This is a guest post by Andrew McCann from A Tangled Web..
“There was an interesting discussion on
Radio Five Live this morning. It followed an interview with the leader of the English Defence League (EDL), Tommy Johnson. That interview came against the background of a statement from a member of the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit – John Larkin – effectively blaming the EDL for the rise in Islamic extremism here. Personally, I wasn’t aware that the EDL was responsible for 9/11, 7/7 or the protests against our brave soldiers on Homecoming Parades. I would also like to ask Mr Larkin where the EDL equivalent exists in Australia? The fact that it doesn’t, and yet you still have incidents like
this, proves Larkin’s comments are little more than dhimmified nonsense!! As was to be expected, the tone of the broadcast was the
‘poor wee Muslims’, punctuated briefly by the inclusion of the UK’s most inarticulate speakers who were supportive of the EDL. You see folks, not only does the Left-wing media censor much of the criticism about Islam, it also carefully chooses who its allows to speak out against the
‘Religion of Peace’. By permitting the inarticulate but accurate opinions of people like
‘Tommy in Plymouth’ , the BBC can claim to be honouring free speech, whilst simultaneously propagandising the narrative that only unsophisticated members of the public hold anti-Islamic sentiment. When faced with those of us who can hold our own on the air, yet fall outside that particular narrative, they don’t want to know.
I decided to give the show a call. For those who are unfamiliar with the procedure for ringing a talk show, your call is first answered by an intermediary who decides whether your comments are relayed to the programme editor for inclusion. At Five Live there are a number of intermediate ‘researchers’ who carefully vet each and every caller. Most of them are very pleasant on the phone. However, one particular guy, who shall hereafter be referred to as ‘Pompous Git’ because of his uncanny vocal resemblance to Brian Sewell sucking a mint imperial, has this uncanny knack of NEVER forwarding my opinions to the Editor. I knew as soon as he answered the phone this morning that I wouldn’t get on the air. Still, it was worth a try. So below is a transcript of the conversation I had with him, coupled with a written version of what I would have said on the radio. The fact that I had decided to make this the theme of my ATW contribution for today shows my determination not to be silenced by the likes of the metropolitan Leftist elite at the BBC, the controllers at Squarespace, or anyone else when it comes to my opinion on the disastrous impact Islam is having on my country.
‘Good morning. This is Five Live. Can I take your name and where you are calling from, please?’
Yes, it’s Andrew calling from Halifax.’
‘What you you like to say, Andrew?’
‘I’d like to say that I cannot fathom how so many of your callers think that Islam is not the principal problem in this equation. After all, almost every single news story concerning integration into society, protests, religious-inspired violence, women’s rights, public dress code and a parallel law system involves Islam. If it is a ‘religion of peace’, how come so many incidents here and around the world create a contrary impression?’
‘So it’s purely Islam that’s to blame then? You don’t think anybody else is at fault?’
‘Not really, no….. (there then comes a derisory cackle at the other end of the line)….You don’t have Christians fighting Hindus, or Jews fighting Buddhists, or Sikhs fighting Jainists. When you look at the world’s current conflicts and realise that just about every one of them involves Islam in some way, you’ve got to ask yourself who’s really at fault. And I don’t think it is your job to laugh at my opinion just because it is probably different to yours.’
‘My job is to ask you questions’.
Indeed, but not to laugh at my answers.’
‘Well, Andrew, I’ll put your comments through and if we want to put you on air, we’ll call you back.’
‘I shan’t hold my breath’.
‘That’s the Editor’s call, not mine.’
‘Mmm.’
Had I been allowed to make my call on air, written below is what I would have said. For I repeat, no pompous git at the BBC or anywhere else is going to stop me from opining about Islam:
‘Good morning, Nicky. I’d like to start by saying how refreshing it was to hear Mr Johnson’s candour in this age of political correctness and censorship of anti-Islamic opinion. I think that he is entirely right to blame both the Koran and the slavish devotion many Muslims have to every tenet of their creed for the rise in social unrest and Islamic extremism here. I’m not sure what planet Mr Larkin is living on, but it’s not the same one I, and the vast majority of people in this country, inhabit. Where was the EDL when the twin towers came down? Where was the EDL on the Tube at Aldgate station? Where was the EDL when treacherous fanatics were abusing our boys on parade in Luton last year? The EDL is a direct response to the failure of the Establishment to deal with one Muslim demand after another; a response to the failure of the Establishment to tackle one manifestation of Islamic extremism after another. Whether people at the BBC or in government like it or not, the EDL will continue to grow until such time as those demands and manifestations are halted.’
If I’m barred from expressing my view on the BBC, there’s always the power of the Internet to make amends. That’s something no pompous git or dhimmified radio editor can take away!
