Question Time

Starting to behave in Marxist fashion recently... ID cards, increasing nanny-state and PC initiatives. Or have I been reading Peter Hitchens to much?!

Then again the cabinet is/has been full of ex-Communists.. nobody bats an eyelid about them

Most of the above can be attributed to the far right just as much as the far left. "Political Correctness" is a right-wing construct designed to denigrate any well-meaning leftist ideas -- not all of which are bad things (bear in mind that speaking out against Apartheid would have been considered politically correct 40 years ago).

I think what you're alluding to is general control-freakery, something that Straw et al are certainly guilty of!!

The fact is that we don't have a true "liberal" party (small-L) in this country (did we ever?). The Labour Party are (traditionally) economically illiberal, the Tories socially illiberal. Both are as bad as each other -- everyone talks about Labour's bad points as they are currently in charge.

Going over to the Tory Party isn't the answer.

I personally think you have it the wrong way round about PC. Its alternative name is "cultural Marxism" afterall. It started off as a well-intentioned way bringing equality into langauge etc, but has got out of control. It is left-wingers who use PC; Clare Rayner, Kaye Adams, Cherie Blair and Guardian editors/journos/columnists for example.

I wasn't advocating the Tories BTW, they are a carbon-copy of Labour. Why else would Cameron out-blair Blair?

Ultimately it doesn't really matter if Labour, Tories or even the oxymoronically-name Liberal Democrats get into power, because we are mostly run from Brussells these days (70% of our laws are made there )

What has this all has to do with Dimbers is anybody's guess Has he given any intention he wants to retire?

It was my understanding that although PC was originally a Marxist/Leninist concept, the term was hijacked by some elements of the rightist media in more recent times to criticise some of the nonsense some leftist commentators come up with, and indeed by the left themselves to caricature empty rhetoric.

Personally I think the whole thing is a bit silly. Not all "PC" is bad, and those who criticise it with a wide brush are guilty of lazy thinking really.

As for Dimblebottom, never had a problem with him personally, always does a professional job. Programmes like QT should always be about the panel and the audience, not the presenter anyway.

I have no problem with equality, and avoiding the use of clearly offensive words-- that's not PC. The term PC refers to the suppression of free speech/thought (except incitement to hatred) by use of 'positive discrimination' and statist authoritarian control (such as politicisation of the civil force and police force thanks to Tony Blair).

According to the books Shadow University and PC Handbook , PC originates in speech-codes imposed by "Leftist activists" on American campuses from the 1960s onwards. The University of Wisconsin at Madison was a specially important cradle of this sort of thing, and derives from the works of Marxist writers such as Herbert Marcuse and Wilhelm Reich.

The American academic William Lind maintains that it stems in a direct line from the 'Frankfurt School' of German marxists, who adopted cultural revolution as their method when it became clear that Russian Bolshevism had failed.

If people on the Centre or Right have criticised PC, it is because it suppresses freedom of speech and thought-- and PC is highly illiberal.

Plus I note PC people often take offence on behalf of people, notably Birmingham City Council (I think it was that council) who banned the word "Christmas" in favour of "winterval"; in case it offended non-Christians. I don't know any Hindus or Muslims that are offended by Christmas, anymore than Christians are offended Diwali etc! Do these supposedly/potentially offended people ever get asked if they are offended by such things?

Anyway rant over ! I think Dimbers does a decent job considering what he has to put with on that programme from gobsh*te politicians and unruly audience members! Although I'm sure you will be great heckler

now i'm against the over the top pc-ness that you talk of - but i'm not sure you're right in your recollection of winterval. it was birmingham city council who decided to brand their programme of winter events including christmas and new year as winterval. at no point do i recall them banning "christmas", nor do i remember them defending it by saying it was in case it offended non-christians.

i think the winterval saga was more of a branding gone mad saga than a pc gone mad.

OK I must have got confused-- thanks for clearing things up Although the phrase "PC gone mad" is annoying. It is, and nearly always has been, mad. On second thoughts it is a perfectly sane way of silencing people's right to free speech and thoughts