The berk and the burqa (or Boris Johnson strikes again)
Boris Johnson: He may think women wearing burqas look like bank robbers, but he is a clown, even when he isn’t wearing the make-up.
At long last, Boris Johnson’s racism is being addressed – and at just the wrong moment for the Conservative Party.
The Tories have been quiet for a week, allowing their poodles in the mass media to feast on the Labour “anti-Semitism” row – and it seems likely Theresa May was hoping none of her MPs would do anything stupid enough to raise a comparison.
And then Mr Johnson opened his mouth, said Muslim women in burqas resemble letterboxes and bank robbers, and reopened the Tory “Islamophobia” row.
Tory chairman Brandon Lewis has condemned it, after Baroness Warsi called it “dog-whistle” Islamophobia.
So far, Theresa May has been silent – but this cannot continue, unless she wants the whole country to conclude that she has learned nothing from the Windrush scandal.
That revelation told us that Mrs May had been involved in a racist vendetta against UK citizens who immigrated into the UK on the Empire Windrush, or were descended from people who had done so.
Amber Rudd lost her job as Home Secretary because of that fiasco – in order to save Mrs May’s political bacon.
It became important for the Tory government to show it had learned its lesson – but new Home Secretary Sajid Javid has been exposed blackmailing victims of the Windrush scandal into signing “gagging” orders in order to received fast-track compensation payments.
And now this.
Perhaps Mrs May thinks she won’t have to say anything – that she can weather this summer storm because Jeremy Corbyn is under so much pressure.
But the accusations of anti-Semitism against him are false.
And Theresa May really is a racist, in charge of a racist government.
Additional: It seems the Tory leader is unlikely to do anything about Mr Johnson’s racism – because she is unwilling to rock the boat ahead of crucial Brexit votes after the summer recess. Reading between the lines, I would call that an admission of widespread racism in the ranks of the Parliamentary Conservative Party.
Boris Johnson has been told by Conservative party chiefs to apologise for his claim that Muslim women in burqas resemble letter boxes and bank robbers.
The Tory chairman, Brandon Lewis, said he had asked the former foreign secretary to say sorry for his controversial remarks in an attempt to draw a line under the Islamophobia row.
It came after Alistair Burt, the minister for the Middle East, who worked under Johnson, described the comments as offensive and said he would never have said anything similar.
The former Conservative chairman Sayeeda Warsi has accused Johnson of “dog-whistle” Islamophobia and criticised the lack of action by the party on the issue.
Source: Tory chief tells Boris Johnson to apologise for burqa remarks | Politics | The Guardian
Visit our JustGiving page to help Vox Political’s Mike Sivier fight anti-Semitism libels in court
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
burk and the burqha, I like it, he needs to wear one and sit in the naughty corner in hop, honestly this guy reminds me of a spoilt brat who tries to think he funny, back it up with him and the goons on the pretty red bus of lies and what have you got a bunch of lying, two faced, malicious, horrible people who actually think they are more important and even worse think they have the skills and capability to try to run a country, it is about time twits like this were made to take a pay cut, I think zero hours performance related and minimum wage with no expenses sounds good and during there spare time they should all go out into the voluntary sector and learn some hard facts and that can also include some of the other useless elements as well as lying elements in the tory party, to many so called mp’s are getting away with everything and it is high time that the rules changed so that we make these jingling clowns more accountable and if necessary accountable by law, as a volunteer I am more tied by law than these clowns, I make a mistake It is serious, they make a mistake well they don’t there perfect, but ask anyone in the street in fact the tories should do a survey what do you think of your mp, instead of wasting money on a survey of foodbanks, which we all know the answer except uneducated tories don’t, lets waist public money on finding out how well respected tory mp’s are, they be in for a shock, I seen some incompetence in my time and this lot should actually have a gong for incompetence, then instead of getting a gong for doing someone hair, a gong for being totally useless you could understand if they gave that to a bunch of clowns then as it is normalised behaviour, whatever happens though do not give these guys responsible jobs, that would be to frightening, Imagine boris as a surgeon he fill you full of laughing gas so you could laugh at his jokes
I find the term racist racism and all other divisive incorrect usages of words such as islamaphobia to be bigotted in their nature. There is only one racie the human race, to have a fear of Islam given the history of that group is not irrational so isn’t a phobia, perhaps if the self righteous stopped using these terms we could work towards a more accepting society, however Boris is only saying what a large proportion of the worlds populations actually think.
After the ways the various European (and now American) empires have behaved throughout history, do you not think Muslims are justified in having a fear of Christianity?
I think we’re all well aware of your feelings about the word “racism” but you really need to accept the modern usage. Semitic people include a certain number of Arabian cultures but anti-Semitism is now accepted as referring only to Jewish people, and you can be accused of anti-Semitism if you say otherwise.
After the ways the various European (and now American) empires have behaved throughout history, do you not think Muslims are justified in having a fear of Christianity?
I think we’re all well aware of your feelings about the word “racism” but you really need to accept the modern usage. Semitic people include a certain number of Arabian cultures but anti-Semitism is now accepted as referring only to Jewish people, and you can be accused of anti-Semitism if you say otherwise.
I’m sorry and I’m no fan of Boris but I don’t see how what he said was either Islamophobic, or racist. He was commenting, inappropriately, on what people wear. How is it different, really, from mocking people who wear shell suits, or socks with sandals, or sunglasses at night? He has been criticised for his use of language by some Muslim women, because was he said is insulting, derisive and disrespectful but Islamophobic and racist? Really? He trivialised his own column by saying those things and thus the debate but more people than would care to admit think the very same and the letterbox analogy has been around for years. We all have opinions on what people wear; look at the flack that David Beckham received, when he wore his sarong. Did anybody accuse his detractors of anything other than ridicule?
To my mind, the mistake that Boris made was in publishing his opinions. It is paradoxical that a [former] Foreign Secretary can be so lacking in tact and diplomacy.
Aye, he should offer an apology.
I think it’s the fact he said Muslim women look like bank robbers – directly connecting the religion with crime.