Baroness Nicholson in Sunday Times

[BovaryX]

I haven't seen this article posted, apologise if it has been. Baroness Nicholson describes her hurt and bewilderment at being accused, denounced, judged and cancelled. If the reports of the source of these accusations are true, have their previous tweets and comments been subjected to the same critical examination? If not, why not?

‘Are activists targeting me?’ Tory peer Baroness Nicholson’s despair over Booker prize trans
Baroness Nicholson said yesterday that she was sad and surprised to be dropped as an honorary vice-president of the Booker Prize Foundation, the literary accolade founded by her husband, after being accused of offending a transgender model, Munroe Bergdorf. The Tory peer, who is deaf, had held the role since 2009. Her late husband, the businessman Sir Michael Caine, established the prize.Asked how she felt, she said: “Sad. Very sad. Somewhat surprised to be labelled by the Booker board members as homophobic, transphobic and racist'^

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/are-activists-targeting-me-tory-peer-baroness-nicholsons-despair-over-booker-prize-trans-row-m6rnqxflg

It is really disgusting that such a hard working, intelligent woman is being treated so badly and with such disrespect by people who have contributed so little to society.
I worry about her health tbh. She must be in her late 70s?

Share token:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5a45470a-b8ab-11ea-809a-a9cf0f6249f6?shareToken=e16b74788eb441aeb06f916e622fd307

Thanks igneo for the share token. I agree endof Baroness Nicholson is being treated despicably.

She's 78, and when I googled to find out this came up - although it doesn't say it on her Wikipedia page - Emma Harriet Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (born 16 October 1941) is a transphobic British politician...
How the fuck have they done that? Another day, more rage.

And thanks I will read the article later.

An utter outrage. Fuckers.

They are supposed to promote BOOKS. Y’know, those things that contain myriad ideas, presented so that we can read them and form our own ideas and opinions and views of the world.

There should be NO cancel culture in the book world. That leads to bonfires.

For actual fuck’s actual sake.

Has Munroe sodding Bergdorf ever even read a book?

Fuck.

How awful to be removed from the prize that your husband established.

On a side note, I reported some of Bergdorf’s posts on Instagram, one for inciting racial hatred and the on

... posted too soon continued here

...ones attacking Baroness Nicholson. Instagram took one down (multiple reports by the looks of it), but the posts attacking BN remain.

It’s very disturbing that a literary prize has succumbed to cancel culture. You’d think writers of all people, would understand the importance of being able to freely express ideas. Would ‘The Satanic Verses’ pass the woke threshold if published today?

If this is the stance they are taking, I sincerely hope they examine all the writers on their long list and the judges for any evidence of past wrong think. Nothing worse than a righteous hypocrite...

Somewhat baffled by the random and irrelevant "who is deaf". I didn't already know that, and I don't see how it benefits me at all WRT the story to know it now. Might as well say "who has size 5 feet".

@SulisMinerva

It’s very disturbing that a literary prize has succumbed to cancel culture. You’d think writers of all people, would understand the importance of being able to freely express ideas. Would ‘The Satanic Verses’ pass the woke threshold if published today?

If this is the stance they are taking, I sincerely hope they examine all the writers on their long list and the judges for any evidence of past wrong think. Nothing worse than a righteous hypocrite...

There is a greatTelegraph article about righteous hypocrites. I posted the link here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3951869-Telegraph-piece-on-Orwellian-doublethink?msgid=97843691#97843691

Unless, of course, we're getting involved in some sort of declare-your-axes-of-oppression journalism and the Times felt the need to find some way to justify letting her give her point of view. "Shit, she's white and powerful. What are we gonna do? Female? Nah that doesn't count. Aha, disability."

Although a powerful white male, of course, requires no justification-of-oppression.

Maybe the reference to deafness is to show that she is disabled which is a protected characteristic.

If this is the stance they are taking, I sincerely hope they examine all the writers on their long list and the judges for any evidence of past wrong think. Nothing worse than a righteous hypocrite

Sulis

Yes. Let's have the same forensic examination of the tweets and pronouncements of the denouncers. Why isn't that being done?

It just jars, y'know?

"who is deaf"

FOR NO REASON

I'd be pissed off if my disability (and I know some d/Deaf people don't count their deafness as such) was gratuitously and clumsily plonked in the middle of an unrelated sentence in an article that had nothing to do with it.

Every day I seem to be losing more and more respect for people/institutions. Booker prize is now worth less than it used to be - what self respecting author would value a prize awarded by people who have no respect for words?

Emma Harriet Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (born 16 October 1941) is a transphobic British politician...

How the fuck have they done that? Another day, more rage.

It's actually easy. Anyone can be a Wikipedia editor, anyone can create or edit articles. I have done so -- both created and edited articles. I won't edit this one, as it would be outing (especially after this post!) but if anyone here is game, do go ahead.

All you have to do is go to the Edit button at the top right. And you can see who made these despicable allegations by the View History tab.
It's possible to edit anonymously, I believe. That's why Wikipedia has such a bad reputation.

I also believe that this particular edit won't stand, as the admins do flag statements that are opinions rather than facts.

Maybe the reference to deafness is to show that she is disabled which is a protected characteristic

Precisely. Also, the central point is that Baroness Nicholson has been accused, denounced and cancelled for what crime? This imposition of a rigid orthodoxy by a book prize? Isn't diversity of ideas a literary tradition?

It can only be there as a justification by means of evidence of oppression, though, because there's no suggestion she's been discriminated against for her deafness.

@BovaryX

If this is the stance they are taking, I sincerely hope they examine all the writers on their long list and the judges for any evidence of past wrong think. Nothing worse than a righteous hypocrite

Sulis

Yes. Let's have the same forensic examination of the tweets and pronouncements of the denouncers. Why isn't that being done?

Yes, can’t think why this isn’t happening...

I’m afraid Baroness Nicholson was too successful in getting results when exposing the entirely unsuitable ‘education’ materials aimed at schools. Some people do not want sunlight there and now it will be easy for people to dismiss her as a ‘phone’.

The woke contingent would do well to read up on the French Revolution. History has some lessons there. The Reformation could also prove quite instructive.

The biggest joke of all? It truly takes industrial quantity doublethink to write this after canceling Baroness Nicholson.

Literature is open, plural and questioning. We believe every author’s work should be approached by readers in the same spirit

It would be wonderful if people read history books.