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I'm a Tory & I'll Defend Diane Abbott

Scott Colvin says the outrage over Diane Abbott's TV comments is manufactured and overdone.

By Scott Colvin

7 Jan 2012, 10:46

I am outraged. Utterly fuming. Something must be done. Someone has to be accountable.

 

Yes, I'm referring to the reaction to Diane Abbott's tweet which suggested that it is the policy of white people in this country to divide and rule the black community. Did she make an ill-advised comment? Yes. Do I remotely agree with her opinion? Of course not. But did she have a right to express this view without being hounded by the media and forced to subsequently pretend she doesn't believe a word of it? Absolutely.

 

The odd thing about modern life in Britain is that, in many ways, we are more relaxed about previously taboo self-expression than ever before. We are the post-60's sexual and social revolution generation where pretty much anything goes. Being gay, black, or disabled no longer carries the same prejudices and disadvantages that they once did. We have laws which enshrine such protections.

 

Sex or swearing on television is commonplace and is barely noticed. The line between music videos and pornography is often blurred. If you have a problem with it, we are told, just change the channel. But if you dare to express an opinion which is considered controversial, or implicates a particular group in society, then prepare to be hounded until you not only apologise but offer a pound of flesh in the process.

 

The latest victim of this phenomenon is Abbott. Now, I am a life-long Conservative voter and don't remotely care if she is in trouble. I find her to be irritating and ill-informed on lots of topics, and I don't have any Labour friends who appear to disagree with me. But what she said was not offensive, and she should not be hounded out of her shadow ministerial role. I understand why the Conservative Party has chosen to go for the jugular. It certainly makes political sense to put pressure on the ailing Ed Miliband. But let's be clear - it is a cynical counter strike against a Labour Party which has never shown mercy when Tory MPs have been caught making comments about race. This proven by the fact that the main spokespeople for the party during this debate have both been Asian. This is not a coincidence.

 

I'm afraid that racism towards white people from black people is not the same. Why? Because being white has always been OK. It is the colour of power. Being black or Asian, however, used to mean at least having a second class status in society. So calling a black person a derogatory term is therefore more painful. Is calling someone from the USA a 'Yank' as offensive as calling someone from Pakistan a 'Paki'? Clearly not, because being American means you live in the world's most powerful democracy with the highest living standards over the past 100 years. I was not offended by Abbott's comments because they were simply ill-informed, not racist.

 

And this hysteria is not only related to issues of race. Remember the response to Jerry Springer the Opera being screened on the BBC? Fundamentalist Christian protestors dialling in death threats to channel executives. Remember the Danish cartoons that no-one saw the first time around? Suddenly we had Islamist threats to decapitate and bomb anybody who dared to reprint them. Remember the childish Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand radio gag? Both were sacked, fined and cast into the abyss. And, on reflection, how many of these incidents now seem to matter that much?

 

The same is true of Diane Abbott's tweet. Take a deep breath, and calm down everyone. Let's focus on the things that really matter and stop getting hysterical about these minor side-shows.