If Toby Young keeps his university regulator job it’s because Theresa May is critically enfeebled

Last Updated: January 8, 2018By Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

One can only hope that Mr Young (right) did not compose this particular tweet about Mrs May (left).

It was all looking so hopeful at first.

The Mail on Sunday, of all organs, published the following headline, and many critics formed the obvious conclusion:

Then Theresa May appeared on The Andrew Marr Show and threw everything into reverse.

Theresa May has backed Toby Young to continue in his new role with the higher education watchdog, despite mounting pressure to sack him over a series of misogynistic and homophobic tweets.

Mr Young was forced to explain why he had posted messages commenting on the appearance of women’s breasts, described gay singer George Michael as “queer as a coot” and written a story about dressing up as a lesbian in which he referred to gay women as “hardcore dykes”.

The Prime Minister admitted she was “not at all impressed” by the right-wing journalist’s previous remarks but suggested she would not reverse his appointment to the Office for Students board.

So, never mind that he’s habitual; Mrs May has let him off. Cue the crescendo of disgust:

https://twitter.com/mcnally_bucky/status/949958143769042945

Did Paul Mason have a point when he tweeted the following?

If so, then the Labour Whips’ tweet might have been closer to the mark than they thought when they published it:

Plus, of course, Mr Young wasn’t actually employed by Theresa May:

So this episode shows that Theresa May simply doesn’t have the clout – in her own government – to get rid of this crippling humiliation.

Ah! So that’s the problem. Get rid of Toby Young and she’d have to get rid of Johnson and Gove. She’d also have to disown some fairly influential Tory media types (and Dan Hodges):

With a reshuffle coming up, Mrs May actually has a golden opportunity to clear out these thugs, creeps, misogynists, parasites and hangers-on.

Instead, national – and indeed international – embarrassement Theresa May seems more likely to promote them.

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6 Comments

  1. Karen Whelan January 8, 2018 at 12:34 am - Reply

    Or has the Prime minister been emboldened by Jeremy Hunt’s successful destruction of the NHS?

    If they can destroy the NHS with what amounts to barely a whimper of protest from the public, the universities will be a much easier target.

    There is so much anti-intellectualism, so many misunderstandings about what universities do, nonsense talking about ‘mickey mouse’ courses, nonsense pumped out about lecturers giving trigger warnings and the alleged threats to freedom of speech that Young will be half way there with the public support he needs to complete the seek and destroy mission he will unleash on academia.

    Watch out for harder GCSE and A’Level demands, changes to student loan repayments terms and conditions and fewer working class and lower middle students, who cannot avail themselves of private schools and tuition, entering university in the coming years. All of which will lead to a contraction of the sector. It’s an over expanded section of the economy which over-produced graduates of the wrong sort: working and lower middle class graduates. And that will suit Toby Young down to the ground.

    • Mike Sivier January 8, 2018 at 1:16 pm - Reply

      Protests against the destruction of the NHS have been loud and sustained, of course. Tories have simply done what they wanted anyway. There is a Tory-compliant mass media on which they can rely to suppress dissent, so I’m not surprised you thought there was “barely a whimper”.

  2. NMac January 8, 2018 at 10:10 am - Reply

    As long as Young stays in office his disgusting behaviour must be kept alive and in the public eye.

  3. Lynn Jenks January 8, 2018 at 11:41 am - Reply

    Greening appears to be the only who is actually going. Mysogyny from our female PM? Or is she just scared of all the big boys?

  4. aunty1960 January 8, 2018 at 1:59 pm - Reply

    “ENFEEBLED” is the word for them all and their own damned mess.

    Just got an email from local LibDems (I like to keep up on them all) Hallelujahing over an “Influential Meeting on adding a charge on coffee cups.”

    if you dont want plastic rubbish STOP MAKING IT!

  5. Sandy January 8, 2018 at 4:57 pm - Reply

    Plus he called working class students who got to Oxford on effort as “Stains”, and considers ramps in schools for disabled pupils as “Ghastly” and an example of political correctness!!! The man’s bonkers.

    http://anotherangryvoice.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/the-tories-just-appointed-unqualified.html

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