Political correctness can kill us all
rfd...@hotmail.com
Correctness from Anthony Browne.
The excellent Scott Burgess has a piece on it, and on the debate Browne
got into in BBC Radio 4' s Today Programme (also a bastion of PC) with
the menstrual high priestess (they don't have Mullahesses) of PC,
Jasmin Alibhai-Brown of that bastion of doublethink, the Independent.
http://dailyablution.blogs.com/the_daily_ablution/2006/01/pc_citadel_ably.html
The full 108 page report can be found here. If you have the time, it is
worth reading because it will lift a fog from your critical faculties
that you probably never knew was there and Liberal and Left thinking
will never sound the same again.
http://www.civitas.org.uk/press/prcs47.php
A synopsis:
http://www.civitas.org.uk/press/prcs47.php
For centuries Britain has been a beacon of liberty of thought, belief
and speech, but now the freedom of its intellectual and political life
is being subjected to a subtle form of 'censorship', according to a new
study of political correctness published by the independent think-tank
Civitas.
Anthony Browne argues in The Retreat of Reason that political
correctness, which classifies certain groups of people as victims in
need of protection from criticism and allows no dissent to be
expressed, is poisoning the wells of debate in modern Britain.
'Members of the public, academics, journalists and politicians are
afraid of thinking certain thoughts' (p.xii). Political correctness
started in academia, but it now dominates schools, hospitals, local
authorities, the civil service, the media, companies, the police and
the army. Since 1997 Britain has been ruled by political correctness
for the first time. 'The Labour government was the first UK government
not to stand up to political correctness, but to try and enact its
dictates when they are not too electorally unpopular or seriously
mugged by reality, and even sometimes when they are' (p.34).
Anthony Browne describes political correctness as a 'heresy of
liberalism' (p.2) under which 'a reliance on reason has been replaced
with a reliance on the emotional appeal of an argument' (p.6). Adopting
certain positions makes the politically correct feel virtuous, even
more so when they are preventing the expression of an opinion that
conflicts with their own: 'political correctness is the dictatorship of
virtue'.
Whether an argument is true or not is a secondary consideration to
whether it fits with the PC view of the world:
'In the topsy-turvy politically correct world, truth comes in two
forms: the politically correct, and the factually correct. The
politically correct truth is publicly proclaimed correct by
politicians, celebrities and the BBC even if it is wrong, while the
factually correct truth is publicly condemned as wrong even when it is
right. Factually correct truths suffer the disadvantage that they don't
have to be shown to be wrong, merely stated that they are politically
incorrect. To the politically correct, truth is no defence; to the
politically incorrect, truth is the ultimate defence. (p.7)'
He argues that PC is much more than just a dispute about words, or the
hope of avoiding hurtful expressions: it leads to an incorrect analysis
of real problems, which means that the wrong solutions are attempted.
People suffer as a result:
'Black communities are encouraged to blame racist teachers for the
failings of their boys at school, rather than re-examine their own
culture and attitudes to education that may be the prime reasons. The
poor sick have ended up having worse healthcare in Britain than they
would in mainland Europe because PC for long closed down debate on
fundamental NHS reform. Women's employment opportunities can be harmed
by giving them ever more rights that are not given to men. The
unemployed are encouraged to languish on benefits blaming others for
their fate. Poor Africans are condemned to live in poverty so long as
they and their governments are encouraged to blame the West for all
their problems, rather than confronting the real causes of poor
governance, corruption and poor education'. (p.xiv) The end of
political correctness?
Political correctness is the invention of Western intellectuals who
feel guilty about the universal triumph of Western values and economic
prosperity. However, threats to the influence of the West may bring
political correctness to an end:
'Political correctness is essentially the product of a powerful but
decadent civilisation which feels secure enough to forego reasoning for
emoting, and to subjugate truth to goodness. However, the terrorist
attacks of September 11th 2001, and those that followed in Bali, Madrid
and Beslan, have led to a sense of vulnerability that have made people
far more hard-headed about the real benefits and drawbacks of Western
civilisation'. (p.84)
Even the long-unrivalled economic dominance of the West will come under
challenge from the newly flourishing economies of India and China.
Westerners will stop feeling guilty about their position when it has to
be defended against rival cultures and ideologies. Anthony Browne lists
several steps that could be taken to limit the malign influence of
political correctness before it does further damage:
* Free speech should be protected with an equivalent of the first
amendment to the US constitution
* A binding referendum should be called on any proposal if
supported by a certain percentage of the population. Such 'citizens'
initiatives' return power to the people, encouraging ordinary citizens
to re-engage with the political process
* Un-PC groups should be formed and promoted to oppose PC
flag-wavers like left-wing charities. A taxpayers' alliance could argue
for lower taxes; a homeowners association could campaign on issues
affecting homeowners, like council tax and crime
* There should be more objective teaching of the history of the
West. Foundations should be set up to preserve and promote the Western
heritage and values (pp. 86-7).
'In the long run of history, political correctness will be seen as an
aberration in Western thought. The product of the uniquely unchallenged
position of the West and unrivalled affluence, the comparative decline
of the West compared to the East is likely to spell its demise.
Finally, Western minds may be free again to reason rather than just
emote, to pursue objective truth rather than subjective virtue'. (p.87)
Peter Watson
rfd...@hotmail.com writes
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--
Peter Watson
&*()
news:1136554705.1...@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> For centuries Britain has been a beacon of liberty of thought, belief
> and speech
Be that the case, then why have about ten million of its citizens emigrated
in the last 200 years, most of them to America? Britain's progress in human
rights seems to have peaked with the Magna Carta in 1215.
Peter Watson
writes
><rfd...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:1136554705.1...@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> For centuries Britain has been a beacon of liberty of thought, belief
>> and speech
>
>Be that the case, then why have about ten million of its citizens emigrated
>in the last 200 years,
12 MILLION SINCE 1945
1.2 MILLION SINCE 1997
> most of them to America? Britain's progress in human
>rights seems to have peaked with the Magna Carta in 1215.
>
IT PEAKED IN 1956.
>
--
Peter Watson
Gaz
And turned barbaric states into civilised ones.
Gaz
Frank Arthur
"Gaz" <gaz...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:427qsmF...@individual.net...
you have now is a bloody mess in England..
John of Aix
> In message <e7g293-...@news.infowest.com>, "&*()"
> <oni...@ck.com> writes
>> <rfd...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:1136554705.1...@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>>>
>>> For centuries Britain has been a beacon of liberty of thought,
>>> belief and speech
>>
>> Be that the case, then why have about ten million of its citizens
>> emigrated in the last 200 years,
>
>
> 12 MILLION SINCE 1945
>
> 1.2 MILLION SINCE 1997
From where do you get these figures? I am an emigrant but I've never let
the British government know about it. When one leaves or enters the
country (if one is British) it is not noted down, so exactly how do they
count them?
Peter Watson
<j.mu...@libertysurf.fr> writes
I have a graph from the Times
I will email it to you
Peter
--
Peter Watson
The Harbinger
Peter Watson wrote:
> In message <43bec0ac$0$20186$8fcf...@news.wanadoo.fr>, John of Aix
> <j.mu...@libertysurf.fr> writes
> >Peter Watson wrote:
> >> In message <e7g293-...@news.infowest.com>, "&*()"
> >> <oni...@ck.com> writes
> >>> <rfd...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> >>> news:1136554705.1...@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> >>>>
> >>>> For centuries Britain has been a beacon of liberty of thought,
> >>>> belief and speech
> >>>
> >>> Be that the case, then why have about ten million of its citizens
> >>> emigrated in the last 200 years,
> >>
> >>
> >> 12 MILLION SINCE 1945
> >>
> >> 1.2 MILLION SINCE 1997
> >
> >From where do you get these figures? I am an emigrant but I've never let
> >the British government know about it. When one leaves or enters the
> >country (if one is British) it is not noted down, so exactly how do they
> >count them?
> >
> >
> Only recently has the emigration been hushed up
> I have a graph from the Times
> I will email it to you
>
> Peter
> --
> Peter Watson
Can you post it? or a link?
John of Aix
> In message <43bec0ac$0$20186$8fcf...@news.wanadoo.fr>, John of Aix
> <j.mu...@libertysurf.fr> writes
>> Peter Watson wrote:
>>> In message <e7g293-...@news.infowest.com>, "&*()"
>>> <oni...@ck.com> writes
>>>> <rfd...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:1136554705.1...@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>>>>>
>>>>> For centuries Britain has been a beacon of liberty of thought,
>>>>> belief and speech
>>>>
>>>> Be that the case, then why have about ten million of its citizens
>>>> emigrated in the last 200 years,
>>>
>>>
>>> 12 MILLION SINCE 1945
>>>
>>> 1.2 MILLION SINCE 1997
>>
>> From where do you get these figures? I am an emigrant but I've never
>> let the British government know about it. When one leaves or enters
>> the country (if one is British) it is not noted down, so exactly how
>> do they count them?
>>
>>
> Only recently has the emigration been hushed up
> I have a graph from the Times
> I will email it to you
It'll bounce. I emigrated over thirty years ago so what is recent?
Peter Watson
Harbinger <DontShootMeImJ...@yahoo.com> writes
It is a jpeg I took from a then current newspaper article so I do not
have a link and I think if I post the attachment to the group ukpm I am
in trouble.
Peter
--
Peter Watson
John of Aix
> In message <1136578825....@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, The
> Harbinger <DontShootMeImJ...@yahoo.com> writes
>> Can you post it? or a link?
> I sent it to j.murphy and it bounced.
Yes I knew (and said) it would but unfortunately you didn't get the
reply in time.
> It is a jpeg I took from a then current newspaper article so I do not
> have a link and I think if I post the attachment to the group ukpm I
> am in trouble.
Yes, binaries can only be posted on binary groups but there are sites
where stuff like this can be sent for all to see, though I don't know
the addresses of any offhand other than this one in French:
www.cjoint.com . It isn't difficult to understand though, stick the jpeg
in the first box on the page then on the button below "créer un lien
cjoint" and then post the link it makes you here.
Peter Watson
<j.mu...@libertysurf.fr> writes
I will not disclose your real email address.
--
Peter Watson
Richard Dell
Correctness from Anthony Browne.
The excellent Scott Burgess has a piece on it, and on the debate Browne
got into in BBC Radio 4' s Today Programme (also a bastion of PC) with
the menstrual high priestess (they don't have Mullahesses) of PC,
Jasmin Alibhai-Brown of that bastion of doublethink, the Independent.
http://dailyablution.blogs.com/the_daily_ablution/2006/01/pc_citadel_ably.html
The full 108 page report can be found here. If you have the time, it is
worth reading because it will lift a fog from your critical faculties
that you probably never knew was there and Liberal and Left thinking
will never sound the same again.
http://www.civitas.org.uk/press/prcs47.php
A synopsis:
http://www.civitas.org.uk/press/prcs47.php
For centuries Britain has been a beacon of liberty of thought, belief
Richard Dell
news:CGLREuTK...@pwwatson.demon.co.uk...
| The Perestroika Deception
| Author: Anatoliy Golitsyn, Famous genuine Soviet defector
Not credible. The USSR collapse started in Hungary.
| Red Cocaine
| Author: Dr Joseph D. Douglass
Reds under the beds paranoia. Cocaine does not grow in Russia.
| The European Union Collective
| Author: Christopher Story FRSA
Brainless. The EU leaders are just not that smart.
| The New Underworld Order
| Author: Christopher Story FRSA
Fantasy. There is nowhere near that much money available.
If you want entertaining political fiction, try this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553380958/104-1495639-5156733?v=glance&n=283155
Paul Hyett
>>>
>>> For centuries Britain has been a beacon of liberty of thought, belief
>>> and speech
>>
>>Be that the case, then why have about ten million of its citizens emigrated
>>in the last 200 years,
>
>12 MILLION SINCE 1945
>
>1.2 MILLION SINCE 1997
>
left (or where they went to).
ISTM that the majority will have left for practical, rather than
political reasons.
--
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham
The Traveler
wrote:
<snip>
Political correctness is built on the naivete of a country that has a
huge belief in itself and its power to do good, also reinforced by the
horror of the actions of those that are willing to kill. In other
words, check history and see if it ever worked before.
claire....@ntlworld.com
>> I have a graph from the Times
>> I will email it to you
>It'll bounce. I emigrated over thirty years ago so what is recent?
Hush!!! :-)
Peter Watson
<tr...@never.invalid> writes
meanwhile, here's one of their thought-police chiefs.....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mail on Sunday
8 January 2006
by Simon Waters
Man on a mission to stamp out racism
-------------------------------------
THE controversial sheik's planned appearance in Whitehall was linked to
a campaign led by the Government's £100,000-a-year 'Diversity Champion'
Waqar Azmi, a former Labour parliamentary candidate appointed by Tony
Blair just over a year ago. Like the sheik, he is an Indian-born Muslim
and first came to prominence in the West Midlands, where he founded the
Worcestershire Racial Equality Council. In 2001 he stood as a Labour
candidate in West Worcestershire, coming third. Mr Azmi, 35, served on
the official inquiry into the Oldham race riots but, having failed to
get into Parliament, found a much faster route to power via Whitehall.
He also received an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2002. His
first act in Whitehall after becoming Chief Diversity Adviser was to
launch a £250,000 'Diversity Review', backed by Sir Gus O'Donnell.
Published in November, it set targets for the appointment of ethnic
minorities, women and other groups, and calls for more lesbians and gays
to become mandarins. Sir Gus pays tribute to Mr Azmi's review Delivering
A Diverse Civil Service on the Cabinet Office website. The first of ten
'areas for change' in the review highlights the importance of the Eid
festival and Haj, the Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in
Saudi Arabia. The document states: 'Performing Haj is part of a Muslim's
vital duty and he/she must do it once in their lifetime.' It sets out
how the Government can help British Muslims achieve this, including a
posting as a Foreign Office diplomat to Saudi Arabia. There is no
mention of any other religion in the 10,000-word document. Other
elements of Mr Azmi's Whitehall 'diversity' plan would not find favour
with mainstream Muslims. One part stresses the importance of taking
account of the needs of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender civil
servants. Mr Azmi's survey also asked civil servants if they 'considered
themselves a transsexual', but complains that too few answered. The
Cabinet Office website states that the number of male transvestites
could be 'as high as one in ten'. It adds: 'It is not uncommon for a
proportion of transvestite men to question whether they might have an
element of transsexuality in their personality too.' The report claims
that as many as one in 200 children 'are born with a visible or
concealed ambiguity in their genitals, gonads and/or chromosomes, which
qualify them as Intersex [sic]'. Mr Azmi is also chairman of Whitehall's
Behaviour and Culture Committee, which aims to root out bullying,
harassment and prejudice among civil servants.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
----- Original Message -----
From: Stan Parr
To: "Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@me.freeserve.com
Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 10:56 PM
Subject: No Lottery money for St.Paul's! - Sunday Times 8th Jan/06
"(St.Paul's)...it needs to open up to “new audiences”, including
people from other faiths, ethnic minorities, the disabled and
schoolchildren."
"Its awards (the Lottery Fund) have, however, included funding to help a
disused church in Bristol become a school for circus skills."
"...nervous of supporting a cathedral that is Church of England,..."
"Controversial grants include £420,000 to help Peruvian farmers breed
edible guinea pigs and £20,000 on teaching prisoners to play the
xylophone."
"It has funded projects on Nubian heritage and African dishes and a
study on dreadlocks."
(Lottery speaker) - "In some cases we will say ethnic minorities are not
being encouraged in...." Are! The nitty-gritty?
Just what is the matter with these Lottery people?
This is appalling!
St Paul’s 'too exclusive' to win lottery funding
Maurice Chittenden
ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, a central symbol of the Church of England and
voted England’s most popular building, has been turned down for
lottery money because it is considered too exclusive.
Despite welcoming more than 1.5m visitors a year, its officials have
been told by lottery managers that it needs to open up to “new
audiences”, including people from other faiths, ethnic minorities, the
disabled and schoolchildren.
The cathedral, whose survival in the blitz symbolised Britain’s spirit
of defiance, needs another £6m to complete a £40m restoration in time
for the 300th anniversary of the laying of the final stone of Sir
Christopher Wren’s building in October 2008. It has raised the rest of
the money itself, much of it in donations from some of the nation’s
richest people.
But the Heritage Lottery Fund, which has given £300m to more than 2,000
places of worship across Britain, has so far refused to help. Its awards
have, however, included funding to help a disused church in Bristol
become a school for circus skills.
Tomorrow, little more than a mile across London from St Paul’s, work
starts on a £34m project to provide a glass entrance pavilion and new
underground facilities, including a day centre for the Chinese
community, at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Trafalgar Square.
St Martin’s, which receives 700,000 visitors a year, has been given
£14.69m by the lottery fund, even though it has raised only £10m
itself.
Sir Roger Gibbs, who stood down last weekend after six years as chairman
of the St Paul’s Cathedral Foundation, its fundraising arm, said:
“To us it is obviously odd that a very large sum was given to St
Martin’s and not to St Paul’s.
“We have been asking for help for five years. I am surprised and
disappointed that the lottery fund has not helped us but hope in the
long term that it will.”
“The number of different faiths represented in the visitors to St
Paul’s is extraordinary. We have about 1.5m visitors a year and we
don’t know how many are Japanese and how many are Muslims but you have
only got to go in there on a normal day to see how many nationalities
are there.
“People seem to be nervous of supporting a cathedral that is Church of
England, despite the fact that St Paul’s has said repeatedly that
those of every religious faith and those of none are equally welcome to
the cathedral.”
Fundraisers at St Paul’s believe it has suffered because of its
historic links with the City and support from the rich. Robin Fleming, a
member of the banking family, gave £11m towards cleaning the inside and
providing new lighting and sound systems. The late Sir Paul Getty, the
American billionaire who became a British citizen, paid £5m to restore
the main entrance above the steps at the Great West Door. Disabled
access is still via a side entrance and a lift.
“I think the government feels the City can look after St Paul’s but
the world has changed and it is not like that any longer,” said Gibbs.
“The old banking families have all been very supportive. But some of
the bigger banks have decided they really can’t do anything because
they feel they should use their money in the way their shareholders wish
and it is not up to them to support St Paul’s.”
A spokeswoman for St Martin’s said: “The lottery fund has been very
supportive. What we do is unique. I don’t think the grant has anything
to do with political correctness.
“It is just the history of the church. It is where Amnesty was founded
and where Shelter started. It has always had that outreach. It is a
church for all faiths. We held the first multifaith service after 9/11
and we held a similar service after last July’s bombings in London.”
A lottery fund insider said: “We see the enhancement of public access
to St Paul’s as vital. Public access can mean disabled access and can
mean ethnic minorities. They do need to look at wheelchair access but it
is more to do with opening up to new audiences and being more accessible
generally. With lottery money we need to try and reach as many people as
possible.
“It’s the people’s money, it is all about including as many people
as possible.
“The entire proposal for St Martin’s was good. It wasn’t
necessarily about being multi-faith but I don’t suppose it hurts
because it’s an inclusive thing.”
St Martin’s held the first multi-faith service after 9/11. St Paul’s
has held multi-faith services recently for the victims of the July
bombings in London and the Asian tsunami.
Carole Souter, director of the lottery fund, said: “Nobody can have
any doubt about the heritage of St Paul’s, but an application to us
has to hit the button towards the criteria that we require all
applicants to fill. We ask applicants to look at the people who are not
coming in. In some cases we will say ethnic minorities are not being
encouraged in and what can we do about it?”
The Heritage Lottery Fund is one of five funds that distribute 28p of
every £1 spent on the lottery. Controversial grants include £420,000
to help Peruvian farmers breed edible guinea pigs and £20,000 on
teaching prisoners to play the xylophone.
A total of £3.3 billion has been given away by the Heritage Lottery
Fund since 1994 but it rejected a bid from St Paul’s in 2002. It has
funded projects on Nubian heritage and African dishes and a study on
dreadlocks.
St Paul’s, which raised its admission charge to £9 last week, said it
planned to submit another bid for lottery cash.
--
Peter Watson
Ariadne
Peter Watson wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> 12 MILLION SINCE 1945
> >>
> >> 1.2 MILLION SINCE 1997
> >
> >From where do you get these figures? I am an emigrant but I've never let
> >the British government know about it. When one leaves or enters the
> >country (if one is British) it is not noted down, so exactly how do they
> >count them?
> >
> >
> Only recently has the emigration been hushed up
> I have a graph from the Times
> I will email it to you
>
> Peter
> --
I don't suppose this is the same graph but there is one
on page 5 of this 37 page pdf file which nets off (admitted)
immigration against (I suppose, known) emigration:
http://www.ippr.org.uk/ecomm/files/selecting_wisely.pdf
The Traveler
Let's have a summary.