Quote Originally Posted by BCram View Post
Why make sarcastic comments like the above. I think you are missing the opportunity to explain what you think BLM stands for. Pouring scorn on ideas and opinions that you disagree with will not help the causes that you support IMO.
I value the contribution you make to this forum because you have a different point of view. Calling people hard-right conspiracy theorist Daily Express readers isn't going to help IMO. Have you read any of the stuff written by Hitchens or Lord Sumption? It seems logical and reasonable to me but I don't believe that they are providing a route out of lockdown. They seem to me to explain why we are where we are. There is a difficulty for democracy in trying to get everyone to act the same way. China, a totalitarian state, can make general edicts and force its citizens to comply. Western democracies can't do that and yet the Chinese model for suppressing the virus was the model adopted for us.
I think the vaccinations will suppress the incidence of the virus and herd immunity will lead to a return to normal. Seems to me that we are getting our vaccination programme up to speed and we should be thinking very differently about the virus by end of April beginning of May. Vaccine passports are essential and it must be possible to link the passport number with the vaccination record.
I wasn't being in any way sarcastic - obviously this was the first I've read of the other post you quoted because I have the poster 'on ignore' - now that's sarcasm.

I have no issue with BLM, if they want to make their points and challenge what are in many cases clear targeting of race they are free to do so and that's absolutely the way it should be. However they are, whether we like it or not, a political organisation - just because they don't align with a parliamentary party or stand for election themselves their cause is very clearly political. Politics, party, social or whatever, must be kept out of sport or where does it end?

This taking the knee in sport thing is in support of black colleagues who may be subject to racist abuse, I understand that, however as a symbol of support it is inexorably aligned to BLM and as such should be nowhere near football. There are plenty other ways to challenge inequality and we've seen a number over the years. Let's leave it to the odd red card or rainbow lace thing that can be done as a show of support once then players get back to normal. As it stands it looks very much like someone high up has decreed players on live TV football games WILL take the knee before games, that in itself denies the players a basic fundamental human right i.e. the right of choice.

I didn't see the rugby on Saturday but admire all the players and officials who chose not to make a political statement at a sporting event. I notice nothing is being made of this in the media.