The Race Card

 

The Mail tells us that:

Dyke’s all-white panel comes under fire from black FA chief for lack of ethnic diversity

And the Mail goes on to explore the story more fully, unlike the BBC’s sport’s editor, David Bond, who does a hatchet job on Dyke and fails to report the fact that Dyke did try and bring non-white people onto the FA commission:

Greg Dyke’s reputation damaged by FA commission mishandling

The third and final problem is not including a black or ethnic minority representative on the commission. This is why Rabbatts, whose mother is Jamaican, is so angry.

She says it is impossible for the all-white, all-male commission to consider matters of nationality without including someone from the black or ethnic minority community.

Dyke will no doubt try to find someone suitable to join the commission and silence the critics but Rabbatts and others may now accuse him and the FA of tokenism.

 

That’s a curious statement to make…the BBC itself reported on the news a couple of days ago that Dyke did try to recruit non-whites but was turned down……and the Mail prints his letter in response to Rabbatts’ in which he reveals those attempts….as previously reported on the BBC:

 

Dear Heather
Thank you for sending me a copy of the letter you have sent to the Board. I recognize your strength of feeling on this issue but I am sorry that you felt that you had to make your concerns public.
Personally, as the instigator and organizer of the Commission, I was surprised by your comments as they seem to imply that somehow we have got to where we are because of a lack of understanding in the area of diversity.
As you know I have long been a champion of inclusion in society and I think my credentials in this area are pretty strong. I spent part of my early life working in community relations; you were on the Board of the BBC when I, as Director General, described the organization as “hideously white” for which I received great press criticism; you were also on the Board when I introduced a comprehensive plan to ensure more ethnic minorities were employed at all levels at the BBC – something we achieved.
Only two weeks ago you and I discussed ways of making organisations take their responsibilities in this area more seriously – we both agreed we want action not ineffectual policy papers on race – and in my brief time at the FA I have met with both Herman Ouseley, the Chairman of Kick it Out, and Trevor Phillips, the former Chair of the Equalities Commission, to discuss overall policy in this area. It is an area I have long cared about.
The make up of the Commission has been moving for some time but I did explain to you and the Board that we planned to appoint two or three additional members and would have done so this week had the issue of Roy Hodgson’s dressing room comments not blown up.
I do accept we made a mistake announcing only part of the membership of the Commission when we did, but to suggest we never considered the ethnic balance of the Commission is unfair. We originally had Clarke Carlisle as a member but the PFA decided they would rather have their new Chairman on the Commission, and we also identified other individuals from the BAME community who we felt would add strength and value to the Commission. Unfortunately as they are active in football on a day to day basis either they felt the time commitments would be prohibitive. As you know we still want to see people with relevant experience from the BAME community on the Commission and giving evidence to it.
As I described at the Board and Council meetings this week, we are planning an exhaustive and fully inclusive process. We will be looking for input from groups of like-minded people, be they players, managers, coaches, supporters and taking views and ideas from everyone who has an interest in the development of players to fulfill their potential.
Heather we go back a long way, we’ve been friends for a long time and I’m sorry if this has been a difficult issue for you but, as you know, the aim of the Commission is twofold. The first is to try to strengthen the England team going forward. The second is to ensure that talented English kids, whatever their ethnicity or creed, are able to fulfil their potential to play at the highest level in English football, something which currently we are not sure is happening. If we can make some progress towards achieving both these aims it will have done a good job.
Greg

Hard to explain why Bond doesn’t know of that explanation, or if he does, why he didn’t mention it….Rabbatts’ ‘anger’ is the usual playing of the ‘race card’ based more on her own ignorance, prejudices and motivations than fact…and it is a shame that someone from the BBC gives credence to them and plays up to the stereotype of a racist Britain.
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68 Responses to The Race Card

  1. Span Ows says:

    Maybe because they are voluntary commission? Race hustlers would need paying.

    But the real point: WTF has colour got to do with this?

       36 likes

    • Stewart says:

      Everything.
      If race were only a social construct ,if it didn’t matter
      ,then there would be no need for the ‘quick white people out of football’ campaign in the first place.

         13 likes

    • lojolondon says:

      Well, because the only way to ensure that non-white people always get cushy ‘council’, ‘commission’ and ‘board’ jobs is to whinge incessently when they are left off. HR probably doesn’t realise this job is unpaid, or she would have left it.

         13 likes

    • mo says:

      Since pretty much everybody in this country is not racist any more ( based on skin colour) and football in particular has it’s own strong culture which is pretty similar up and down the country whether the player is black or white, I do not see the need for compulsion of one skin colour or another to be on the commission. If they were all black I would not care, as long as they were qualified

         2 likes

  2. Alex says:

    This diversity nazism has all but destroyed this country… but people are getting fed up with ethnic minority moaners who are only in their positions because of patronising, left-wing Marxists. Colour of skin should not determine career progress, and I don’t care how the redcoats treated Zulus 130 years ago, if ethnics ain’t up to the job they shouldn’t get it!

       52 likes

    • noggin says:

      ooohhh! “waycism” – that’s why
      “GP exams – ‘unfair to minorities’
      By Divya Talwar – BBC Asian Network

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23245607

         19 likes

      • chrisH says:

        Aren`t there loads of Ugandans and Nigerians around Peckhams churches who -by mere prayer and judicious use of jerk chicken creole mix-actually heal those who ask?
        Why not let them practice-cheaper and bypasses those nasty core competencies.
        Tell you what-let`s try a few head transplants at the BBC-make a good programme and see just how much BUPA misses out on by confining gay diversities.
        Dr Anjem Choudhury and his nursing team will see you now Yentob…that`s a Jewish name maybe?

           20 likes

      • Dysgwr_Cymraeg says:

        ‘Figures published by the RCGP show that 65.3% of foreign-trained GPs failed their first attempt at the CSA in 2011-12, compared with 9.9% of medical graduates who studied in the UK.’
        Don’t you find it strange, given the above comment that the obvious thing to examine would be the quality/standard of the foreign training?
        But no, it just HAS to be our fault.

           18 likes

  3. Demon says:

    I can never work out why there has to be “more ethnic minorities were employed at all levels at the BBC”. Surely the best person for the job should be the only criterion. Anything else is racist.

    And what does this racist woman mean by “matters of nationality”? Surely race has nothing to do with nationality, or is she saying that the BNP are right? After all that is their core belief.

       35 likes

    • chrisH says:

      BBC apart demon!
      Any boatload of sadsacks , crims and creeps would do a better job at any role within the BBC…and would be alot cheaper tot.
      Their robbery would be more “transparent” too.
      Maybe the first thousand get a free TV License for life-bring `em in…as long as they squat at the BBC alone.
      Let the good ones from the boat be Christians please…we`ll keep them if that`s OK!

         6 likes

    • mo says:

      Well Said “Demon,” we have people telling us we are racists when in fact we are not and they are racist!

         2 likes

  4. Beness says:

    The american race card.

       8 likes

  5. John Anderson says:

    I have dealt with Heather Rabbatts when she was CEO of Merton Council. A nasty piece of work, arrogant.

       35 likes

  6. Ron Todd says:

    We do not get white people moaning about being effectively barred from any job with diversity or equality in the title.

       28 likes

    • Cosmo says:

      Surely when the white males are eliminated at source from all applications then this must contravene both sex and gender discrimination laws. Where are the prosecutions as these laws are ignored in the public and now private sector on a massive scale.

         16 likes

      • mo says:

        Well Said Cosmo. If I had unlimited funds I would happily prosecute such actions. Compensation or penalties resulting would also stem the number such racist acts

           4 likes

    • flexdream says:

      What about the over representation of black players in the England team? Or can we still select England players on merit, without checking our racial quotas?

         6 likes

      • mo says:

        Well said Flexdream. We should include a fair number of white players based on white people as a proportion of the overall population of the country. Whats good for the goose is good for the gander

           4 likes

  7. Flawedlogic says:

    What is shocking is that two people who have ties with the BBC and who for the Labour party are at each others throats.

    It is equally unsurprising that the BBC would side with the racist Mrs Rabbatt and her attempts to garner herself some high profile publicity as she no doubts looks to find herself a new highly paid job elsewhere.

    I wonder if it is really coincidental that the England Manager was smeared this week by the Black Lawyers Society (who themselves had to apologise to Townsend after their own statement was deemed racist) and then this additional attack on the FA by another parasite employed in the race relations cash grab industry?

    I would suggest that it is all linked and that this was a straight forward attempt to hijack the FA commission to put in place people who would ensure that money and publicity was funnelled to the racist Black Lawyers society and their creators other anti-white group.

       29 likes

  8. AsISeeIt says:

    cf. the BBC serried ranks of 100 upon 100 journos complete lack of curiosity in who it might be that is the career challenged disgruntled footballer with a sudden heightened sensitivity to the word monkey.

    And he with such a with a close personal relationship to a hack now employed by a Scottish-flavoured tabloid

    Gosh what an utter conundrum for our £4bn market rates

    Hi Jermain!

       13 likes

  9. Demon says:

    Where are the trtolls? Are they still waiting for instructions on how best to play this thread and the fair comments made at the top and in reply? Very soon we will see them flocking to this thread once they have been instucted on strategy by their BBC bosses.

       19 likes

    • Demon says:

      For “trtolls” read “trolls”.

         2 likes

    • Demon says:

      And Albumen has finally turned up. He’s still blatantly not received his instructions on how to handle the points made in the top of the thread as he has, so far, only managed to “correct” a couple of technical points. It must be frustrating for him to be waiting for the BBC (Mind) Control Centre to give him his instructions when there are many fair points to attack.

         13 likes

      • Scott says:

        Bless. Isn’t it wonderful how some people are so deluded that they think their opinion is so important that there is a huge conspiracy gathering to rebut it. Rather than just a disparate group of individuals who occasionally break off from laughing at him to comment.

        It’s a particular type of sociopathy that is rather prevalent here. Basically, whenever Wild or Guest Who posts, you know they’re going to pretend that they’re right, and anybody who contradicts them is part of a vast conspiracy.

        Don’t stop, guys. You’re far more funny when you think you’re more important than the ignorant no-hopers your postings reveal yourselves to be.

           3 likes

        • Demon says:

          Scotty, I see you are still waiting for BBC Mind-Control to instruct you how to oppose the points raised in this thread. As usual your first resort is to attack people rather than attack the facts. After all there is very little defence for the BBC’s lack of impartiality when it comes to playing the race card.

             7 likes

          • Scott says:

            “BBC Mind-Control”? Yup, that’s exactly the sort of conspiracy theorist inanity which causes anyone who isn’t a complete moron to laugh at you. Keep it up, you’re alerting everyone to how much of a numpty you are.

            Never mind. I’m sure the men in white coats can’t be too far away now.

               3 likes

            • Wild says:

              “whenever Wild or Guest Who posts, you know they’re going to pretend that…anybody who contradicts them is part of a vast conspiracy.”

              I have never viewed you as a huge conspiracy. I don’t even view you as a modest conspiracy. Go over to a mirror. Have a good look. You see that unhappy sour faced person looking back at you, the one talking about psychopathic no-hopers? Have you worked out who it is yet?

                 18 likes

            • Demon says:

              Yes of course Scotty, you know me so well. Now will you address the points raised in this thread or will you continue to astound us with your amazing intelligence?

                 7 likes

        • mo says:

          Scott. Use your intelligence not your knee jerk reaction. You have spent time criticising something which cant be proved and you have ignored the rank racism of you and your like

             5 likes

        • Guest Who says:

          Late to the party, but better that than never, eh? Ah well, the Candyman was invoked, so fair do’s.
          And what a superb contribution in postscript to a vintage collection that have proven low on anything to do with BBC bias, and high on playing the person.
          Not naming names, of course. Well, you do, of course. Interesting who you name and where. The more robust commenters often seem spared your ire at point of contact, while others get called out elsewhere. Often when they have nothing to do with the post you have chosen to drive by and pop one off at.
          Some may view, and indeed call such a thing less of a view, and more of an ‘attack’. But these folk tend to be those less able to engage in debate where they are not protected by minders that allow them practices denied others.
          “…some people are so deluded that they think their opinion is so important…”
          Or maybe there are those who simply think a forum exists to allow their opinion to be expressed and appreciated or not for its value, or lack?
          There are of course those who presume to make judgements on importance. Your ambition to become a BBC Editor based on such a limited talent still eluding you, it appears.
          “…just a disparate group of individuals…”
          How odd that when referring about many posters to these pages, a generic collective such as ‘you lot’ gets used, presumably acceptably to you, if without much sense of irony. Or sense, come to that.
          “…who occasionally break off from laughing at him to comment”.
          Him? That’s going to get you called before Head of Diversity for a dressing down right there. As to laughing, the tonality of your efforts suggest mania more than humour at their core. Maybe it is indeed better you engage in this alone in your darkened room. Raising ‘sociopathy’ in such context is, at the very least, brave.

          “…you know they’re going to pretend that they’re right, and anybody who contradicts them is part of a vast conspiracy.”
          This ‘you’ being… you, knowing you are right (the ‘right’ kind, presumably?) but demanding the right (there’s a lot of it about) to swoop in and say what you will only without contradiction?
          Ooooook. That’s not the least bit BBC in uniqueness of thought.

          “Don’t stop, guys.”
          Much as you and your colleagues may really wish otherwise, and work so tirelessly to achieve (this Sunday’s efforts were stellar, in volume and content)… If you say so.

             7 likes

  10. Beness says:

    And with every story like this, they dilute the word Racist.

       14 likes

  11. chrisH says:

    I read on another post about some bloke that “is an expert on NHS racism”.
    I saw Clyde Best play at Old Trafford in the early 70s.
    I am now an “expert on racism” at the F.A…and seek somebody to headhunt me(no, not you Anjem!) and I`ll split my £400,000 salary with the lucky applicant.
    As Sir Jonathan Lydon said…”Big Business is very wise”…and it`d be one more dole wallah embracing his inner Osborne(urgh!)

       11 likes

  12. Alex Feltham says:

    Innocence is no defence against these guys. They hate you for what you are (white) and not for what you do.

    If you want to know the charges they echo that 60’s degenerate when asked what he was rebelling against: “What you got?”

    There’s a good post about exactly what we’re up against in the hating game called: “Squadron 303 And How Hating Wins Wars” at:

    http://john-moloney.blogspot.com/#!/2013/10/squadron-303-and-how-hating-wins-wars.html

       13 likes

  13. F*** the Beeb says:

    David Bond is basically a professional victim in the same way as Paul Mason. A few days ago he tried to make Roy Hodgson sound like a racist because he told a joke about a monkey. He’s an embarrassment to journalism.

       23 likes

    • Milverton says:

      Bond is a nasty piece of work, and Mark Cavendish had him pegged last year.

      Like his radio equivalent, George Reilly, of Five Live, he’s simply not very bright.

         18 likes

    • therealguyfaux says:

      Roy Hodgson’s monkey joke recalls something my mother told me, when I were but a mere lad back during the Stone Age, about people who call you names:

      “If, as you walk by someone, you hear them say something like ‘You’re ugly, you’re stupid,’ or the like, think to yourself, ‘What does that tell you about them?’ But if you hear them calling out things like that, and you turn around to ask them, ‘Are you talking about ME?’, what does that tell you about YOU?”

      Seems to me like there’s a lot of Cinderellas out there— at least they must think they are, if they’re telling you the shoe fits. I speak, of course, of the professional offence takers, not just in football, but across society as a whole. Thankfully, Mr Townsend hasn’t been one of them in this instance.

      And let’s not forget, it’s the monkey who’s the brains of the outfit in that joke. Something the “hoo-hoo-hoo” chanters in the stands would do well to remember— this joke now having entered the common knowledge of footballers and fans alike, every time you come out with that chant, you’re paying the lad a compliment, you imbeciles.

         7 likes

  14. Beness says:

    Going back a few years Aston Villa (my team) were managed by a certain Ron Atkinson. Over a period of a few seasons we had more black players in the starting 11 than white ones. These were Rons signings and we as fans did’t care as long as they were wearing the Villa shirt and giving their best.

    The BBC sacked him for racist comments. Go figure.

       21 likes

    • Albaman says:

      He resigned from his pundits role at ITV but no doubt you will get lots of “likes”.

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3648471.stm

         7 likes

      • Beness says:

        I stand corrected.

           12 likes

        • Chop says:

          See how easy that was Alby?…how Beness admitted he was wrong, and said so for the whole forum to read?

          Still, if you had to do the same, it would take hours & hours to read any thread you posted on.

             3 likes

      • Demon says:

        It’s irrelevant which channel, it’s the principle which you lefties all follow, trying to find offence where none exists. If he had been on the BBC he would have had to resign just as quickly.

           20 likes

      • mo says:

        Ron Atkinson is no where near as racist as you Albaman. You lack any interest in England and an English culture

           4 likes

  15. Beness says:

    It was not the BBC that got him banned it was just one of em.

    http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/vanessa-feltz/424905/Big-Ron-Atkinson-shows-his-racist-views-again

    What power.

       3 likes

    • Albaman says:

      The article you cite was written 9 years after Atkinson resigned from ITV. Care to explain how Feltz “got him banned”.

         4 likes

    • Demon says:

      That article says more about Vanessa Feltz than it does about Ron Atkinson. Many of the comments put her right.

         12 likes

  16. pah says:

    I think that was ITV but you are right about the ambiguity of Big Ron’s language and his capabilities as a manager of black players.

    AFAIK very few black players who know Atkinson seem to think he is racist.

    But he fell into the bear trap and more than once so to the gulag he must go comrade.

       10 likes

  17. Mark B says:

    Its about ability.

    Pele was a great player, he was also black. Bobby Moore was a great player, he was also white.

    The played football. They played against each other. And I think they came to know and respect each other for their abilities ans saw each other as equals and as men.

    I of course could be wrong.

    http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2010/world-cup-moments-pele-and-bobby-moore-swapping-shirts-in-1970.html

       7 likes

    • chrisH says:

      Bobby Moore is a dead white male, and Pele is doing rather well out of his FIFA “World Ambassador” role.
      Can`t be too long now until some poppet at Wimminsports at the BBC trashes Bobby and exalts Pele still further.
      A Mills-McCartney axis ripe for revision a la MayDay in Moscow…

         7 likes

    • flexdream says:

      I remember Pele being considered without question as the greatest player in the world. In those days I don’t think his ‘race’ was noticed, he was just Brazilian.

         3 likes

  18. Sir Arthur Strebe-Grebling says:

    It’s all right now, the FA has its token half-caste on the panel.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24603866

       6 likes

    • flexdream says:

      This is what happens. Ferdinand now is smeared with the possibility he is a token to appease the critics, instead of being an experienced England international who can contribute.

         4 likes

      • Sir Arthur Strebe-Grebling says:

        Exactly. You and I think he is there as a former England and Manchester United captain, in which latter role at least he knows quite a bit about succeeding in football matches, but the racists (led by the bBBC) applaud his inclusion because of the colour of his father’s skin.

           8 likes

    • Dinsdale Oblong says:

      That’ll be the same Rio Ferdinand who tweeted that calling Ashley Cole a “choc ice” was “classic”.
      Sounds like he’s a bit over-qualified to comment on racism in football.

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18847477

         4 likes

  19. Jeff says:

    So even the ultra pc Greg Dyke has found himself embroiled in a racism row. Brilliant! This is the same Greg that informed us that the BBC was “hideously white,” a few years ago. I won’t be losing any sleep over this. Our national side are clearly second division and it wouldn’t matter who they had on the panel. In my opinion the only thing the FA have got right recently are their initials.

       13 likes

    • chrisH says:

      Tumbling like cards now aren`t they?
      Great when they`re tied up in self righteous knots of their own devising.
      As I say-the big one will be when Islam meets gay policemen- the BBC wioll be needing a lot of tumbleweed and aromatherapy candles then,because Islam doesn`t like our laws…and if any known gay like Paddick tries to enforce it in Tower Hamlets, well there`ll be an “ishoo” there.
      Greg Dyke was bitching at Blair in the paper too…so sad to see those Coalitions of the Willing Goats of All the Talents go all sour on us.
      Who`d a thunk it?

         8 likes

  20. johnnythefish says:

    The solution for Dyke is obvious: appoint the dream team of Doreen Lawrence and Mehdi Hasan.

       5 likes

  21. stuart says:

    i find radio 5 live and its presenters hideously white,look at there schedule,it is leftie socalist white presenter after white presenter who hypocriticaly spend most of there time attacking other organisations for being hideously to white.what hypocrites heh,what is my solution to cleanse 5 live of all these whiteys who dominate 5 live.its simple.employ as presenters 1 black woman,1 asian muslim man,1 lesbian mixed race,.1 homosexual man,1 transgender man. and 1 bisexual couple to read the news.now thats what i call diversity.

       1 likes

    • mo says:

      Most black people are nowhere near as racist to white people as lefty whites are racis to white people. THe BBC would fall apart if the it had all black employees because they would more than likely concentrate on on carrying out the remit properly as opposed to the current management

         6 likes

  22. John Anderson says:

    I will say again. I have met Heather Rabbatts,

    She is a nasty piece of work.

    Just Google her name – hit “images”. She is as hardfaced as you could get,

    Or rather – don’t. This is not sexist – she is and always had had a nasty visage.

    She is now coasting along – no REAL job, but lots of sinecures.

       7 likes

  23. Alan Larocka says:

    Well done Greg Dyke – now get on with sorting out the MOBO awards.

       6 likes

  24. Joe says:

    I’m a Beeboid troll, addressing the point. There are other linked articles explaining FA efforts to recruit black members, this is more a blog/comment than a straight reporting of events.

    The statement by Bond isn’t curious at all, in fact what he predicts is exactly what happened. Stating that Dyke will now go and recruit such a member, doesn’t exclude that he had previously done so. This is simply misunderstanding of the English language.

    Perhaps you can explain what Rabbatt’s prejudice and ignorance is here.

    I don’t see how covering the story is giving credence to the ‘race card’, if you read the article you’ll see there’s a bit of history to the creation of the panel, and why its significant to the FA and Dyke. But the if that accusation is true off the BBC it must also be true of the Mail , which you helpfully link to!

    But then, this is basic stuff, I’m sure you’re well aware of.

       2 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Welcome and fair enough.
      One can only respect the honest flag and coherent, polite attempt at counter-view.
      Which in this case serves only to highlight the usual calibre one gets, as epitomised by the next in my email feed that was a joy to behold, from the nickname chosen to the inability to grasp that on a site discussing BBC bias, that the BBC keeps presenting Mehdi Hasan as the voice of reason speaking for the nation… all the time… is pretty relevant.
      So I’d in turn I’d ask you to explain that as you’re here. Pretty basic for a site discussing bias. Unless you think there is no bias or inaccuracy or unprofessionalism or lack of integrity on the BBC at all, in which case what you don’t see appears quite extensive too.
      Or you are aware it would not be your job to do so. Perhaps, in fact, it would be in another sense of the term if you dared?

         0 likes

    • chrisH says:

      Joe, I`m sure you`re right in general terms.
      I myself am a broad brush kind of bloke, so would ask you how and why we`re expected to take any footie advice from Greg Dyke…like Adam Crozier, there`s a bunch of beautiful gilded blokes hopping from BBC/FA/Post Office…labour-luvvies all!
      Still-the Great God Sport…as well as Media…are not to be questioned or mocked.
      All you have to do is watch Beeb coverage of any sports these days-their agenda is all too apparent, and double-mindedness abounds .
      Feel free to expand on the wimmins sport pushing, the fawning over disability sports and the free pass given to race hustlers and Sepp Blatter/Platini.
      The floors yours…welcome sir!

         0 likes