In response to Rod Liddle
9 12 2009
TMPOnline Editor, Justin Baidoo responds to Rod Liddle’s infamous Spectator blog on Multi-culturalism and claims of Liddle’s racism.
Rod Liddle’s blog post entitled “Benefits of a multi-cultural Britain” attributes most of the high profile social ills (knife and gun crime, violent sexual crimes) to African Caribbean males. Aside from this being factually incorrect, he goes on the next day in response to a post on Diane Abbott’s blog to state that he hates racism and in an attempt to appear non-racist quotes Diane Abbott and Trevor “segregate black boys” Phillips which he portrays that they make similar points to his argument which he says is based on cultural rather than racist values.
Here he is being disingenuous, by deriding and highlighting the only contributions an ethnic group has brought to society as “rap music, goat curry”and laden “us” (read: indigenous whites) with an “alien” culture, it cannot be viewed by the impartial reader that he is giving an honest though brutal critique with problems in a community. He is denigrating the African-Caribbean community and suggesting that London would be better off without them.
Is he entitled to say it? Yes. But let’s not pretend that it is not racism. You can attack ideas without slandering an entire community, Liddle references to multi-culturalism like many BNP activists often euphemistically describe their racist attacks as an “expose on the benefits of ‘enrichment’ and multi-culturalism” Liddle is neither naive or ignorant, he is forcefully made the point when publishing his post that he believes that London has suffered as a result of the presence of the African-Caribbean community. He is not pandering to the politics of the BNP but rather cheer leading them on, his claims of hating racism is as credible as Nick Griffin’s claims that the British National Party do not “discriminat[e] on grounds of colour”.
Though I am not blind to woefully high numbers of African descendant males involved in violent crime in London (they are not only African-Caribbean, but perhaps Rod couldn’t tell the difference), the answers do not lie in the politics of hate and reactionary anger but in precision and truth. No one is hiding these issues but only honesty will bring us forward not dangerous rhetoric.
If Rod Liddle doesn’t believe that lamenting the presence of a ethnic group and belittling the contributions of generations of Caribbean workers to curry goat isn’t racist then I would suggest he volunteers himself for a diversity course.
I must say I would be surprised were it not for the times we are living in. All the same it is quite interesting that Liddle is saying such things NOW! . But to tell the truth, with regard to Rod Liddle and his kind…Im not scared or phased…the more these things are brought into the open…the better!
The struggle goes on!
Fidel
Thanks for your article, Justin.
Here’s Liddle’s jokey final sentence in his 19 November blog.
‘Incidentally, many Somalis have come to Britain as immigrants recently, where they are widely admired for their strong work ethic, respect for the law and keen, piercing, intelligence.’
His title? Muslim Savages Update
Yes, the BNP are leading the field.
See this article in the independent in response Rob Liddle’s blog. What’s worrying is the comments that have been left by readers underneath. Does this unearth a kind of latent middle-English racism that totally anonymises the so-called ‘perpretators’ because it is easier to other and anonymise than to actually examine the system that we live in and how it might be responsible for all this ‘alienation.’ I’m not trying to necessarily create a social theory that excuses the violent acts of two misogynists. that’s exactly Liddle’s game and why he sees it as a moral pathway to air his sense of white supremacy. The simple fact is he thinks that no white person has anything to gain from living amongst black cultures. I’m a white person who violently disagrees. I find it disturbing that Independent readers are not able to see this post for what it is. racist.
I think that Rod Liddle enjoys his occasional grabbing of the headlines. He can only do that by being controversial in the way that he feels a need for self-publicity. He has to ignore the facts in order to gain prominence.
For example, Black students are three times more likely to be excluded from school than others. Children in care 8 times, and special educational needs statemented children 3 to 4 times. So what if you are Black, in care and statemented? Between 72 and 96 times more likely to be excluded! What about this for racial discrimination, Rod?
Government has Young & Safe programmes directed at potential young criminals – and a PREVENT programme aimed at turning young Muslims away from extremism. What they really do is create criminality and extremism by identifying a funding-generating clientelle.
Government also sponsors an expensive REACH programme elevating Black celebrities into prominence when the issues are really to do with eliminating racism and Islamophobia.
Like much of what is done by some branches of government, Rod’s writings are a diversion from the main issues affecting the lives of Black children and young people in particular.
Gerry German
I agree with you although I am not sure he should be allowed to be racist under the pretence of freedom of expression.
A complementary article on the subject which explores further why Liddle article is repulsive is at:
Yet another racism row in Britain. Journalist Rod Liddle blames violent crime in London on black men.
http://www.savablogs.info/2009/12/yet-another-racism-row-in-britain.html