H.
It was a change to hear a GLib-Dem voice other than Vince Cable on Today this morning! The publicity hungry Chris Huhne was interviewed by John Humphrys on the topic of the barring of Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders from the UK. Huhne was, being a good latter-day liberal, all in favour of refusing entry to Mr Wilders. There proceeded a tortuous interview with Humphyrs rightly questioning the logic (or lack of) in what Huhne (and by definition Jacqui Smith and co) are saying. I found Huhne just your average pathetic dhimmi but I felt that Humphyrs could have pressed a bit harder. Did you hear this and if so what is your view of BBC coverage of the jackboot tactic of Ms Smith? I think the BBC know it is an erosion of free speech but they are still dhimmified and so struggle to express any real outrage at this government decision.
You should have heard George Osborne getting worked over by Nicola Campbell on Radio 5.
He and the Tories were attacked from start to finish apparently (according to Nicola the camp Scotsman) it’s all the fault of the Tories for wanting deregulation and not Gordon Brown who was only doing what the Tories wanted.
You only have to contract the way Alzheimers man gets treated when he’s interviewed on Radio 5.
Martin,
I find 5 live so revolting I very rarely can bring myself to listen to any of it.
Typical handwringing liberal cringing to the threat of the raging hate mobs!
Persecute the messenger and silence the dissenters at all costs, the very polititians cringing before evil ideologies will not be the ones who suffer most that will be the victims of slavery(cash for passports via marriage) child abuse, woman persecution, honour murders, a whole generation of women kept in the dark ages courtesy of the cowardly polititians.
Diffucult for the BBC to find anyone to support Jackboot Smith’s Guardian position, but the editors of Today managed it. Humpty was of course just pretending to take the adversarial position so as to give Auntie some pretence of “balance”. No attempt, of course, to get someone like Melanie Phillips to give the spineless Huhne a real thrashing. To think this guy could have been leader of the LibDems.
Notice also the top story on the Today News? Not Jackboot’s junketing at our cost, not Wilders, not Broon’s Banker, but a “good news” story of a “government decision” to have Japanese trains built in Britain. Dear God, what a shower.
The irony of Huhne being a member of the “Liberal” party is one that is obviously lost on him and his party – the message I got from this great libertarian was – free speech is great but only we get to say what is free and what is not. No objective understanding of free speech at all.
Modern politics is simply about control and unfortunately that control is becoming greater and greater and the accountability between rulers and ruled (sic) become weaker and weaker. This defence of the indensible is just another crushing blow it seems against what a lot of people believed this country stood for. What we fools we are…
What Humphries could have pointed out but didn’t is that most of the film just consists of actual quotes from the Koran and actual footage of muslim preachers, placards carried on marches etc. If these incite hatred against the ROP it’s not Wilders’ fault simply for drawing our attention to them.
Of course, how clips are selected can carry with it a message, but then it’s equaly open to anyone who disagrees with him to compile a collection of clips of Imans who call for love and tolerance of Christians and Jews, and who denounce the horror of 9/11. It might last a bit less than Fitna’s 15 mins though …
They haven’t a leg to stand on. Lord Ahmed invited an al-Qaeda terrorist suspect to the UK for Christ sake! This is like that film with the department of pre-crime. This Dutch fella has committed no crime but is barred from coming here in case he says something that could be actionable or that his very presence is incitement to hatred. In the latter case according to the government the guy literally has no right to exist in Britain let alone enter it.
If Attenberough is the BBC’s science frontman why doesn’t he investigate the unscientific IPCC?
I listened to this interview. Huhne said that he had seen the film and was convinced that it was insulting to islam. I am surprised by this because I have seen the film and it carries no commentary by Geert or anyone else, only koarnic verses and clips of islamists murdering and spewing hatred in the name of islam • so the only thing that was insulting was the sight of muslims spewing their vile hatred towards the non-believers! And this would be upsetting to muslims!
Its like not showing or printing atrocities committed by muslims because to do so would upset them so much that it would make them go and commit more atrocities! Oh sorry, I forgot, this is already a bbc policy.
Humphyrs I thought was restrained (aren’t they all when dealing with Islamic issues) as if he knew what was right but could not bring himself to say it.
Gary O,
Exactly my sentiments.
Any broadcaster whould be one of the most vociferous defenders of free speech.
Humphrys was not.
Maybe that is because he is such a shy bloke, never vehement in his questioning ?
In fairness, a previous Home Secretary banned the vile antisemite – Farrakan from entering into the UK from America. However, this decision in in direct contrast to the Beebobaloonies and HMG’s loving romance with former Gitmo terrorists whose links to Britain are extremely tenuous to say the least. Like they passed through a Heathrow transit lounge one on their way to kill people – making them “British students”. And in need of our money and protection. Doh!
When the BBC did the arse licking piece last night on the One Show, why didn’t they have any young Muslim women on?
Why is it that bushy bearded halfwits are the only ones to speak on behalf of Muslim women? And I mean Muslim women that don’t have to dress up like a Dalek or Guinness bottle.
Huhne – very courageously in my view – supported the holocaust denier Dr Gerald Toben a few months ago when he was arrested at Heathrow on an EU arrest warrent.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7652274.stm
Why does Huhne support free speach in one case and not the other. Nothing to do with the relative importance of Jewish and muslim votes I hope. Nah it couldn’t be that cynical could it?
Just seen the BBC news report on Mr Wilders’ refused entry. The only interviewee was that Lord Hamhead (or whatever it is), again, who was allowed to speak more or less uninterrupted.
Only the mildest mention of the free speech issue from the BBC.
@Iain.
yes, i saw the one-sided interview on al-Beeb.
then saw both Lord Pearson Vs Lord Ahmed on Sky News.
perhaps Ahmed should be banned for provoking hatred ?…. he certainly made me hate him.
A whiney, shouty little slimeball shitbag who constantly misrepresented his opponent’s argument.
oh bugger | 12.02.09 – 1:25 pm |
Huhne – very courageously in my view – supported the holocaust denier Dr Gerald Toben a few months ago when he was arrested at Heathrow on an EU arrest warrent.
Huhne brought Toben up himself from the start. Humphrys introduced the segment by saying that Wilder had made a film “attacking Islam”, which did set the tone somewhat. Huhne is correct that there is incitement to violence in “Fitna”, but he seems to have missed whose words are calling for it.
Humphrys didn’t get as belligerent as he has at other times, and he should have challenged Huhne’s contention that the film incited violence by pointing out that it features only the words of Muslims. But he made a courageous (for the BBC) point that Muslims are allowed to speak hate, but nobody seems to be allowed to criticize them. Huhne’s response was horrifying to me, but that’s not the BBC’s fault.
The BBC is aware of the problem. It’s hard for them to criticize Labour over this, but where are the Tories clamoring to get on the air over this?
public teat | 12.02.09 – 3:17 pm |
He is, I believe, of Pakistani origin, which in these times carries a big health warning.
Here’s more on this shitbag, courtesy of Stephen Pollard at the Spectator.
It seems racism and tolerance is a one way street for this little paki.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/stephenpollard/31584/lord-ahmed-and-racists.thtml
There is currently a HYS on the limits of freedom of speech.
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=6046&edition=1&ttl=20090212153910
The limits of free speech appear to have been reached as no comments have been moderated since 1:45.
How’s this for a euphemism?
“Labour peer Lord Ahmed, who expressed his concerns to the parliamentary authorities about Mr Wilders’ visit…”
(Banned Dutch MP to be sent home http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7885918.stm)
Expressed his concerns? By threatening to blockade the Houses of Parliament with 10,000 Muslim protesters? Perhaps the rest of us should express our concerns.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7885918.stm
“Banned Dutch MP to be sent home”
Rather odd choice of headline isn’t it?
“Sent home”
It sounds almost friendly.
Isn’t the usual choice of phrase “deported”? The BBC can’t say that their words are shorter, as is common headline-writing practice.
Once again the Burqua Bullies have got their own way. What’s next on their agenda? And who is next?
I note with interest that Livinghell’s antisemitic iman Quradawi was welcomed into the UK as was Lord Ahmed’s serial antisemitic chum “Israel Shamir” (the non-de-plume of a notorious Swedish neo Nazi,) when Lord A*** joined him at a book signing. I note too that Huhne was happy to sanction the passage of Gerald Toben, the Holocaust denier. Upsetting the relatives and survivors of the Jewish people who experienced one of the worst crimes in history – an attempt to eradicate the gene pool of a whole race of people – is clearly not as important to the Glib Dems as criticism of a book. Another good reason not to vote Glib Dem.
The ‘Daily Mail’ is much more positively concerned with the Freedom of Entry and Freedom of Speech for Dutch MP, GEERT WILDERS than the BBC is.
The ‘Mail’ has items like this:
1.)”How Britain, the cradle of liberty, is sleepwalking towards cultural suicide” (Melanie Phillips).
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1141806/MELANIE-PHILLIPS-How-Britain-cradle-liberty-sleepwalking-cultural-suicide.html
2.) “Dutch MP banned over anti-Islam film is to be sent back home from Heathrow.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1141622/Dutch-MP-banned-anti-Islam-film-sent-home-Heathrow.html
3.)”Mail Comment: Affront to freedom”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1142712/MAIL-COMMENT-Affront-freedom.html
On the BBC “Have your say” page there are exactly nine comments about Wilders yet it’s the biggest story of the day. They’re not suppressing them are they?
The film is available to view on the BNP website, they have a higher regard fot freedom of speech than the BBC would have in its lifetime.
Will BBC chum, S.Chakrabarti, chief of ‘Liberty’ be speaking up in the case of Freedom of Speech for Dutch MP Geert Wilders in Britain, even though he has never been a Guantanamo detainee?
Under the current sovietisation programme, John Humphries’ brave questioning of Huhne might see him being sent off to one of those Re-Education Camps to “confess” and undergo “diversity” reprogramming. Just like Prince Harry. And most of the UK population. Eat your heart out Pol Pot.
On the BBC “Have your say” page there are exactly nine comments about Wilders yet it’s the biggest story of the day. They’re not suppressing them are they?
The page now seems to have disappeared altogether
@Arthur,
try this link.. works for me
http://tinyurl.com/ajzasv
Read All About It
Read All About It
BBc plumbs new depths with its treatment of the Wilders issue !
‘Guardian’ poll:
“Should Geert Wilders be allowed to come to Britain?”
Latest voting:
‘Yes’ 82.7%.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/poll/2009/feb/12/netherlands-islam
‘Daily Mail’ poll:
“Should Dutch MP Geert Wilders be allowed to address the House of Lords?”
Latest voting:
‘Yes’, about 86%.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/index.html
Here’s a filthy pig we don’t seem to be able to deport.
US most wanted terrorist suspect in new extradition fight in Britain
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4602765/US-most-wanted-terrorist-suspect-in-new-extradition-fight-in-Britain.html
@George R
and even at labourhome.com…
Poll
Should Geert Wilders be barred from entering the UK?
Yes 1% No 98%
(although only 335 votes taken)
http://www.labourhome.org/story/2009/2/10/143957/745
Lets face it this is one huge smokescreen. The fact is Smith et al don’t have any principles even when it comes to dhimmitude. It’s all about wiping Gordon’s ‘black day’ (as even the Guardian called it) off the top headline. Wilders is a diversionary bone for the proles to chew over, while they carry on with the real dirty work of covering up the corrupt cronyism at the top where Gordon’s banking pals are getting dangerously close to exposing the extent of his complicity in the country’s financial woes. That is the real scandal. I don’t believe the government give a flying fart about Wilders or his film (the man it appears had safe passage here only a fortnight ago).
Some updated information-
‘New English Review’
“Outrage! Wilders denied entry in the U.K.”
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/19532
On the 6 o’clock news..
David Milliband – ‘It is a film (Fitna) filled with hate’
Interviewer – ‘Have you seen it?’
D.M. – ‘No’
Pat 7:09
Miliband doesn’t know which way to turn !
Politicians such as J. Smith, Labour government, and C. Huhne, Lib Dems, don’t believe in free speech: they prevent it.
The ‘freedoms’ of the British people are being continually stopped by this Labour government.
G.Brown (“the biggest coward in Europe”, as pointed out by G. Wilders, today) would be frightened to death if the UK had a Constitution which include a US-type First Amendment. And as for the BBC, the Balen Report would have been published by now:
“The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference. See U.S. Const. amend. I. Freedom of expression consists of the rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and the implied rights of association and belief. The Supreme Court interprets the extent of the protection afforded to these rights.”
http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/First_amendment
Geert Wilders will be going to the USA soon, where freedom of speech is protected, not prevented.
‘Telegraph’
Philip Johnston:
“Whatever happened to free speech?”
[Extract]-
“The very people who in 1989 were demanding the murder of Salman Rushdie for writing a book are today leading the charge against a Dutch MP for making a film. The fundamental difference is that 20 years ago, the government supported free speech; today, it has cravenly surrendered. It is simply not good enough to say that Wilders should not be heard because he might provoke a backlash from those who do not like him or his views. That is not upholding the law. That is appeasement.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/philipjohnston/4604985/Whatever-happened-to-free-speech.html
Politicians like Milliband are the cancer of today’s Western societies. In an ideal world the guy would be cleaning toilets but he’s managed to get to the “top”. Unbelievable!
BBC ‘Newsnight’ approach to the Labour government ban on Geert Wilders tonight was to get the gabbling Scot (Ms. K. Wark), to wind up a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian.
The oleaginous Mr. Vaz, Labour MP, and Government enforcer, denounced Mr. Wilders, and his film ‘Fitna’, even though Mr. Vaz admitted to not having seen it!
When it was mentioned to Mr. Vaz that some British people may want to debate with Mr. Wilders, Mr. Vaz insisted that this was no problem as such British people could still go to the Netherlands to debate with Mr. Wilders there!
More on Labour’s Mr. Vaz:
‘Times’ (2007)
“MP in charge of anti-terrorism scrutiny speaks at event linked to Tamil bombers”
[Extract]
‘The MP who heads the parliamentary body scrutinising Britain’s counter-terrorism laws addressed a rally at which a plea for support for suicide bombers was broadcast, The Times has learnt…
‘Mr Vaz, 51, has been vocal in his desire that UK restrictions on the Tamil Tigers should be lifted.
‘Mr Vaz, the former minister for Europe, was suspended from Parliament for a month in 2002 for obstructing an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.’
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3019231.ece
Mr. Vaz campaigns for a ban on non-violent Dutch MP Geert Wilders’ entry to the UK, yet Mr. Vaz wants no such UK restrictions on the violent Tamil Tigers!
Such are the double standards and political opportunism of Labour.
Michael Portillo summed it up superbly.
In addition to riding roughshod over free speech and caving into threats of hassle and possibly violence, by turning away Geert Wilders, ministers have made a “populist twit and bigot” world famous.
They really are utter, utter imbeciles.
Mark Steyn:
‘The Arrest of Geert Wilders’
…” that is a sad comment on a land that was once a crucible of freedom. As to the judgment of the British Home Office, they have no problem admitting to the United Kingdom the likes of Dr Ijaz Mian, who preached as follows at the Ahl-e-Hadith mosque in Derby:
‘You cannot accept the rule of the kaffir. We have to rule ourselves and we have to rule the others… King, Queen, House of Commons: if you accept it, you are a part of it. If you don’t accept it, you have to dismantle it. So you being a Muslim, you have to fix a target. From that White House to this Black House, we know we have to dismantle it. Muslims must grow in strength, then take over… You are in a situation in which you have to live like a state-within-a-state – until you take over.’
“And so it goes: Multiculti England will tolerate any intolerance, except the guy who points out the intolerance. We can’t tolerate that.”
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjU3Y2EyMDBkNjBmMTZiNTk3Njc0N2VlNmQxZWZlOTQ
‘New English Review’
‘A black day for Britain’
(by Mary Jackson)
[Extract]:
“Fitna will have been screened by now in the House of Lords, and a lively debate should ensue. I hope and pray that the events of the past few days will serve to deepen the contempt of the British people for this Government. If anything may be salvaged from this day’s events it is that those • a majority, surely • who had not heard of Geert Wilders have now, and will watch Fitna and learn from it. Learn we must, in the hope that this will be Britain’s darkest hour.”
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/19537
‘Daily Mail’
“BBC in new swearing row after Radio 5 guests call Dutch MP a ‘wxxxxx'”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1143878/BBC-new-swearing-row-Radio-5-guests-Dutch-MP-w–.html