Peter Andre on GB News

[Laughattheloons]

This has thrown me. I’ve just seen a TikTok about it. Obviously not a Peter fan but always just assumed he was a decent good guy. Clearly not. I can never ironic Mysterious Girl again

How is Karen a slur used predominantly by the left?

I'm sure there are other plenty of insults that can be attributed the right, but Karen is generally used by younger people. The phrase originated from racist white women, so more progressive/young people use it.

Why shouldn't holocaust deniers be teaching students history? Because, despite the attempts from the free peachers, being a Nazi is neither a protected characteristic under ECHR, UK employment law or under our new "academic freedom" legislation. (although the latter position questionable)

The Oxford Union is free to invite whoever it wants. It's basically a private members club, with a £200 joining fee. But, like any other private club, their rights come with certain duties. Because of association with the University & the common misconception it is the actual Oxford Student Union of course people are going to object to some of the events.

I don't think you really understand what free speech means.

I have no idea what you think having a protected characteristic has to do with anything here.

People are free to make the arguments they want to, with certain very well-defined exceptions such as libel.

That includes Kathleen Stock, or a Holocaust denier, or anyone else, who is invited to give a speech at a university or club or anywhere else.

Students are also free to say they object. WHat they aren't free to do is try and stop it from happening by claiming people aren't allowed to say things they think are wrong.

The fact that it happens in universities is especially egregious, because they have a special role in society around allowing all kinds of ideas, weird, offensive, or otherwise unpopular, to be discussed.

I said they were, and are, free to talk at the Oxford Union. Just as people are free to protest. It's not a University, it's a members club. But not to teach whatever they simply believe. You really don't want a homeopath teaching medical students, a holocaust denier teaching history, Donald Trump teaching biomedicine or Andrew Tate teaching women's studies.

Those certain well-defined exceptions you mention aren't well defined. Particularly in Universities with new legislation which claims to protect lawful free speech but not what the government considers unlawful free speech. These aren't clear or fixed, as indicated by moves to criminalise groups like Just Stop Oil.

Universities are also bound by the equalities act and are supposed to protect students from harassment & unlawful discrimination.

I've not got a problem with the Oxford Union inviting who they like, beyond it being an elitist members club that delights in the publicity of manufactured controversy.

I also don't think Stock should have been subjected to the levels of bullying and harassment that led to her feeling unable to return to work. Her University could have done much more.

But let's be clear, she wasn't invited to the OU to talk about aesthetics, her area of academic expertise. She was invited to talk about her gender critical views knowing the publicity they would get from the protests.

This! 🎯 I really can't work out what so hard for people to understand!?

Calling GB news fascist demeans all those that have lived and experienced fascist persecution. It's lazy and inaccurate and just creates an eco chamber of ill informed crap.
Maybe research what being fascist entails and the consequences of the ideology.

But you don't have a right to drive a car. You have to meet a criteria set and tested by the state, and plenty can not meet this criteria, and then the state permits you to do it and you have to do it how they say you should or you will be sanctioned.
There are no absolute rights to do anything in our society. Every thing we do is because we abide by a set of rules that permit it. Same with what we say or write. It's the balance of these rules that is important.

Yeah, the car was a poor example. Your last paragraph is what I was clumsily trying to get at.

Always assumed he was a good guy? I guess that's you're first mistake. He gave me the ick even before we knew what a toxic narcissist he is.

I don't think anyone called it fascist, but they do have have fascist guests as well as presenters who associate with fascists. I think that's probably more demeaning to people who have lived experienced of fascism.

In fact, if you look at the "defining characteristics" of fascism; nationalism & a disregard for human rights, attacks on intellectuals & the arts, scapegoating of groups (immigrants, the woke, experts) control of the media (ours is owned by a handful of billionaires), the suppression of labour & protest, it does lean lean more towards it than away.

Fascism is the alignment of nationalism, power and authoritarianism. It's not difficult to see the direction we're travelling in.

I usually forget about the existence of GB news since they aren't close together on the sky menu but I put it on yesterday in light of this thread. It had a guest saying how awful JKR tweets were in 'naming and shaming' TW even though all she said is that they are biological males not women and some of them were sex offenders and the awful India willoughby. Didn't strike me as very fascist or even especially right wing.

The BBC had Farage on question time more than any other guest. Does that make them UKIP?

The BBC has a duty to be impartial and balanced, - hence the inclusion of Farage (who represents the opinions of a significant number of people).
GB news was also presenting a balance.

Of all the reasons to think that he’s an odious little toad of a man with dubious morals and standards of behaviour, that’s the reason you’ve chosen to dislike him?

Of all the reasons, that’s probably the least worrying, considering he wants to stay famous and earn lots of money and I doubt the BBC are kicking his door down. He’s going to grab opportunities wherever he can, irrespective of his personal opinions.

Seriously, has nothing else about him ever bothered you?

@Sillypede
I don't think anyone called it fascist, but they do have have fascist guests as well as presenters who associate with fascists.

OP did on page 2 of the thread. Someone said that GB news was unfairly criticised for being different and the reply was

"Being different is fine. gammon Fascist not so much so."

I think that kicked off a lot of the following discussions about use of names like snowflakes/gammons/etc.

Also which fascist guests have they had on?* *I'm not necessarily disbelieving you, but I'd say the term is more often than not applied unreasonably.

I've already linked to a few, including ones they've sneaked on pretending they were "members of the public". I don't expect you to trawl through this thread to find them, I'm not going to either.

I saw the Hope Not Hate article on Leo Kearse?

For a group with "not hate" in their name, they would have fit right in during the Salem witch trials.

Could you explain what you mean here?
How would it be possible to accurately report on his social media history - which is of public interest - in any other way. There's very little actual editorial in the article. Is it that you generally agree with Kearse's attitude and politics and object to either being critically examined?

@swimsong
The Leo Kearse article offers no evidence that the comedian is responsible for the social media posts in question.

If the accusation is correct, the posts are racist, but not fascist which was the claim made by Sillypede.

The whole site seems to rely on tenuous links between individuals and organisations to build a McCarthyist web of innuendo and weak accusations.

Gb news is far right because it had a comedian on it who allegedly made racist jokes.

The next person is far right because they've been a guest several times on GB news.

The next person is far right because they played tennis with the person who was on the channel who employed the comedian who allegedly made a rascst joke.

Burn the witches! Stop the hate!

Hope not Hate was founded by the former editor of searchlight. It's an advocacy group, not simply a website that relies on sound investigation and is involved in a range of activities.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walk-In_(TV_series)

"In 2013, Hope not Hate was one of the founding organisations of an anti-child sexual exploitation initiative called CAASE (Community Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation), featuring many Muslim and Christian organisations, victim support groups, survivors organisations, and local community networks. The network was founded in response to multiple "grooming" cases which were reported by the British press."

Odd that you focus on Kearse, rather than on Neema Parvini hopenothate.org.uk/2024/03/26/jacob-rees-mogg-invites-far-right-activist-onto-his-gb-news-show/

or on

https://hopenothate.org.uk/2023/07/14/gb-news-platforms-the-far-right-conspiracy-theorists-and-racists/

I used to like him. Mysterious Girl was one of my guilty pleasures when I was a young teen. He was oily but attractive and seemed sweet in interviews. Then I watched one episode of Katie and Peter's reality show shortly after leaving an emotionally abusive relationship.

He reminded me so much of my Ex. The way he made niggling remarks at Katie, on and on and on, until she blew up at him so he could play the victim. I only ever watched that one episode (IIRC they were in a scooter shop hiding from paps) but it was enough to put me off him for life.

@Sillypede
Odd that you focus on Kearse, rather than on Neema Parvini
Not that odd. As you already mentioned it's a long thread and you wouldn't expect me to trawl through it to find your references to fascist guests. Well I trawled and Kearse was the first one I found.

Fair point.