Sunday 14 February 2021

War On Woke = Government Censorship

The right-leaning part of our free and fearless press is once again bandying about a word whose meaning it either chooses not to understand, or would rather its audience does not. Yes, we are again seeing the alleged “War on Woke”, which is, according to several dutiful stenographers, about to receive Government support.

Look Uncle Arthur, I'm on telly again!

Justification for spraying yet more public funds up the nearest wall comes by linking this alleged war with the non-existent “Cancel Culture”, a figment of the right’s imagination, made more difficult to justify given that those claiming to have been cancelled never have a problem finding a media outlet ready and willing to give them a platform.

Pausing for a moment to remember that “Woke” is defined as “alert to injustices in society, especially racism”, let’s consider what the Mail titles are serving up to their readers on the subject. “Government set to fine universities who 'cancel' people due to their views as ministers 'defend British history and culture’”. Otherwise known as official censorship.

But do go on. “Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is set to unveil the 'free speech champion’”. Ah, a sinecure for the loathsome Toby Young, or one of his pals. This is another circular argument - that the role is needed as FREEZE PEACH is assumed to have been curtailed. But no-one ponies up credible evidence in support of the claim.

Ministers also told heritage groups not to use public funds for political purposes”. This is where it becomes truly sinister: those purposes, it is alleged, include “the attempted rewriting of Britain's history”. Except no-one is attempting to rewrite history. This is about censoring those revealing the less savoury part of Britain’s past. More censorship.


Indeed, the Mail Online article cites 48 Universities which stand denounced, in a move that would not have been out of place in the former Soviet Union, for allegedly censoring others, with the only citation being “a December report”. And from where did this report emanate? You’ll love this one: Civitas. Who they? The address says it all.

Civitas is based at 55 Tufton Street. 55 TUFTON STREET. Here’s part of its Wikipedia entry: “According to ConservativeHome, Civitas ‘started as the Health & Welfare Unit of the Institute of Economic Affairs’ … The Times and The Daily Telegraph have described it as a ‘right-of-centre think-tank’ … The Times has described Civitas as an ally of former Education Secretary Michael Gove”. Censorship with Tory Government approval.

It gets worse. Civitas, we are told, says “the situation is urgent enough to require government intervention”. Like what, exactly? “Culture secretary Oliver Dowden is set to meet with to top 25 heritage bodies in the country next week to address their recent stances … He is expected to tell them 'to defend our culture and history from the noisy minority of activists constantly trying to do Britain down’”. Meaning more censorship.

Don’t talk about the racism and pillaging that were cornerstones of the Empire. Don’t mention the slave trade. Don’t listen to all those brown and black people and their supporters. And whatever you do, shift the blame onto a convenient scapegoat.

Promoting free speech by ending free speech by those of inconvenient thought. Freedom is slavery. Which we’re not allowed to talk about. Welcome to Nineteen Eighty Four.


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16 comments:

  1. You can safely bet this will lead to an increase in the number of far right placemen and women currently running universities as worthless consumer outlets.

    The same method employed to prepare NHS "trusts" and GP practices for privatisation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cancel Culture does exist - it's a tool the McCarthyite Right uses all the time against those who expose the false narrative we're being sold.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Do wake up at the back of the class, titles in the Mail stable!

    Had you been awake, you'd have realised that there is no single attempt to rewrite British history.

    It's being rewritten all the time as historians delve into records their forebears ignored or which were unavailable to previous historians.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Cancel culture does exist, history is being misinterpreted, how else can you justify renaming Black Boy public houses named after the nickname of Charles II !

    ReplyDelete
  5. Re: Anonymous and Charles II. Yes, and there were also dozens of streets in Britain named 'Gropecunt Lane' but the names of all these were magically changed to something the people of the times would find less offensive.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gropecunt_Lane

    Tell me how many Tory MPs are going to demand the reinstatement of those original street names cancelled by Georgian bureaucrats?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Surely the best response, likely the only option, is for universities to stand together against this one.

    In the light of press/MSM ownership being in the dire state that it is I see that the battle for democratic free speech is fast being lost. The Tories are the Tories and, behind this deadly pandemic, they have done what Tories do, cashed in!

    When one considers what has happened in the States- America's behaviour a warning to the Western World - the coup on free speech in the UK, and with current Israeli antics, it seems clear that, this time, the situation is far more worrisome!

    ReplyDelete
  7. If we were so bad, how come the Queen always gets a warm welcome, a dance and a gift from the natives when she visits? I have the complete set of Ladybird Books of history, and that has stood me in very good stead. No need to change anything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To 07:28.

      Apparently it's because we exported cricket to them.

      Or something.

      Nothing to do with ceremonial courtesies. No sir.

      Delete
  8. It’s one bogeyman after another with this awful government and godawful pigshit media ... so much hate so little time ... woke to me defines decency .... to them hatred is decency

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anybody who believes Black Boy to be in anyway offensive needs to be certified, it wasn't, isn't and never will be. As the late great Phil Lynott said in "Black Boys on the Corner" - "One of the black boys said "I need none of your pity" "

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice of you to speak up for black people everywhere.

      Delete
    2. Nice of you to speak up for black people and tell us what does and doesn’t offend them.

      Delete
  10. In 2 steps our professional deflectors have jumped from a commissar imposed on universities to pubs.

    Yesterday we went from looney lockdown, through mental elf to pubs.

    What's tomorrow's short route to pubs: Place bets now.


    Here's mine:

    Steve Baker MP of the CRG telling us we can't wait 6 weeks for pubs.
    Quite different to
    Steve Baker MP of the ERG telling us to wait at least 10 years for our brexit bonus.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To 10:53.

      Wait until you get a load of Charlie Walker MP.

      There's fruitloops, nutjobs and neonazis. Then there's Walker, a serious case for treatment.

      Delete
  11. Blogger Andrew said...
    Nice of you to speak up for black people and tell us what does and doesn’t offend them.

    back at you Andy for reckoning you know !

    ReplyDelete