Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Ken is right!

London Mayor Ken Livingstone's has been criticised for his remarks to an Evening Standard journalist. Ken has likened the journalist to a "concentration camp guard". The journo who is Jewish immediately played the race card and accused the Mayor of being a racist and promoting anti-Semitism.

Now this is all bollocks! Personally I do not think Ken should apologies for his remarks. I don't think its offensive at all. Just because the reporter is a Jew does not mean he is allowed to get away with rudeness. His remark stemmed from his frustration of the treatment he was receiving from the reporter. Just because a person is Jewish or Black or Chinese, does not mean you have to be nice to them! Its political correctness gone mad!

And latest news is Blair has joined the anti-Ken bandwagone by joining his fellow Right Wingers in demanding an apology. Well Blair, wasn't it your party who put out those 'anti-Semitism' posters out that causes so much outrage (which I did not understand myself). And why don't you apologise for taking your country to an illegal war based on lies?

Here is Blair's statment (Source: BBC News):

"A lot of us in politics get angry with journalists from time to time, but in the circumstances, and to the journalist because he was a Jewish journalist, yes, he should apologise,"

Now if there is something wrong with that statment above is that the PM stated that Ken should apologise to the journo because he is Jewish. Wot? You mean not because he called him a Nazi. So its alright to attack someone as a Nazi but not okay if he is Jewish. What bollocks.

In fact the whole 'concentration camp guard' issue is totally bullshit. Why? Because being likened as a concentration camp guard does not mean one is likened as a Nazi. In fact the term concentration camp was first used by the British military during the Second Boer War in South Africa over a hundred years ago long before the Nazi party was founded.

Anyway here is the transcript on ThisisLondon (Evenind Standard sister website). As you can see Finegold (the reporter) does not seem offended by Ken's remark. In fact he sounded happy that he finally caught a soundbite that could further his career in the right wing press.

PR wise this thing is a blow to the paper and their sister daily The Daily Mail. Most Londoners agree that Ken should not apologise.

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