Diane Abbott – I'm surprised it has taken a year

I predict closure and someone getting a ban after 4 or 5 pages.

Anybody else join me in a little prayer?

Racism like most -isms will have been eradicated when the need for a qualifying adjective (white,black,male, female, young, old) has gone.

Sorry missed attributing this quote, but it is a fact.

The problem is that the term itself is a PC word, like Homophobia as another wrong title for basic Human tribalism used by those who seek power for Political rabble rousing.

Nobody gets born racist, it’s something our sad society teaches along the way and the more politicos dwell on it the more damage, disenfranchisement, victimisation, gets attributed often to the wrong cause.

Technically yes taken in or out of context it’s a racist view, but then we live with stuff like the ‘Black Police Officers Association’ no doubt there’s a Muslim equivalent and until the need for such organisations is no longer necessary this sort of bollox will continue to demand bandwidth.

I have to say that until I became a more frequent visitor to this place I’d never have thought that a Mountain Bike forum would be such a haven for the Politically Correct, it is all a bit pathetic isn’t it?

I dislike abbott and think she is a hypocrite – she is also dim and politically naive.

However I do not think this is racist at all. Just stupid, naive and illconsidered.

It really is so transparent and obvious watching all the rightwingers frothing at the mouth over her supposed racism. Laughable. add to that the usual tactic of inventing things that they claim I have said. quite honestly ridiculous.

black people like Hip hop oh mercy me what a racist i am ..its about that level of racism.
Its just point scoring and people who normally defend clumsy and blunt use of language with PC GONE mad are acting all faux outraged to score some points.
Lefties are not outraged as ther eis not much to be outraged by …it is hardly clarksonesque in inflamatory use of language is it …then you would all chortle at how witty he was for getting a reaction

Double satndards all round

Nobody gets born racist, it’s something our sad society teaches along the way and the more politicos dwell on it the more damage, disenfranchisement, victimisation, gets attributed often to the wrong cause.

so outr society teached people to be racist but we must not dwell on this or point it out as this will cause damage….areyou saying if we just ignore racists or racist language they/it will just disappear

You dont think there is less racism now than before- no more no blacks, no dogs no irish signs is there for one thing

It really is so transparent and obvious watching all the rightleftwingers frothing at the mouth over her supposed lack of racism.

I dislike abbott and think she is a hypocrite – she is also dim and politically naive.

However I do not think this is racist at all. Just stupid, naive and illconsidered.

+1

Two sepperate points:
I agree with TJ;

its such an obvious piece of party political point scoring

I didn’t even know Nadhim Zahawi was the Conservative spokesman for tweets before today.

I also agree with the (roughly) 99% majority on this thread;
its such an obvious piece of racist tweeting.

She (Diane Abbot) needs to own up, apologise, and take her punishment.
(see you all in 12 pages, I’m off for a ride)

She is as thick as two short planks.

It really is so transparent and obvious watching all the rightwingers frothing at the mouth over her supposed racism. Laughable. add to that the usual tactic of inventing things that they claim I have said. quite honestly ridiculous.

Thing is, the “right wingers” are usually watching the left doing the exact same thing toward them, so they’re ready to jump on the game when they see a chance to do it. Double standards.

aracer – Member

“Where did I accuse the tories of racism?”

Would you agree that “the political right” in this country are on the whole tories – or by using that term were you referring to people further to the right than that?

In which case there’s an awful lot of innuendo up there in your postings.

Yes the political right are tories as are others- however I ask again – where did I accuse anyone of being racist?

So you can’t even mention ‘enemies of the rockers’ on here now? 😯

was anyone offended by her comment though?

seriously anyone here actually bothered what she said……?

Persinally, not particularly.

I kind of get what she was saying, albeit in a very clumsy way, and Twitter really isn’t the place to be spouting opinions that need more than 140 characters (or whatever you get) to properly explain yourself.

Everyone’s always banging on about how marvellously culturally and racially diverse the UK is, and how important an integrated society is … and then the media keep on regurgitating phrases like “Black community”, “Asian community” etc – they may be a nice soundbite for a news report but I believe these kind of phrases subtly affect attitudes and perpetuate the ‘them’ and ‘us’ mentality.

If I may digress a little…

bravohotel8er – Member
Mr Woppit – Member
Where’s Effin, that’s what I want to know.

He’s been blacklisted.

Seriously? For what?

He’s been blacklisted.

RACIST! 😉

I suppose she is claiming white peole have a history of racism, colonialism and divide and rule which is true

No argument from me there JY. The point is, if equally “true” comments were made about the history of a minority, there would bloody murder. Standards of equality should apply to ALL.

you could infer she is saying all white people do but she did not and I really doubt she meant that as she is not an idiot.

The comment she made was inspired either prejudice or idiocy. There is no other excuse. In reality, I’d say probably both looking at her track record.
Make no mistake, if it were a tory/libdem/green making racist comments, my opinion would be the same.

Mr Woppit – Member

If I may digress a little…

bravohotel8er – Member
Mr Woppit – Member
Where’s Effin, that’s what I want to know.

He’s been blacklisted.

Seriously? For what?

There’s been some sort of whitewash

Yes the political right are tories as are others- however I ask again – where did I accuse anyone of being racist?

Because the political right are usually attempting to defend one of their own from accusations of racism

the political right on here are usually attempting to deny racism / defend their own from accusations

Or am I to assume you accidentally missed off the bit where you explained that these were clearly false allegations?

Everyone’s always banging on about how marvellously culturally and racially diverse the UK is, and how important an integrated society is … and then the media keep on regurgitating phrases like “Black community”, “Asian community” etc – they may be a nice soundbite for a news report but I believe these kind of phrases subtly affect attitudes and perpetuate the ‘them’ and ‘us’ mentality.

Indeed – when complaining about such things you really should try and avoid using an equivalent phrase though, whatever the context.

There’s been some sort of whitewash

Still RACIST!!! 😉

Its just point scoring and people who normally defend clumsy and blunt use of language with PC GONE mad are acting all faux outraged to score some points

Can only speak for myself (or else I’d be accused of being STWist) but I have a feeling that this purely political points on the part of Mr Zahawi and on here is more amusement at someone being considered to be hoist by their own petard, rather than any genuine offence felt or politically motivated attack

plus some bighitters aligning largely along normal divides for a lengthy bunfight

when this thread has done it’s 15-20 pages maybe start one on Darcus Howe?

loum – Member

I’m going slightly off topic, and without meaning to detract from the Diane Abbott discrace, but why do you guess this? You know him well?

And btw, have a look at this video of Nadhim Zahawi in action.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/simonheffer/8272594/Nadhim-Zahawi-Up-to-his-brass-neck-in-sartorial-disgrace.html

No I don’t know him, hence the guess. I also never said he was a saint himself but, being from an ethnic minority himself, he is likely to have suffered some form of racism during his life unlike most indigenous white folk.

it might be considered a slip of the tongue if diane abbott didn’t have form – anybody (and tj of all people should remember this) recall ms abbott’s charming comments on finnish nurses?

not that she should ever be accused of double standards. after all it was she herself who stood up after accusing blair and harman over sending their kids to public school and doing exactly the same herself to describe her position as ‘intellectually incoherent’.

of course her decision was predicated on her being a single mum so that’s okay. and she can’t be a racist because, obviously, some of her best friends are white. that lovely michael portillo for example.

laughable, but all too predictable that the likes of tj should not only act as an apologist for such behaviour but also resort to name calling and such lazy daily mail style tropes as ‘a slip of the tongue’.

Aracer – what on earth? can you please show where I accused tories of being racist? Or is it something you have simply made up? Or assumed I was saying?

aracer – Member
I predict closure and someone getting a ban after 4 or 5 pages.
Anybody else join me in a little prayer?

Sadly, there are too many atheists here for that to work, but worth a try

swiss01

TandemJeremy – Member

I dislike abbott and think she is a hypocrite – she is also dim and politically naive.

However I do not think this is racist at all. Just stupid, naive and illconsidered.

that do for you?

I am no apologist for Abbott

the Conservative spokesman for tweets

😯 seriously ??
mort de lollage

Diane Abbott racist?

Ooh yes she is!

Remeber the debacle of her comments regarding Finnish nurses? That somehow, ‘blue eyed blonde-haired’ nurses were incapable of looking after patients in Hackney?

Tell me how that is not racist?

I did enjoy how Marc Wadsworth, who was chair of the Anti-Racist Alliance, as well as being a highly respected expert on race issues, pointed out to Ms Abbott that he himself was half-Finnish (stoppit), and that the current Ms Finland was a black woman of Nigerian descent. Abbott made massive generalisations about Finnish people that were ignorant, racist and culturally insensitive.

Abbott has achieved power because she appeals to Hackney’s Black community, and also to many White middle class types who feel it’s important for ethnic minorities to have political representation. She makes the right noises, popping up whenever a good publicity opportunity arises.

Truth is, she’s a massive, massive hypocrite (praising Hackney’s schools yet sending her own child to a private school), and not a fit and proper person to represent anyone in a democratic egalitarian society, in Parliament.

TJ, you are properly wrong on this one. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about, I live in east London, I see what’s happening. You don’t.

‘White people love to play divide and conquer’? Racist ****. Does she actually know any White people?

Maybe she’s spent too long hanging around Tories, trying to further her media career…

Now then, this is rumbling along nicely and everyone will soon forget the OP. The way I see her comment is that the encouragement of communities based purely on race with “leaders” leads to social division. When really we should be working towards integration and viewing communities as a whole no matter what race you are. Her idea of it being a white persons ideal is based on the past, when in fact my experience is that the continued division of communities based on race is something that is pursued by people in Equality Commisions and so on. Keeps ’em in a job.

I agree with elfin, internet explodes.

can you please show where I accused tories of being racist?

Can you read TJ? I mean you even wrote the lines I’m quoting. If you were suggesting that the accusations of racism “the right” were “usually” “attempting to defend” were false accusations (which is the only other possible explanation for what you wrote), then why not come out and say so?

Elf – I diasgee with you – same as on the finnish nurse comment. She had a valid point but made it so poorly she allowed her political opponents to shout racist at her. Dimwitted for sure.

I dislike abbott and think she is a hypocrite – she is also dim and politically naive.

However I do not think this is racist at all. Just stupid, naive and illconsidered.

not really, tj. she’s made multiple statements over her career that could be construed as racism (and that, rather than her general dunderheadedness is what this thread is about), this last being less inflammatory than someofo the previous but of the same cast.

then again perhaps it’s me who’s wrong. by making fine distinctions (i’ll avoid the term apologist for now)of a type that would almost certainly not be made for a public figure of a different background perhaps you are indeed manifesting that very ‘divide and rule’ instinct that abott suggests that, racially, is an imperative for you.

Does she actually know any White people?

I understand that some of her best friends are white people.

bravohotel8er – Member
I agree with elfin, internet explodes.

I agree with him as well.

World ends.

D.Abbott “Apologises for any offence caused”

Which isnt an apology really, implication is we heard her wrong and came to the wrong conclusion.

Aracer – yes I can read and I have asked you to explain where I said tories were racist. I did not say this and you have not explained or shown were I did.

oh, i see i’ve been far too polite. elf, i defer to your complete rightness.

swiss01 – Member

not really, tj. she’s made multiple statements over her career that could be construed as racism

Quite agree with you – ‘cos she is stupid and naive she is unable to make her point without giving people the ammunition to accuse her of racism.