Janice Turner on "The righteous anger train is out of control"

[Igneococcus]

Every Saturday morning her comment is the first thing I read in the Times and she never disappoints:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2245cbd4-b7e0-11ea-82eb-1588bf47a52f?shareToken=3800bfc054d81a4bdf4a9425757bd9a9

Magnificent.

As an aside, anyone else think that the pulling down of a statue by a woman artist celebrating women’s suffrage won’t have been random in the least?

Nailed it. Excellent article as always.

Taken from the comments section of The Times article.

‘The worst thing is that the reason the activists are angry with Baroness Nicholson is that she drew attention to the fact that Asda had partnered with an organisation that promoted a book, for school pupils and school libraries, in which a young trans person told in morally neutral terms of having sex at the age of six and enjoying it. The organisation also used the slogan "love has no age limit" in the materials it created for Asda. This is not only incorrect, the law on the age of consent is clear and well established, it also sends a very dangerous anti-safeguarding message to children. You would have thought that protecting children is something we could all agree on. But apparently not.‘

Such a good article. I always save my 'free article' for her.

Fantastic article. Thank You once again Janice.

@BovaryX

the hypocrisy and gall of Lord Willetts in signing that letter, when his voting record suggests he must share her views, is staggering. Did he believe that in disavowing a fellow Tory peer, he might himself be spared the firing squad? The mob still might come for him

This reminds me of a quote by someone whose statue may yet fall to in the purity storm

Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last

See also 'I didn't think the leopards would eat my face!'

"The hypocrisy and gall of Lord Willetts in signing that letter, when his voting record suggests he must share her views, is staggering. Did he believe that in disavowing a fellow Tory peer, he might himself be spared the firing squad? The mob still might come for him, although I doubt he’s top of their list. Because this is not about historic votes by social conservatives but a proxy war."

Amen. I love Turner's writing, this is one of her best.

She's amazing. It never fails to blow my mind how hard these groups are working to undo every scrap of progress society has made, while somehow positioning themselves (in their own minds at least) as being progressive and righteous. That bit about the statue celebrating women's suffrage being torn down was fucking chilling.

@UniversalAunt

Taken from the comments section of The Times article.

‘The worst thing is that the reason the activists are angry with Baroness Nicholson is that she drew attention to the fact that Asda had partnered with an organisation that promoted a book, for school pupils and school libraries, in which a young trans person told in morally neutral terms of having sex at the age of six and enjoying it. The organisation also used the slogan "love has no age limit" in the materials it created for Asda. This is not only incorrect, the law on the age of consent is clear and well established, it also sends a very dangerous anti-safeguarding message to children. You would have thought that protecting children is something we could all agree on. But apparently not.‘

Janet Turner's article is excellent. The woman is absolutely furious.

And I'm assuming that article was sent in before she found out Graham Linehan has been suspended from twitter for use of the word groomer.

It feels as though there are too many leaks to staunch, and the boat is really about to sink.

God she’s good.

What could Willets and Fury possibly have that makes them immune from the criticism levelled at Nicholson and JKR?! It’s like a modern day witch hunt.

Thanks Janice

From comments below

A very good and reasonable commentary I thought. I agree that competitive righteousness is the scourge of modern life and seems to underpin all social discourse from the great unrighteous who dared to go to the South Coast beaches to all those colonialists and racists who read the wrong books, listen to the wrong music, look at the wrong statues, or hold the wrong views. What is not recognised is that it is your colleagues in the media Janice who police the righteousness meter and their self-proclaimed role as the 'gotcha brigade' appear to have this as their sole journalistic strategy - to shame, call out and condemn whoever fails their unilaterally-determined righteousness standards. In my opinion history will show that the high priests and priestesses of this new woke religion have a lot to answer for, but so do those of us who cannot see that paradoxically it is tolerance, diversity and social inclusion that is most being challenged by this new religion.

Very interesting piece but it makes uneasy reading. Strange how the people being targeted (JKRowling, Lady Nicholson and numerous others) have outstanding records of altruistism, philanthropy and humanitarian works whereas those individuals spearheading the attacks against them have none and in fact many have been benefactors of those good works, one example of many being Ben Okri mentioned in the article, but the list is endless. This dictatorial, intolerant "small minority" are already having a huge effect on society and have set in motion (as this article accurately illustrates) a bandwagon that's driven by fear and appeasement that is now uncontrollable with no end in sight - unless a concerted effort is taken now by the "majority" to derail it - for the sake of all of us.

In my opinion history will show that the high priests and priestesses of this new woke religion have a lot to answer for, but so do those of us who cannot see that paradoxically it is tolerance, diversity and social inclusion that is most being challenged by this new religion

littlebrown

Thanks for posting this. It is absolutely true. As is the media's complicity in promoting this totalitarian agenda.

I don't know exactly how Twitter works, as I don't post much and certainly nothing controversial. Is it possible to delete replies to one's own Tweets?

I'm asking because of the porny tweets posted on her Ickabog replies to the children. Can the ugly TRA responses be quickly deleted?

If so, it might all be a good thing. No doubt it's parents who read her Twitter and anyway, would never show their children the ugliness. But THEY the parents get to see it, before it is cleaned up. That would be enough for them to know what's what. In other words: sunlight.

Thank you @RHTawneyonabus. I've been trying and failing to articulate that thought in one pithy statement. You're spot on. Sex doesn't matter, my arse.

Fantastic article but I feel a great deal of doubling down by TRA since the gov put the breaks on GRA reform. It's going to be a long haul.

From buck angel

Thank you so much for this article.

Littlebrown and BovaryX I entirely agree. Also afraid that if reputable people do not start to stand up against this then we will get someone like Farage making themselves the public face of anti woke sentiment, with grim results.

Giles Coren has popped up in the comments:

"Wonderful. You are without peer on this (annoyingly massive) issue."

Surgical precision and fury - marvellous combination.

My favourite line concerned that self-righteous cockwomble Damian Barr, who has so far sent school-age Stonewall reading lists to women challenging him, but failed to respond to anyone (esp women) asking when the campaign against Willetts will start.

@Igneococcus

Giles Coren has popped up in the comments:

"Wonderful. You are without peer on this (annoyingly massive) issue."

YES!!!

Journalists, with a few honourable exceptions, have been a massive disappointment in this whole thing.

They follow each other fawningly but police others who are not in the in crowd. It’s not an appealing sight.

That is truly a breathtaking piece of writing from Janice. I would like to think that Damian Barr and his acolytes read the list of Emma Nicholson's achievements and maybe feel a dawning sense of shame at the way they have bullied an elderly, disabled woman who has spent so much of her life helping the most disadvantaged and vulnerable women and girls.

I doubt it, though. I had a quick look at Barr's Twitter feed, and because some people have challenged him on his views, he's now presenting himself as a victim - the brave hero who stood up against the evil baroness.

What a despicable little man he is.

Excellent article

...elderly, disabled woman who has spent so much of her life helping the most disadvantaged and vulnerable women and girls.

She also helps boys. Get out your hankies:
(from another thread)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/WkiLgbPpdd/boy-in-the-photo