When a Government...

[BillyStubbsTears]

The Tory minister wheeled out today to unshit this bed said that Hester's comments weren't race-based or gender-based.

Let's get this right.

He said Abbott made him want to hate all....wait for it...BLACK....slowly does it...WOMEN.

So he looks at Abbott, and his immediate assessment of her is that she's a black woman and he hates her.

But it wasn't a race or gender-based comment.

They've given up haven't they? Given up on any relationship with the truth.

[tommy toes]

On hearing Frank Hestor 30p Lee said 'That's more like it' and has rejoined the Tory Party

[belton rover]

The Tory minister wheeled out today to unshit this bed said that Hester's comments weren't race-based or gender-based.

Let's get this right.

He said Abbott made him want to hate all....wait for it...BLACK....slowly does it...WOMEN.

So he looks at Abbott, and his immediate assessment of her is that she's a black woman and he hates her.

But it wasn't a race or gender-based comment.

They've given up haven't they? Given up on any relationship with the truth.

I don’t think it was looking at her that made him instantly think that, was it?
What he said was deplorable and without doubt, racist, but not because of the reason you gave.

[BillyStubbsTears]

The actual words he's reported to have used were:

"you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you're just like… you just want to hate all black women because she's there."

"You see Diane Abbott on the television".

And that leads to a reaction against all black women. He is clearly and unequivocally judging her, when he sees her on TV, as primarily black and a woman. That's the point.

Now, I can well accept that he might not agree with her political positions. I disagree with several of them myself. But why would you then group all black women into a category of "People I want to hate"?

[belton rover]

The actual words he's reported to have used were:

"you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you're just like… you just want to hate all black women because she's there."

"You see Diane Abbott on the television".

And that leads to a reaction against all black women. He is clearly and unequivocally judging her, when he sees her on TV, as primarily black and a woman. That's the point.

Now, I can well accept that he might not agree with her political positions. I disagree with several of them myself. But why would you then group all black women into a category of "People I want to hate"?

Because he’s racist - there’s no argument from me with that.
It’s not racist for him to hate Diane Abbot. I doubt any of the reasons include the colour of her skin. It is racist to hate other black people simply because he hates her.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Belton. We are entirely on the same page here. I also don't think he hates her because she is black. The racist issue is that, having decided he hates her, the most prominent things he sees about her are her colour and her gender.

But hey! Here's the ex Tory Treasurer saying Hester has done business with black and brown people so he can't be racist.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/amp/entry/conservative-peer-party-donor-racism-claims-jamaica_uk_65f04eebe4b032e17a838b00/

What f**king planet do they live on?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Well good on Sunak. It's only taken him 24 hours to figure out that these comments were actually racist.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68548389

Now. About that £10m?

[SydneyRover]

He sounds like a right funny guy does Hester ........... excepts from his 'routine'

''The Conservative party’s biggest donor asked if there was “no room for the Indians” and suggested staff climb on a train roof during a crowded meeting, before saying he made “a lot of jokes about racism”''

''He added: “I do think that in a loving company, we should be able to make jokes about each other in a loving way, and tease each other, and enjoy each other’s company. And I think we all know the difference between a racial slur and perhaps ‘Asian corner’, which is still going on here today.”''

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/12/tory-donor-frank-hester-no-room-for-the-indians

[BillyStubbsTears]

He's David Brent made real int he?

[River Don]

I don't mind  Diane Abbot but despite her qualifications I think she's as thick as mince.

That can be said of other politicians without much controversy but when it comes to a black female. Difficult.

Having said that I don't doubt Hester is a racist t**t

[idler]

I always thought that Diane Abbot came across as a condescending tw**. Irrespective of sex or anything else.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I don't particularly like many of Abbott's political stances. I think she and Corbyn come from a political background on the moderate-far left that spent years convincing themselves they were right about everything and it was other people's fault if they didn't get it. Certainly her style of speaking grates, even when I do agree with her.

But.

I've never in all my life had to deal with the vitriol, condescension and abuse that she gets every day.

She makes mistakes. All politicians do. But there's something particularly unpleasant about the way that she specifically gets derided when she does. There's plenty of examples of it in this very forum, and I've never understood why some people get so much pleasure in deriding her, when they don't bat an eyelid at equally awful errors by other politicians.

As regards Hester, consider this. Liz Truss is equally well educated as Abbott, and even more prone to saying stupid things. Would Hester even briefly think of saying that seeing Truss on TV make him want to hate all white women?

The fact that he drew a line from his dislike of Abbott to a d**khead comment about ALL black women says everything about him and his thought processes.

It's very depressing that this sort of thinking is still around in this country in the middle of the 21st century. I guess we've still got a long way to go. Maybe holding this t**t up to public disgrace is a little step on the way.

[ravenrover]

And yes even though what he said was racist and wrong they will still take his money in the future.
That was this morning, let's see what they flip flop to by PMQs

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I'm really struggling with two things.

1. What bloody difference the donations make to our day to day lives and why it's a big news story.

2. Why it's so difficult for the Tories to say what he said is wrong and racist regardless of who it's about.

I don't like much of what she has to say as a politician but saying what he said about her is totally unrelated to that.

[SydneyRover]

Dogs and fleas I guess pud.

[Mike_F]

I think the pertinent question is "why is it a big news story now?"

This will have been in the back pocket for some time but as we're gearing up for a GE, the time is right to publish.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I'm really struggling with two things.

1. What bloody difference the donations make to our day to day lives and why it's a big news story.

2. Why it's so difficult for the Tories to say what he said is wrong and racist regardless of who it's about.

I don't like much of what she has to say as a politician but saying what he said about her is totally unrelated to that.

Donations

1) This is a huge amount of money which will finance a very big part of the Tory election campaign.

2) It's inconceivable that someone makes the biggest UK political donation ever and doesn't want something back.

The point being that the Tories, if they do keep that money, are allying themselves with this toerag. Do you really think it isn't a big news story if the party of Government is being funded by someone with these views?

[SydneyRover]

Guardian Live: ''Minister says Tories would be willing to accept more cash from Hester as ‘we don’t think he’s a racist’''

''Kevin Hollinrake says party would take further donations despite row over remarks about Diane Abbott''

I wonder if he would be a racist if he wasn't such a big donor ...............

[BillyStubbsTears]

Absolute car crash.

Either that or they are making a conscious decision to appeal to the small percentage of voters who still have 1970s The Comedians views like Hester.

[SydneyRover]

It's becoming a multiple pile-up, of their own making

[selby]

  Its important to the Labour Party who will shout racism  in the Tory Party from the highest hill.
  Its nothing really, no worse and racial than me not liking some ignorant refuges that  left Britain to go to Australia, and I like Australians and feel sorry for them.

[SydneyRover]

  Its important to the Labour Party who will shout racism  in the Tory Party from the highest hill.
  Its nothing really, no worse and racial than me not liking some ignorant refuges that  left Britain to go to Australia, and I like Australians and feel sorry for them.

Admit it selby you're just a sad old git

[Sprotyrover]

I don't particularly like many of Abbott's political stances. I think she and Corbyn come from a political background on the moderate-far left that spent years convincing themselves they were right about everything

Ha, anybody daft enough to cock her leg over the passenger seat of a CZ 250 motor cycle and travel to East Germany on a Camping holiday with Jeremy Corbyn must be seriously unhinged! I wonder if the German secret service have got the Video and  audio recordings from STASI files?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Here they come again.

Not a word of condemnation for Hester's comments.

Straight back to obsessive interest about Abbott's sex life.

Weird.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Astonishing that The Speaker didn't call Abbott to speak at PMQs.

[Ldr]

Astonishing that The Speaker didn't call Abbott to speak at PMQs.

Oh dear, how sad, never mind

[wilts rover]

Astonishing that The Speaker didn't call Abbott to speak at PMQs.

Oh dear, how sad, never mind

Exactly. Why should the country want to hear what the person who a major Tory donor called for 'to be shot' thinks about the Prime Minister's response to that donor calling for her 'to be shot'?

British values eh.

[Iberian Red]

I'm really struggling with two things.

1. What bloody difference the donations make to our day to day lives and why it's a big news story.

2. Why it's so difficult for the Tories to say what he said is wrong and racist regardless of who it's about.

I don't like much of what she has to say as a politician but saying what he said about her is totally unrelated to that.

You then proceed to answer your first question with your second.

[Ldr]

Astonishing that The Speaker didn't call Abbott to speak at PMQs.

Oh dear, how sad, never mind

Exactly. Why should the country want to hear what the person who a major Tory donor called for 'to be shot' thinks about the Prime Minister's response to that donor calling for her 'to be shot'?

British values eh.

This country should not be dictated to by hurt feelings

[drfchound]

I think that Hester is well out of order with his comment from five years ago and I agree there is no place for racism.
But I wondered why Abbott has been suspended by the Labour Party, so I had a quick Google search  and found this:

Why was Abbott suspended?

Abbott had the party whip withdrawn after she suggested Jewish, Irish and Traveller people had never been “subject to racism”.

#allthesame?