Downing Street refuses to confirm whether Boris Johnson thinks black people are mentally inferior to white people

[noblegiraffe]

Couldn’t figure out which section to put this in because it seems to go beyond news and politics.

Andrew Sabisky, the new advisor hired by Dominic Cummings has written in the past that black people have a lower IQ than white people and that this accounts for black educational underachievement (rather than racism), failing to account for the white cultural bias of IQ tests.

Anyway, the Independent has asked a Number 10 spokesman at a briefing whether the Prime Minister backed these (and other) comments, and the spokesman refused to answer.

Refused to say ‘obviously the Prime Minister doesn’t believe that black people are mentally inferior to white people’.

WTF.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-andrew-sabisky-eugenics-contraception-dominic-cummings-downing-street-a9339296.html

Well, Sabisky fits with what Cummings says himself.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/09jpSjVUpQ/dominic_cummings_battle_for_downing_street
Some close to Cummings have advised him in recent years to steer clear of the most contentious element of the “Odyssean education” blog - his interest in genetics. Cummings cited research which claimed that the variation in children’s performance at school is explained in large part by genes. In one example, geneticist Robert Plomin showed that 70% of the variation in scores in phonics tests is down to “heritability” genes, according to Cummings.

In the most controversial section of the manifesto, he wrote that discovering “genes responsible for general cognitive ability and specific abilities and disabilities” would “enable truly personalised education including early intervention for specific learning difficulties”. Cummings added: “When forced to confront such scientific developments, the education world and politicians are likely to handle them badly partly because there is such strong resistance across the political spectrum to accepting scientific evidence on genetics.”

Maybe Boris Johnson or one of his Ministers could be held accountable by being asked questions on say BBC Radio Today, Good Morning Britain or Channel 4 news.

Hang on - I forget. We have a Government that wants to avoid being asked difficult questions and is boycotting those programmes.

It might technically be possible to have meaningful and neutral scientific research on genetics and intelligence (and what we mean by "intelligence") that isn't driven by racism or misogyny.

But examples aren't exactly thick on the ground, are they?

Historically most people professing an interest in this area are interested in science the way a drunk man is interested in lampposts – for support, not illumination.

Even where the science itself isn't infected with bias, that doesn't stop the general public or journalists running off with whatever they can cherry-pick to support their prejudices.

So TL;DR: a political adviser coming out with this stuff is probably not doing it in the interests of open-minded scientific enquiry...

Oh come on, this is getting silly now.

They should sack this Sabisky bloke immediately, he has some totally batshit opinions.

Should also probably sack the spokesperson who failed to condemn the remarks on Boris Johnson's behalf. What a fail.

To be fair to Cummings however in the examples cited here, he doesn't say that he believes that genetics that influence educational performance are split along racial lines. I haven't seen evidence of that yet.

Oh come on, this is getting silly now.

What do you mean, partygamer?

Yes it's vile. Have started a thread about him on AIBU. I was quite shocked tbh that Downing St didn't try to distance the PM from these views.

Why is everyone (ok some people) assuming that Sabisky’s views are not shared by our current govt?

Remember black people are piccannines with watermelon smiles amongst other such comments.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/boris-johnson-record-sexist-homophobic-and-racist-comments-bumboys-piccaninnies-2019-6%3famp

They might be shared by the current government.

The fact that the spokesman wasn’t comfortable enough to immediately shut down that line of questioning is extremely worrying.

It implies a culture of fear of doing the wrong thing even when saying ‘obviously black people aren’t seen as inferior by this government’ should be in spokesman 101 training.

Boris Johnson, racist? What a shock.

It implies a culture of fear of doing the wrong thing even when saying ‘obviously black people aren’t seen as inferior by this government’ should be in spokesman 101 training.

I disagree. A culture of fear makes the assumption that the govt and spokesman etc disagree with these opinions.

I believe that the silence/refusal to dispute is an admission of agreement.

From the top of my head (I’m paraphrasing):
Grenfell - Too stupid to leave
CSE - investigating historical cases spaffing money up the wall.
Scared female MPs - Piffle (or something like that).

It’s all there, victim blaming, people are stupid for x,y,z happening to them = they are inferior

I agree with the 'culture of fear' - the call and response abomination in cabinet the other day shows that only total adherence to the current speak is allowed. Spokesman hasn't been informed of the 'correct' answer therefore dares not offer one in case it's 'wrong' or that offering any at all is 'wrong'

Piffle (or something like that) It was 'Humbug'

It's in the Daily Mail

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8012393/Downing-Street-refuses-condemn-controversial-new-adviser.html

Downing Street has refused to condemn a newly appointed government adviser who suggested black Americans have a lower average IQ than white Americans and labelled public outcry over female genital mutilation a 'moral panic'.

Andrew Sabisky also said that 'women's sport is more comparable to the Paralympics than it is to men's' and reportedly advocated legally enforcing the uptake of contraception to stop unplanned pregnancies 'creating a permanent underclass'.

Boris Johnson is under growing pressure to sack Mr Sabisky, 27, who was apparently drafted in to Number 10 after the PM's chief adviser Dominic Cummings called for 'misfits and weirdos' to apply to advise the government.

But Downing Street repeatedly refused to condemn the remarks this mornin

The Daily Mail have moderated comments on this - I wonder what would happen if they were unmoderated?

Yes, I wonder too - how many would be outraged and how many would be of the 'finally, someone has the guts to tell the truth!' type?

I’m seeing a fair amount of
That’s his opinion
What happened to free speech
Woke 🙄

Etc on twitter in relation to this and the sacked football commentator.

Ah yes, humbug. Thanks for the reminder.

Some quarters classed the women as snowflakes who should get out of politics if they couldn’t handle the criticism.

Give it a few years and humbug will be the state sanctioned police response for harassment etc.

Look at what I just found:

www.standard.co.uk/news/mayor/boris-says-sorry-over-blacks-have-lower-iqs-article-in-the-spectator-6630340.html

Of course - he does have the right to say something that upsets people.

Unless it's only certain groups who it's ok to say things about and use the 'free speech" argument?

First they came for the Socialists...etc

At least it's all clear now what Cummings meant by his advert for 'super-talented weirdos' - code for 'arrogant, ignorant arseholes like me'

That 2008 Standard article about Johnson's previous Spectator article!

www.standard.co.uk/news/mayor/boris-says-sorry-over-blacks-have-lower-iqs-article-in-the-spectator-6630340.html
When asked today if he had condoned the articles, unearthed by black newspaper-New Nation, Mr Johnson told the Standard: "I am sorry for what was previously written as it does not reflect what is in my heart.

So, nothing about what was in his head (empty? better than the alternative), and he immediately pivoted to attacking his electoral rival and changing the subject.

That's an "I'm sorry that I was caught," if ever I saw one.

To be clear about the previous article, Johnson was the editor when it was published, he didn’t write it,

Yes, sorry, should have made that clear.

Although quite why we bother wanting to be fair and scrupulous and precise, over the lying airhead who's too scared to face journalists and who mysteriously ends up with so many racist writers and advisors...

The consolations of "being the better person" wear rather thin when the liar is winning the propaganda game.

(I'm not advocating lying in return. It just gets me down to be in a battle with people who continually – and with great success – sink to depths where they know won't follow, because unlike them I actually give a shit about the things they're breaking.)

Ohhh... I missed that he was the editor. I hate HATE spreading so called ‘fake news’. So I apologise if it looked as if I was misleading anyone.

However, while he didn’t write it he was editor at the time and as another poster has said - have a non apology.
He has said many offensive things re race, women, religion etc. I think it’s safe to say that it’s unlikely that he doesn’t agree with Sabisky.

The excellent Dr Adam Rutherford takes on Sabisky's pathetic lack of understanding (low IQ i expect..)
twitter.com/AdamRutherford/status/1229310805189054464

I believe that Boris Johnson is a racist towards black people and I have a sneaking suspicion that many in the cabinet are too.

The fact that this isn’t being denied and shut down is disgusting and gives me yet another fucking reason to write to my Tory MP to express my disgust.

This government is horrific.