009
The newly elected mayor of Doncaster and founder member
of the Campaign Against Political Correctness has said that public funding
for gay pride marches should be cut. Peter Davies said: "My
policy is very simple. I have nothing whatsoever against gays and
lesbians, what they do in their private lives is absolutely fine" but
that councils should not be spending money on parades about sexuality.
Doctors concerned about use of
politically correct jargon at work 4
June 2009
Senior anaesthetist Dr Peter Bamber led moves at the
British Medical Association's consultants' conference to ban the
euphemisms that are infiltrating the NHS. He raised concerns about
the use of politically correct language in the NHS which turns patients
into 'clients' and 'service users'. Dr Bamber said: 'We see all
sorts of phrases creeping into the NHS. Some of it is an attempt to
destigmatise conditions, but I do not think there is anything wrong with
the use of "patient". Using something else suggests the
condition may be something the person should just snap out of and that is
damaging in itself.'
Philip Davies MP opposes introduction
of Association of Muslim Police 3
June 2009
In Business Questions in the House of Commons today
Philip Davies MP said:
"May we have a debate on organisations within the police force that
undermine cohesion? We already have the deeply divisive National Black
Police Association and West Yorkshire police has just announced that it is
forming an association of Muslim police. I suggest to the Leader of the
House that those organisations are extremely unhelpful, deeply divisive
and do nothing to promote community cohesion and the principle of
integration. May we have a debate on that issue, because many of my
constituents and many people in my part of the world find such things
entirely unacceptable?"
M&S Chairman says that women have
never had it so good at work 1
June 2009
In an interview for The Observer Magazine, Sir Stuart
Rose, Chairman of Marks and Spencer said:
Rose also dismissed the idea that having children can
create an uneven playing field for working mothers saying:
"Childbirth is a biological fact," he said. "Women have
children: I can't help that. But I know lots of women who have got two or
three kids - Nicola Horlick is a good example - there are many girls in
here [Marks & Spencer] who have got two kids who come to work. Kate
Bostock [recently appointed to oversee the company's UK merchandising
operation, including clothes and homeware] has got two or three kids and
she's running the full-time, biggest buying job in the UK, so it can be
done."
Click here
to read the whole story in The Observer.
Reclaiming the word
"diversity" 31
May
2009
The winners of Britain's Got Talent this year, dance
group "Diversity", have reclaimed the "D" word from
the PC zealots. The brothers and friends chose the name to reflect
the diverse nature of the group rather than, as has sadly become the norm,
the opposite. Instead of a false forced diversity where people are
chosen based purely on their race, age etc etc they were naturally diverse
and gelled perfectly as a group. They were inventive, talented and a
pleasure to watch - if you did not catch any of their acts you should be
able to see their fantastic final performance on the link below. We won't
say this very often but congratulations to "Diversity"!
American "Simpsons" style
TV programme pokes fun at political correctness 29
May
2009
"The Goode Family" have hit TV screens in
America satirising, amongst other things, political correctness. The
Goode family try to do the right thing and be politically correct at all
times. Yet this show highlights many of the problems that arise when
you have an obsession with being politically correct but do not really
understand that actions speak louder than words and that it is better to
treat people as human beings rather than trying to put them all into neat
tick boxes and treating them differently as a result. Just click
below to watch a trailer for the programme.
Kung Fu Flid film launched with actor
who is "so bored of political correctness" 27
May
2009
BBC actor Mat Fraser is trying to change public
perception of the term "flid" saying, "Yeah, I'm a flid -
what of it? I'm aware it's going to sound negative to some people,
but it's like the n-word. That's negative, isn't it? Then it was
reclaimed by the rap community. I'm trying to reclaim the f-word, if you
like, as something positive."
He suggests that offensive terms have a generational
link.
He also said, "I think some people, particularly
the liberal ended press, might get the wrong end of the stick. They
might feel all 'ooooh ooooh we can't say that' 'cause they're all
imprisoned by political correctness. I'm so bored of political
correctness - it hasn't really done me a lot of favours in my life."
Click here
for the full story in the News Of The World and to watch Mat Fraser views
on video.
Political row in Northern Ireland over
lighthearted reference to Alzheimer's disease 21
May
2009
Sammy Wilson MP has been criticised for saying to SDLP
assembly member Patsy McGlone that "perhaps Alzheimer's disease [had]
set in" during an exchange. Patsy McGlone asked the speaker
Willie Hay to examine the remarks but the speaker subsequently found that
the use of the phrase was not "unparliamentary". When
criticised by Patsy McGlone and the Alzheimer's Society in Northern
Ireland, Sammy Wilson said, "My mother and father, at the end of
their lives, did not recognise any of us because of Alzheimer's –
sometimes people try to address the seriousness of this by trying to make
light of it with loved ones rather than increasing their fear. I don't
regret making the remark because first of all, I didn't make it to be
intentionally hurtful to people who have suffered from Alzheimer's, it was
made in a context where people knew it was a lighthearted remark, and it
didn't hurt anybody at the time. It was resurrected a month later by
somebody seeking to make a political point from it."
Penny Vincenzi
joins list of women opposing the Government's "Equality" agenda 14 May
2009
Following on from Harriet Harman's drive
for so-called "Equality" which culminated in the second reading
of the Equality Bill on Monday, author Penny Vincenzi has the following to
say:
Last week, I had lunch with a group of remarkably
successful women. They worked in advertising, and among them were the
creative director of a major firm in New York, the head of research of a
company in London, and the copywriting chief of one of the biggest firms
in Manhattan. All of them were married and had a child or two, and
they all clearly earned a lot of money and had plenty of fun, in and out
of the office. You might think how wonderful it is that, thanks to the
works of the great feminists plus enlightened legislation, they had been
able to reach such dizzy heights and not come into collision with any
glass ceilings. But you'd be wrong; for these women were hugely successful
in the Sixties and Seventies, long before Harriet Harman's cackhanded new
proposals to allow firms to actively discriminate in favour of female
candidates - indeed, before the phrase 'positive
discrimination' had even been coined.
Smiling sweetly at me over her glass of wine, she [a
friend] then added: 'All the whingeing that went on from women because
they said they were being discriminated against, I just didn't get it. The
truth was simply that they weren't good enough.' Her comment will
infuriate women who feel they've smacked their heads repeatedly against a
glass ceiling. In our politically correct times, it's taboo to suggest
women lose out in the workplace simply because they aren't up to the job.
I did get quite spectacularly fired once from my job as
a fashion editor, and while I was away having a baby, too (in those days
maternity leave was precisely six weeks). But you know what? It wasn't
because I was away having a baby, it was because I was a not-very-good
fashion editor. It was hard to admit at the time, but I got over it.
How many women today who lose their jobs on maternity leave would accept,
as I did, that it's because they are not up to the role? Most would run to
find a lawyer. I also missed out on the most brilliant job on a
newspaper about a year after that; and that was also because I had two
small children. I couldn't face working late, night after night, at that
stage in my life - which was part of the job description - and said so at
the interview. I wouldn't have taken me on either. I think this is
an important factor: very few women are actually comfortable working
12-hour days while their children are very small. Most of us go for a
softer option - but that's not because we face male oppression, it's
because we want to be home for bathtime.
There has been a lot of similar whining from the
sisterhood about the small number of women (still) in Parliament. Lots of
excuses about the reason: a male-dominated culture, anti-family hours, no
facilities for breastfeeding. Well, I'm sorry, but what about the
giantesses among female politicians: Barbara Castle, Shirley Williams and
Thatcher? And the resoundingly wonderful Bessie Braddock, 'Battling
Bessie', for heaven's sake, who became a Labour MP for Liverpool in 1945,
when feminism had certainly never been heard of. These women just
got on with it. Ann Widdecombe was singing from my song-sheet when she
spoke of a Blair Babe complaining a few years ago about how rude men in
the Commons were to her. 'It wasn't because she was a woman. It was
because she was useless,' she said briskly.
Click here
to read Penny Vincenzi's whole article in the Daily Mail.
Scotland's
Equality and Human Rights Commissioner says phrase undermines fight
against racism
13 May
The long used phrase we're all Jock
Tamson's bairns has been criticised by Scotland's Equality and Human
Rights Commissioner, Morag Alexander. She said, "It strikes me
that too often we seek comfort in a Scottish consensus that we are all
Jock Tamson’s bairns, citizens of a fair and equal nation. We
have to be braver about the change that is required to make a fairer
Scotland, and part of that means looking afresh at whether the consensus
holds." Laura Midgley, Co-Founder of the Campaign Against
Political Correctness, said, "It is a positive saying, so to
criticise it is silly. If you start concentrating on things like that you
are going to take time and effort away from fighting real racism. Click
here
for the story in the Scottish Daily Express.
Campaign Against Political Correctness
named in Parliament as only organisation opposing Equality Bill 13 May
2009
In a
question put to the Prime Minister in today's Question Time, it was
suggested that the Campaign Against Political Correctness was the only
organisation opposing the new Equality Bill. Whilst we are aware of
other organisations and certainly lots of people opposing this new
Equality Bill, it is certainly true that we oppose the Bill. The
reasons for this opposition are summarised quite clearly in Philip Davies
MP's speech in the House of Commons on Monday (click here
for the speech). We completely support equality of opportunity but
reject equality of outcome as a dangerous, nonsensical, unachievable
objective which encourages racism and sexism (amongst other things) and
constantly seeks to divide people into politically correct tickboxes
rather than treat us as human beings.
Equality Bill debated in Parliament 11 May
2009
The House of
Commons debated the Equality Bill today when it had its second
reading. The Bill can be found here
and seen below in all its 500 page glory. Philip Davies MP,
Parliamentary Spokesman for the Campaign Against Political Correctness,
spoke against the Bill in the chamber of the House of Commons.
Others opposing the Bill in their speeches included Graham Brady MP.
Click here
to read Philip's whole speech in Hansard (click the "next"
section to read on).
In
advance of the Bill, Minette Marrin wrote an excellent article in the
Sunday Times, "I suspect many people don’t appreciate
how hugely this [Equality Agenda] has all developed since the Macpherson
report of 1999 into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. Post-Macpherson,
according to the EHRC [Equality and Human Rights Commission], it was clear
that a “radical rethink” was needed about the way the public sector
approached discrimination. That rethink was a great deal more
radical than many of us have ever quite appreciated. A rejection of
wrongful discrimination has somehow been transformed into a compulsory
imposition of equality – an endless task, in any case, since it is quite
impossible." In another article she said, "Here
we have a spectacle that is about as bad for women as it gets. Female
politicians, many promoted above their ability, seek to promote another
woman above her democratic entitlement and against their own principles
and meanwhile legislate to promote working women over men. With supporters
like Harman and her crew, we women do not need enemies.
"
Click here
for the full article in the Sunday Times.
Latest golly row breaks out in Suffolk 9 May
2009
Another
storm is brewing in Sudbury, Suffolk, following complaints about the sale
of golly dolls in a shop called "Thing-Me-Bobs". Hamil Clarke,
chairman of the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality, said:
"I would really like to complain that they should not be allowed to
get away with it. On a scale of one to five of it being offensive I would
say it is an eight. It is highly offensive. It is surprising the mentality
of some people who do not know how offensive they can be."
However, Wendy Jee, the shop's store manager, said she
thought the dolls were innocent fun. She thought it was "a
shame" that "a few people" found them offensive.
She said: "There has been quite a high demand for the
gollies since we sold out of them last time. So many customers are
coming in for them it is unbelievable. A lot of people had them in their
childhood and now want them for their grandchildren."
As we have re-iterated so many times in this news
section, this latest row will do nothing to help race relations and this
is certainly not an issue where opinions are drawn along the lines of
people's as some might think.
Click here
for the full story in the Daily Telegraph.
UPDATE: Yet
again, sales of golliwogs have increased following this latest criticism -
click here
for the updated story in the East Anglian Daily Times.
MEPs sent guide to "Gender Neutral
Language in the European Parliament" - UPDATE 2 April
2009
Roger
Helmer MEP, Christopher
Heaton-Harris MEP and Martin Callanan MEP have now tabled a written
declaration calling for a new Parliamentary gender language guidance
booklet to be withdrawn.
The
guidance (mentioned in an earlier news story below) issued in the new
'Gender-Neutral Language' pamphlet states that the terms "Mrs"
and "Miss" should be avoided. The politically correct
rules also mean a ban on continental titles, such as Madame and
Mademoiselle, Frau and Fraulein and Senora and Senorita.
Roger
Helmer said that, according to the booklet, MEPs must say "flight
attendant", not stewardess; "fire-fighter", not fireman;
business executive, not businessman. They are asked not even to say
"man-made", but to use "synthetic" or
"artificial" instead.
He said that while the EU claims to celebrate diversity "it can't
even recognise the difference between men and women."
Christopher Heaton-Harris said that a person's sex is fundamental to their
sense of identity. "It is an essential part of who they are,
how they wish to be characterised, and how they relate to other people.
This is just another example of political correctness gone mad in the
European parliament. It's time to make a stand for common
sense," he said.
Councillor caught up in homophobia
incident after light-hearted quip at a public meeting 30
March 2009
At a public meeting to discuss policing in
Wolverhampton, participants were asked to use an electronic handsets to
record their votes on different issues. The first question was about
their sex and they were asked to 'Press A if you're male or B if you're
female.' Someone then said: 'What if you're transgendered?' to which
Councillor Jonathan Yardley said; 'You could press A and B
together.'
Unbeknown to Mr Yardley, the person who had asked the
question was partner to a transgendered individual, also at the meeting, a
complaint was made and, as a result, he was spoken to by police for his
'homophobic' remark.
Councillor Yardley said: 'They put me through the mill
and asked me to confirm what I'd said and told me that a complaint had
been made and I could be prosecuted. I find it ridiculous you can
get in trouble over an off-the-cuff remark, with no malice intended. I
didn't even know there was a transgender person there. There are
much more important issues that the police should be spending their time
on. These are the politically correct times we live in. You can't make
jokes any more.'
Click here
to read the full story in the Daily Mail and here
to read Councillor Yardley's letter in the Daily Telegraph.
Sir David Jason in "racist"
joke row 26
March 2009
In an interview on a radio programme,
Sir David Jason was asked to leave a question for the next guest. He
replied: 'What do you call a Pakistani cloakroom attendant? Me hat, me
coat.'It
is probably a play on words around the name of the Indian political and
spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi. A
spokesman for Absolute Radio said there had been no complaints to the
station from listeners, but the show's host Christian O'Connell would
apologise on-air today. Some people were quick to call the joke racist.
John Midgley, Co-Founder of the Campaign Against
Political Correctness, said: 'David Jason is a national treasure.
What's the world coming to when someone is criticised for telling an
innocent joke which is in no way offensive? Instead of being politically
correct, people should grow up.'
Britain's
first Muslim minister, Shahid Malik, who is of Pakistani origin, said he
did not see the joke as racist. 'It really is a storm in a tea cup,' he
said. 'I'm a big fan of David Jason. The
only thing is he's let me down because it's not very funny.'
A
spokesman for Sir David, one of Britain's best-loved actors, said: 'He's
distressed that it upset people and is really sorry if it did. He made a
joke which he thought was quite funny and he did not perceive it as a
racist anymore than if it had been about an English person or a Scottish
person.'
As
a Daily Mail reader said: 'If it was a Scottish Cloakroom attendant, and
you called him Angus Me Coat Up, would that also have caused offence? I
don't think so!"
Click here
to read the full story in the Daily Mail and here
to read an interesting piece by Lorne Jackson in the Sunday Mercury.
Boris Johnson announces various
celebrations for St George's Day 23
March 2009
Boris Johnson plans a week-long St
George's Day celebration this year and will fly the red and white flag
from City Hall on April 23rd after saying that the capital had ignored the
occasion for far too long. He said: "St George’s Day has been
ignored in London for far too long but I’m truly pleased to announce
some fantastic events to mark this occasion".
John Midgley,
co-founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness, said Mr
Johnson’s plans were a victory for common sense. He said: “It’s a
refreshing change that someone of authority has got the guts to celebrate
England’s patron saint and all that goes with it, instead of
marginalising St George’s Day in the name of political correctness.”
Click here
for the story in the Daily Express and here
for the story in the Daily Star.
Sri Lankan businessman and councillor
tells customers to learn English and says that if he was white he would
"end up in jail" 18 March 2009
Photo: Copyright Daily Mail
Deva Kumarasiri, who is a councillor and also runs a
sub-post office inside a corner shop in Nottingham, has said that 'Nobody
stands up for anything in Britain any more'. He says it's "the best
country in the world as far as I'm concerned, but the great country I once
called Great Britain has changed a lot since I came here. All I'm doing is
telling people that if they want to live in Britain, be British.
Don't boo our soldiers when they come home from Iraq. Don't live your life
without embracing our culture. Don't stay here without making any effort
to learn the language. And if you don't want to be British, go home.
Our laws are written in English; our culture is chronicled in English. How
can anybody understand that if they can't understand English? I tell
them if they don't speak the language and they can't be bothered to learn,
then don't bother coming here. It's up to them whether they take any
notice - but if they want to live here in Britain, they should take
notice. The fabric of the nation begins to unravel if we don't all
speak the same language. You can't be wholly part of British culture if
you don't speak the language. When I left Sri Lanka I left behind
that country's culture, customs and language. I have done my utmost ever
since to be part of this country's culture. There are far too many people
who come here and expect Britain to change to suit them. White
people can't say what I'm saying because they'd end up in jail. I
decided to make this stand because I think too many British people are
afraid to talk out.'
Click here
to read the article in the Nottingham Evening Post and here
to read Amanda Platell's take on the issue in the Daily Mail.
UPDATE: Mr Kumarasiri has had
difficulties with his work since this and appears to now no longer be
working with the employment agency who were responsible for his job. The Gedling Liberal Democrat Leader has also
said: "The views expressed go well beyond what we can accommodate.”
MEPs sent guide to "Gender Neutral
Language in the European Parliament" 12 March 2009
A booklet called "Gender Neutral
Language in the European Parliament" has been sent to MEPs giving
them guidance on what terms they should and should not use. West
Midlands MEP, Philip Bradbourn, said, "The booklet, issued to all
MEPS, instructs the use of gender neutral language in the European
Parliament. Under the new ruling, MEPs who use the term ‘chairman’
when addressing a female chairman are likely to be brought to book and
told to use the more politically correct terms, ‘chairperson’,
‘chair or ‘madam chair’. It even goes as far as to suggest
that when travelling on planes, MEPs should not use the term air hostess.
This politically correct nonsense has gone too far, is a waste of
taxpayers’ money and an erosion of the English language as we know it.
I will have no part of it. I will continue to use my own language and
expressions, which I have used all my life, and will not be instructed by
this institution or anyone else in these matters. I find this publication
offensive in the extreme. That I should be instructed on how to speak my
own language and the terms to use in my work as an MEP is not only
discourteous but also represents a gross intrusion into my personal
freedom to express myself in a manner in which I feel appropriate in any
given circumstance. The Parliament, by the publication of this document,
is not only bringing itself as an Institution into more disrepute than it
already suffers but is also showing that it has succumbed to the
politically correct claptrap currently in vogue."
Laura Midgley, Co-Founder of the
Campaign Against Political Correctness said, "These types of language
guides are a colossal waste of time and money. Many women could not
care less what they are called. In fact, in an ICM Opinion Poll, 79%
of women said they were fed up with political correctness and with this
sort of politically correct interfering it is easy to see why.Treating
elected politicians like schoolchildren is thoroughly insulting and we
commend Philip Bradbourn for opposing this Orwellian intervention."
Philip Davies MP stands up for men in
Parliament in politically correct debate on women 5
March
2009 In a debate in the House of Commons today entitled
"Support for Women (Economic Downturn)" to coincide with
International Women's Day (!!!!), Philip Davies MP, Parliamentary
Spokesman for the Campaign Against Political Correctness made several
interventions:
Philip Davies:
As the right hon. and learned Lady points out, the debate is about
supporting women and families through the downturn. Does she not agree
that the Government’s duty is to support everybody through the downturn
based on their need, irrespective of their gender, and that men should be
given as much support as women if they need it? Is she saying that the
need to support women is more important than the need to support single
men, gay men or men with families?
Harriet Harman:
I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman was listening, but I was just
explaining that because women are the main family carers, because they are
more likely to work part time, because they are more concentrated in some
sectors of the economy than in others and because their work is vital to
our public services, we need to ensure that we do not overlook the work of
women, which has become even more important to our economy and public
services over the past 10 years.
_______
Philip Davies:
My right hon. Friend said that certain things give equality a bad
name. Does she agree that one of those is the fact that the Equality and
Human Rights Commission goes round lecturing all sorts of organisations
about equality of pay and is given taxpayers’ money to make sure that
everyone is paid equally, yet the same organisation, the Equality and
Human Rights Commission, pays men more than women, non-disabled people
more than disabled people, and white people more then ethnic minorities?
Is that not rather hypocritical on the part of that organisation?
Theresa May:
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the point that he makes. The EHRC
needs to look at its own practices, as does Government in some of those
areas. As my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper)
pointed out in business questions, the disability pay gap in the
Government is significant—in some Departments, such as the Home Office,
rising above 40 per cent.
Minister announces plans for a review of
unemployment by race 2
March
2009 Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell told
Labour's Black Asian and Minority Ethnic annual general meeting in
Leicester that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will assess
the impact of unemployment on ethnic minorities, women, the disabled and
older workers and advise ministers on steps to take. Parliamentary
Spokesman for the Campaign Against Political Correctness, Philip Davies
MP, said: 'This is simply outrageous. The Government should be targeting
support at all who need it. The Government should be colour blind
when it comes to looking who needs help. Doing otherwise will only
entrench racism, as far as I'm concerned. The Government should be looking
now to help the groups that have already been hit, like savers. This is
the sort of thing that gives politics a bad name - ministers talking to
different groups and telling them what they want to hear. It drives me to
distraction.'
MP criticises school for changing Romeo and
Juliet to Romeo and Julian 27
February
2009
Children
at Leytonstone School in East London performed an adapted version of Romeo
and Juliet - re-named Romeo and Julian. In the
alternative production, the infamous balcony scene features Romeo
serenading his male lover with the words: 'Wherefore art thou Julian.'
Luke Burton, headteacher at Leytonstone School, described the children's
efforts as 'inspirational'. The production was yesterday criticised
in the Commons by Philip Davies MP, Parliamentary Spokesman for the
Campaign Against Political Correctness, who said that children should be
learning the original work rather than a 'politically correct'
version. Mr Davies, who yesterday called for a Commons debate on
political correctness, said: 'This is mind-blowing. Anyone with an ounce
of sense would want their children to be learning Romeo and Juliet rather
than Romeo and Julian.' A spokesman for the Campaign against
Political Correctness said: 'Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest works
ever written. It is a play that every child should study. It is very
worrying that this literary masterpiece is being used for such a
politically correct purpose.'
Click here
to read the exchange between Philip Davies and Harriet Harman in the
House of Commons, here
to read the story in the Daily Mail, here to read the piece in the
Daily Star and here
to read the coverage in The Times of India.
Hazel Blears criticises political correctness 25
February
2009
The
Government's Communities Secretary has criticised political correctness in
a series of interviews this week. Her message is that she feels that political correctness has gone too
far and details of her actual speech can be found here.
Although Hazel Blears has been part of a Government which has
increased the amount of political correctness in this country (and even
the day before launched a new race equality consultation) let's hope she can
give some practical examples as to how she will play her part - and
encourage the rest of the Government to follow suit - in reducing
legislation and ultimately reducing political correctness. Click here
for an article in the Telegraph and Argus newspaper on the stance of
Philip Davies, Parliamentary Spokesman for the Campaign Against Political
Correctness on this subject.
BT staff suspended over offensive Irish joke
e-mail 23
February
2009
30 BT call
centre staff have been suspended for forwarding on an e-mail containing an
Irish joke. The e-mail was circulated around staff working
at the BT call centre in Leicester - which employs 340 people - two weeks
ago. BT apparently then suspended every worker who had forwarded the
joke to someone else and warned them that they face disciplinary action.
One suspended worker said: 'The joke was harmless fun and the sort of
thing millions of office workers send to each other up and down the
country. I received it and forwarded it to a colleague without
thinking about it. The next thing I knew managers were demanding to
look at my computer to see who I'd emailed the joke to. The fact I could
now lose my job over this is really scary." The quip involves the death of three Irishmen. The first leaps with a
budgie thinking he's budgie-jumping; the second kills a parrot thinking
he's parrot-shooting and the third leaps off with a hen, believing he's
hen-gliding. A BT spokesman said: 'A complaint was made about a joke which could be
offensive to some people. BT takes these matters seriously and will investigate any allegations.
We cannot comment on any investigation that may be taking place
internally at the moment. These matters are treated in the strictest
confidence.'
John Midgley, of the Campaign Against Political Correctness said: 'I
sincerely hope that political correctness does not cost these people their
jobs especially in the
present economic climate.' The Leicester Irish Society also defended the employees, claiming BT
bosses had lost their sense of humour. A spokesman
said: 'The Irish are famous for their sense of humour but
it appears BT have lost theirs. The English and Irish communities have a long history of taking the
micky out of each other. 'The Irish probably have just as many, if not more jokes, about the
English but they're all meant in good spirits. 'Suspending staff over a little joke is stupid and it would be funny if
it wasn't so serious for the people whose jobs are on the line.'
Click here
to read the story in the Daily Mail and here
to read comedian Frank Carson's take on the incident.
Halifax Courier print piece on PC following
outrageous article by one of their journalists 20
February
2009
Colin Drury said in a piece for the Halifax Courier:
"But when they're [Prince Harry and Carol Thatcher] speaking on my
time – one was working for the BBC even though she wasn't on air, the
other was representing the British Army – I have a right to demand they
don't offend millions of people. And, if they do, I have a right to demand
they're reprimanded. That so many people have defended them is a shame on
this country."
Laura Midgley, Co-Founder of the Campaign Against
Political Correctness, said: "This is completely outrageous. It is a
shame on this country that so many people have spent so much time
attacking them when there are far more significant issues of global
importance that could have been discussed. It is a shame on this
country that someone who is prepared to risk their life fighting for the
freedom of others around the world is shown so little freedom at
home. It is a shame on this country that anyone could believe that
those in the British Army do not deserve our complete respect and eternal
gratitude rather than have someone disrespectfully saying that when they
are doing this highly dangerous job they are "speaking on my
time" when a private video is leaked. In my opinion, Councillor
Mohammed Iqbal, Derek Laud and all the people from "minority"
groups who have signed up to our "Political Correctness: Not In My
Name" campaign have done far more good for race relations with their
comments than the so-called race relations lobby and articles like Colin
Drury's have done in years."
Al Jolson musical is performed without
authentic 'blacking up' 19
February
2009
The producer of the Al Jolson musical, due to open in
Edinburgh next week, has decided that there will be no 'blacking up' of
the character saying, "Blacking up is historically correct, but in
this day and age we are not out to offend anyone. There is a reference to
blacking up in the script, but we didn't feel it was necessary to include
it within the show." Allan Stewart, the actor starring in the
production, said "I personally believe it should be in there, but
even the slightest sign of negativity could be bad for the
show."
Richard Cook of the Campaign Against Political
Correctness said the producers appeared to be trying so hard not to offend
that they had sabotaged their own show. He said, "It's a case of the
producers being oversensitive. Most people who attend an Al Jolson tribute
will know his background but the show they are going to see will be
incomplete in terms of its historical accuracy. The actor seems to
understand the need for historical accuracy but the producers have
overreacted to perceived sensitivities and have been left in a position
where they can't go back on it."
Click here
to read the story in the Daily Mail or here
to read it in the Daily Telegraph.
MP calls again for debate on Political
Correctness in Parliament 12
February
2009
Philip Davies, Parliamentary Spokesman for the Campaign
Against Political Correctness, has again called for a debate in Parliament
on the issue of Political Correctness. The precise exchange which
took place in the House of Commons on Thursday went like this:
Philip Davies:
May we have a debate about free speech and political correctness? It is
reported in the paper today that a man who worked at a warehouse has been
sacked for displaying a Daily Star poster saying “British jobs for
British workers”. Is it not ludicrous that anybody could lose their job
for displaying such a slogan, or does the Leader of the House believe that
anybody who uses that slogan should be sacked?
Harriet Harman: I am delighted that the hon.
Gentleman urges me to have a debate about political correctness. The
answer to that might be "yes", and I am sure that he will want
to congratulate the leader of his party on insisting that a Tory candidate
take down a nude pin-up that he was displaying in his office. I am sure
that he agrees with his party leader about that.
Kent Police waste money on
LGBT initiative 11
February
2009
Kent Police are hosting a whole series of events to mark
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered History Month, including an
essay-writing competition, a dinner dance and a quiz.
Condemning all the events, the Campaign Against
Political Correctness said: 'Police can get very obsessed about this sort
of thing. To have even one event to mark the month would be bad
enough but to have a whole series is a waste of police time and resources.
I am sure the people of Kent would have different priorities if they were
asked how the money should be spent.'
Ann Widdecombe MP said: 'I would have thought the police
had other things to worry about, like catching burglars. Why don't they
get kids to write an essay on combating crime? It strikes me as an
extraordinary waste of police resources.'
A television advert in which airport
crowds eye a group of stewardesses has been criticised as sexist.
Some viewers across Britain lodged complaints about the ad, designed to
celebrate Virgin Atlantic’s 25th anniversary. But Philip Davies,
Parliamentary Spokesman for the Campaign Against Political Correctness,
said, “Anybody who’s complained about it seems to me to have too much
time on their hands. Some people in this country are humourless – it’s
completely ridiculous. If people are upset by it they shouldn’t fly with
Virgin. But don’t waste the Advertising Standard Agency’s time by
asking them to investigate. We are going to get to a stage where
people will never want to do anything in case some humourless soul takes
offence. It’s a very sad reflection on the state of
Britain.”
The Advertising Standards Authority
received 29 complaints about the £6million advert. Some said it was
“insulting to women”. Complainers believed using gorgeous
stewardesses to encourage male viewers to fly Virgin is sexist.
But a spokeswoman for the ASA said: “We won’t be following these
complaints up as we feel the advert has not breached the advertising
code.”
A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said: “We think the ASA was right to
dismiss these complaints. Our advert has been received brilliantly by
viewers across the world and we’ve had lots of messages of support for
it on the website.”
MP calls for debate on
political correctness 5
February
2009
Sir Patrick Cormack MP called for a debate on political
correctness in the House of Commons citing the two recent cases of the
well publicised Carol Thatcher incident and also the nurse suspended for
offering to pray for one of her patients. The exchange with Harriet
Harman was as follows:
Sir Patrick Cormack (South Staffordshire) (Con):
In a week when a devoted community nurse was suspended from her duties for
wanting to pray for one of her patients and then the BBC, which is even
more misguided than that nurse’s health authority, dismissed an eminent
broadcaster for a remark made in the green room, while retaining the
odious Jonathan Ross on £6 million a year, is it not time that we had a
debate on the utter absurdities of political correctness?
Ms Harman:
On the question of the nurse, whose case was reported in the newspapers,
the matter is, I presume, a disciplinary issue for her employers. On the
BBC, whether or not material is offensive is a question for trustees of
the BBC.
Click here
to see the exchange on the House of Commons Hansard.
Carol Thatcher loses work
at The One Show after saying that a tennis player reminds her of a
Robertson's jam golliwog 4
February
2009
Carol Thatcher observed that a tennis player reminded her of the
golliwog used on the Robertson's jam jars and she will now no longer
receive commissions from The One Show as a result it appears.
For simply making an observation based on a
fact and then following it up with this statement from her spokesman she
appears to have been denied future work with the programme - "Carol
never intended any racist comment. She made a light aside about this
tennis player and his similarity to the golliwog on the jam pot when she
was growing up. There’s no way, obviously, that she would condone any
racist comment — we would refute that entirely. It would not be in her
nature to do anything like that.”
A black caller to the BBC 5 Live programme said,
"I am not offended, I am really outraged. People are trying to make
black people victimised and I don't feel offended at all. I am on
eBay now buying golliwogs for all my friends. What is so outrageous
is that this dilutes the whole argument - we end up concentrating on
absurd ridiculous throw away remarks and not real problems. When I
heard the comments, a certain tennis player popped into my head as being
the one she was referring to - does this make me racist?"
Derek Laud, former Big Brother contestant
said, "Branding Carol Thatcher a racist is like calling Jesus Christ
the Devil. It is simply not true. To use the word golliwog is to describe
a doll that wore bright clothes, had a black face and fuzzy hair. That is
descriptive – it’s not racist. I am black and my own nickname is
Golly. My friends of many years standing use it affectionately and I
sometimes use it as my signature. You know perfectly well when someone’s
intending it to be derogatory. Everything has to be in context."
The Commission for Racial Equality also
said in 2007 that the question of whether golliwogs were considered racist
depended on the context in which they were displayed. It simply
said, "Some
people might find them offensive, some people might not".
Nelson Mandela also came to the aid of a
councillor who had "blacked up" for a fancy dress party the same
year saying, "We should try not to read racism into actions
which may be completely innocent."
John Midgley, Co-Founder of the Campaign
Against Political Correctness, said, "It is quite clear that if
someone was shouting abuse at someone else and the word golliwog was
mentioned this would be deplorable behaviour - because the
shouting and manner would be unacceptable rather than simply the use of
the word golliwog. We have to remember that context is key.
Some people say that the golliwog has been hijacked by racists and
therefore it is unacceptable - full stop. On this basis we would
have ditched the Union Flag a long time ago because it too had been
hijacked. Whilst some racists may use golliwogs and Union Jacks, it
has to be understood that the vast majority of people do not fall into
this category. However, the constant attack on what these people
perceive to be innocent childhood toys or the flag of their country might
just force them to start being less tolerant and less understanding in
other areas which is the last thing we want to happen as this would harm
good race relations in the UK."
On the history of the golliwog, the
following is often quoted from the original book: "Then
all look round, as well they may, To see a horrid sight!, The blackest
gnome, Stands there alone, They scatter in their fright."
What
people don't quote are the following verses when the other characters have
recovered from their initial shock and actually become dear friends of the
golliwog and end up saving his life when he falls in the icy water:
With kindly smile he nearer draws;Begs them to feel no fear."What
is your name?",Cries Sarah Jane; "The
'Golliwogg' my dear."
Their fears allayed-each takes an
arm,While up and down they walk;With sidelong glance, Each
tries her chance,And charms him with "small talk".
While "Golliwogg" with
cautious steps, Toward the middle skates;They
hear a crack!They cry, "come
back, To your devoted mates!"
Too late! alas their call is vain!He swiftly disappears! His kind forethought,
Is dearly bought,It melts
them unto tears.
To read the whole book and see all the illustrations
online just click here.
Campaign Against
Political Correctness Parliamentary Spokesman presents "Equality and
Diversity (Reform) Bill" to Parliament 21
January
2009
Philip Davies MP, Parliamentary Spokesman
for the Campaign Against Political Correctness, used his position on the
list of MPs chosen in the Private Members Bill ballot to introduce his
"Equality and Diversity (Reform) Bill" to Parliament. He
is supported by David Davis MP, Ann Widdecombe MP, Peter Lilley MP, John
Whittingdale MP, David Heathcoat-Amory MP, Greg Knight MP, Graham Brady
MP, Ann Winterton MP, Christopher Chope MP and Sir Nicholas Winterton MP
and the Bill is to prohibit the use of affirmative and positive action in
recruitment and appointment processes; to repeal the Sex Discrimination
(Election Candidates) Act 2002; and for connected purposes.
Further updates will be provided in due
course.
Derek Laud attacks political
correctness and discusses racism 18
January
2009
In an article in The Independent, Derek
Laud gives his views on political correctness and racism making some
excellent points. Some extracts from the article are set out below:
"A racist uses stereotypes to abuse or
deride. I do not believe Prince Harry – revealed last week as having
referred to a fellow soldier as a "Paki" – is a racist."
"When I was a boy, I'm ashamed to say,
we regularly used the word "Paki" pejoratively if Mr Patel in
the corner shop would not sell us fags. My own nickname is
"Golly", partly because of my collection of gollies, collected
from the old Robertson's jam labels."
"Nonetheless, I should be grateful to
those who seek to minimise offence. Once, in 1990, when involved with Mrs
Thatcher's leadership campaign, I mentioned to the prime minister that I
had been "working like a black". She glared at me. "Derek,
we work like Trojans, and talk about 'flies in the ointment'," she
explained."
"In my view, satire can improve race relations.
Getting worked up by trivial examples of "technical" racism like
Prince Harry's detracts from the real point. It is too easy to remove
visible symbols of racism without altering the submerged reality.
For example, David Cameron has attempted to change the Tories' image by
selecting a handful of ethnic minority candidates with little or no
history in the party, precious little political nous and distinguished
only by their capacity to conform. These are the real "Uncle
Toms", preferred by their pigmentation rather than their principles.
What could be more of a racist joke than that?"
Click here
for his full article in The Independent.
Prison officers given
language guides for use in Scottish prisons 19 January
2009
A document called "Plain Talking: What We Say Can
Hurt People", published by the Scottish Prison Service and Capability
Scotland, has been issued to stamp out “hurtful” language that could
“reinforce negative attitudes”. Warders have been warned they
must not refer to inmates as “mental” or call them a “daftie”, a
“psycho” or a “nutter”. They have been told that correct term is a
“person with mental health issues” or a “person with a learning
difficulty”.
eBay bans sale of
"Escape from Colditz" game as swastika is shown on front of the
box 16 January
2009
A man trying to sell a
collectable 1970s children's board game - Escape from Colditz - on eBay
was told that he would not be able to auction the game unless he covered
the swastika up as the sign was “hateful and discriminatory” and
breached their race rules. This falls into the "re-writing of
history" category of political correctness and again context is key!
A statement from St James's Palace, regarding Prince
Harry's use of the phrase of "our little Paki friend", said:
"Prince Harry fully understands how offensive this term can be, and
is extremely sorry for any offence his words might cause. However,
on this occasion three years ago, Prince Harry used the term without any
malice and as a nickname about a highly popular member of his platoon.
There is no question that Prince Harry was in any way seeking to insult
his friend."
The statement continued: "Prince Harry used the
term 'raghead' to mean Taleban or Iraqi insurgent."
On the "P" word
Pendle
Council's Labour Leader, Councillor Mohammed Iqbal, said in November
2006 (after another row over the use of the word) that he saw the
term as an abbreviation, not an insult. He said: "When my
parents arrived in Britain I think it was just an abbreviation.
It was seen as against political correctness in the 90s, but
personally I don't find it a derogatory term. A small number
may see it like that, but we've moved on in Pendle and in Britain as
a whole."
On the "sooty"
nickname
Mr Dhillon, a former
chairman of the Schools and Universities Polo Association originally
from the Punjab, emigrated to Britain in 1955.
Mr Dhillon said:
"I have to say that you know you have arrived
when you acquire a nickname. I enjoy being called Sooty by my
friends who I am sure universally use the name as a term of
affection with no offence meant or felt. The Prince of Wales
is a man of zero prejudice and both his sons have always been most
respectful."
Businessman, Sir Gulam Noon, who
has worked with Charles on many occasions, said there was no
suggestion the prince had done anything wrong.
"Political correctness has
gone a little bit too far," he told the BBC.
Click here
for an excellent piece by Andrew Alexander, here
from one by Richard Littlejohn, here
for a column on the subject by Allison Pearson and here
a piece by Bernard Dineen in the Yorkshire Post - there is not much left to
add!
Police's concerns about gipsy site deemed to
be racist and are not, therefore, considered by Council 10
January
2009
Police in Bedfordshire joined local residents in
objecting to a planning application for a gipsy/traveller site only to be
told by officials that
The letter sent on behalf of the police by Chief
Superintendent Andy Street reported that over the two-year period to
January 2008, officers had visited the three existing gipsy sites a total
of 210 times to deal with reports of fights, arson, assaults, stolen
vehicles, violent disorder, anti-social behaviour, theft, child abduction
and use of weapons. One site was visited 109 times. He went on to
say, "The numbers, and nature, of incidents are not atypical for
traveller sites. The likelihood of such sites causing problems for those
living in close proximity is highly probable."
The decision by the Council not to allow the police's
objections to be heard as they were deemed to be racist meant that
councillors considering the planning application were not made aware of
the police's deep concerns before making a decision.
Diversity Awareness courses at hotel cost
taxpayer £1,755 per head 6
January
2009
Diversity courses for many civil servants - including
Mark Wallace, Campaign Director of the TaxPayers'
Alliance, said: 'No wonder public services are struggling and Government
departments are so inefficient if civil servants' heads are being stuffed
with politically-correct gobbledegook. 'It is
perverse that whilst people in the private sector lose their jobs and
struggle to pay essential bills, public bodies are lavishing such huge
amounts on irrelevant diversity training.'
School re-named "A Place for Learning" 3
January
2009
Headmistress, Linda Kingdon, of Watercliffe Meadow
School in Sheffield said, "We decided we didn’t want to use the
word ‘school’. One reason was many parents of children here had
very negative connotations of school. Instead we want this to be a
place for family learning. There are no bells or locked doors. We
wanted to de-institutionalise the place and bring the school closer to
real life.”
Yet again, Equality bodies guilty of
discrepancies 4
December
2008
Philip Davies MP, Parliamentary Spokesman for the
Campaign Against Political Correctness, uncovered through a Parliamentary
Question that the Equality and Human Rights Commission has its own pay gap
and yet they are going to be responsible for looking into company pay gaps
in the future. The Commission was forced to admit that it pays men
more than women, white employees more than ethnic minority employees and
able bodied staff more than disabled staff. Philip Davies said,
"What on earth is the point of a politically correct organisation
like that, that is given huge quantities of taxpayers money to go
lecturing round the country to organisations about equal pay when they
don't even practice what they preach themselves?"
Click here
to see the question as it appears in the House of Commons Hansard and here
to read the full story in the Daily Mail.
Nativity play "delayed" until the
New Year due to Eid 4
December
2008
A Nottingham school wrote to parents telling them that
the annual nativity play had been cancelled "due to the Eid
celebrations that take place next week and its effect on our performers".
They later said, "The Christmas performance has not been cancelled
outright but has been postponed until the New Year." Parents at
the school were obviously dismayed to hear this and could not see how the
Christmas play could be performed in the New Year.
Sajad Hussain, 35, of who has two children at the school
said: "It's not that complicated; they could have one event on one
day and another on another day, they should have both celebrations at the
school. If you do not have both it becomes a racist thing and that's
why you have to be careful if an issue is made out of it it could become
nasty." Another Muslim parent, Mia, from a different area said,
"We are Muslims but my daughter is going to play a part in the
nativity play at her nursery, I can't see what the fuss is all about. We
bought a Christmas tree this year and we are going to celebrate both
occasions, why do you want to confuse your kids with religious
issues? Let them enjoy the festive season like all the kids in the
country. Why do you want them to feel like the odd one out of the
crowd? To be part of the UK society, you need to make an effort to
mingle with the society and you can do that without it affecting your
beliefs. UK isn't a Muslim country, end of the story."
Council threatens to delay payment to small
businesses until they fill in an ethnic monitoring questionnaire 21
November
2008
A letter was sent to businesses by Waltham Forest
Council telling them that they risked payment for their work being delayed
if they did not complete a form giving the Council information on the
ethnic origin and sex of their staff. Once this came to light, Cllr Keith
Rayner, the authority's cabinet member for finance, said: "This
request for information was, in fact, to help the council ensure we are
neither excluding nor failing to support any sections of our
community. However, threatening non-payment is clearly not the way
to go about this. I would like to apologise unreservedly for
this.." Laura Midgley, Co-Founder of the Campaign Against
Political Correctness, said: "This is absolutely outrageous.
Bullying people into conforming to nonsensical, irrelevant form filling -
especially in the current economic climate - is completely
unacceptable. Yet again, this just shows how meaningless tick box
political correctness wastes both time and money."
Click here
for the full story in the Waltham Forest Guardian.
Doormats in Hampshire deemed to be a
"health and safety risk" 17
November
2008
Residents with doormats in a block of flats in Gosport
have been told to remove the mats or face being taken to court by the
local council. However, Tom Mullarkey, chief executive of the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Accidents, spoke out against the decision
saying, "The application of common sense and balance is much more
reasonable than the seeking of mindless increments towards absolute
safety."
Click here
to read the full story in the Daily Mail.
Equalities super-body pays men more than
women, white staff more than BME staff and able-bodied staff more than
disabled staff 13
November
2008
It has been revealed that the Equality and
Human Rights Commission has got its own "Pay Gap". Philip
Davies MP, Parliamentary Spokesman for the Campaign Against Political
Correctness, forced the Government to admit this was the case by tabling a
Parliamentary Question as follows:
Philip
Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and
Equality what average salary was paid by the Equality and Human Rights
Commission to its (a) male, (b) female, (c) white, (d)
black and minority ethnic (e) disabled and (f) non-disabled
employees in the last period for which figures are available. [232794]
Maria
Eagle: The current average salaries for staff in
each group are as follows:
Philip Davies said, "Given that this organisation
is always banging on about the faults of employers, it is astonishing to
find that it is paying men more than women. To lecture everybody
else about doing something they can't do themselves is hypocrisy beyond
belief."
Laura Midgley, Co-Founder of the Campaign
Against Political Correctness, said, "This revelation is so ironic -
on this basis having the EHRC in charge of equality is as ridiculous as
putting Gordon Ramsay in charge of an anti-swearing campaign. This
constant obsession with equal outcomes - which are neither desirable nor
achievable takes away the focus from the really important issue which is
equal opportunities."
UPDATE:
Philip Davies raised this issue again in the chamber of the House of
Commons during Business Questions and received a bland and unhelpful
answer from Harriet Harman as set out below:
Philip Davies:
May we have a debate on the Equality and Human Rights Commission? A recent
answer to a parliamentary question that I tabled showed that, on average,
the commission pays men more than women, white people more than those from
ethnic minorities, and non-disabled people more than disabled people. What
on earth is the point of a politically correct organisation—it is given
huge quantities of taxpayer’s money to give lectures around the country
on equal pay —that does not even practise what it preaches?
Ms Harman:
The hon. Gentleman shows how important it is to have transparency. We
must ensure that all organisations publish information about pay gaps
between genders and ethnicities, and about how many disabled people they
employ. That is not just important for the EHRC, because we need that
transparency in the whole public sector—and in the private sector too.
Click here
for official record of the exchange in the House of Commons' Hansard.
"Britishness" could be an offensive
term, says Council 12
November
2008
In advice presented to 9,000 staff at Caerphilly Council
in South Wales about equality, some tips are offered on communicating with
the public. The term was said to offer a “false sense of unity”
and could upset those from Scotland, Wales and Ireland as well as members
of ethnic minorities. However, the document was criticised by Welsh
rugby player Gareth Edwards who said, “This is political correctness
gone absolutely mad. I’m very proud to be Welsh and if anybody
asks me where I’m from, I’ll say Wales. But I’m also British
and I’ve played for the British Lions and I’m very proud of that as
well. I have no issue with being called British.”
Falklands veteran Simon Weston, who was born in Caerphilly, said: “I am
proud to call myself a British Welshman. I just do not know what is
going on with Caerphilly Council but guidelines like this are simply
ludicrous. Since when was calling someone British offensive? We are
British, that is the simple fact of the matter and whatever is done to try
to break us up we have survived."
Click here
for the full story in the Daily Express.
ITV sports commentator apologies after using
common javelin expression 11
November
2008
Jim Rosenthal was denounced as racist for referring to black Olympic gold
medal javelin star Tessa Sanderson as a great 'spear chucker'. Objectors who bombarded websites with outraged emails claimed the
phrase 'spear chucker' was an insult to anyone from an ethnic minority,
taking it to be a derogatory suggestion that they are from an
uncivilized tribe. However, this ignorance was blasted by
Sanderson's fellow black javelin star, and former rival, Fatima
Whitbread, who leapt to the defence of Rosenthal, 60, saying that the
phrase 'spear chucker' is common in athletic circles and will have
carried no racist connotations at all. She said that any suggestion that
Jim Rosenthal was being racist was "ridiculous". She went on to
announce, "I have in fact referred to myself as a "spear chucker",
and I still occasionally tell people as a joke that "I used to
chuck spears".'
The Equality and Human
Rights Commission said, "'Words
could be taken out of context - it's not part of our remit to police
language unless it falls under incitement legislation. We do not
have a handbook of things you can and can't say."
Shopkeeper receives hate mail for selling
golliwog dolls 6
November
2008
Photo: BNPS, Daily Telegraph
Viv Endecott was forced to call
police after receiving anonymous hate mail through her door for selling
golliwogs in her shop in Dorset. Viv Endecott has vowed to
continue to sell the dolls alongside the Blyton books, teddy bears and
bottles of ginger beer saying, "Around here it is accepted that a
golliwog is a soft toy associated with Enid Blyton. I genuinely think most
people don't