O/T:-Gary Lineker

[sidders]

To be fair I don't watch a lot of the BBC as it's utter sh*te as with most stuff on TV these days and about to cancel my TV tax.

However I do think it's wrong when Albanians and the like can freely enter our country and rape and murder when they're perfectly safe in Albania!! We have enough of those nutters in our own Police force. I have nothing against them entering legally but something needs to be done. The free mason knight of the realm has no real ideas either.

Come on, OP67, you're surely not as dim as this post makes you out to be.
1. You say most stuff on TV is utter ****e these days. I am tired of hearing this kind of comment. Not all programmes suit all people. Are Attenborough's natural world documentaries utter ****e? How about great drama like Happy Valley? Rugby and Athletics coverage? British TV is the best in the world and if you travelled a bit you would know that.
2. What did Albanians do to you? It may surprise you to know that the percentage of rapists and robbers in the Albanian population is not dissimilar to the figure for the UK.
3. The police force is full of nutters? Just because there is wide publicity on the police who are a disgrace to their badge, it doesn't mean that half the police are bad apples.
Do try to be a little more balanced in the expression of your views, Old bean.

[Magpies1959]

sinophile they won't be coming here when global warming is a thing as we will be under water

[sidders]

sinophile they won't be coming here when global warming is a thing as we will be under water

Who are 'they'? Where is 'here'? When will global warming be 'a thing'? What kind of thing will it be? Who are 'we'? Will all of us be under water?
So many questions, such loose language for a person of 64 years (a presumption based on your username)

[Elite_Pie]

Who are 'they'? Where is 'here'? When will global warming be 'a thing'? What kind of thing will it be? Who are 'we'? Will all of us be under water?
So many questions, such loose language for a person of 64 years (a presumption based on your username)

I think he uses phrases from his favourite publication, Gammon Monthly.

[Magpies1959]

I take being called a Gammon as hate speech.

[applepie2]

I take being called a Gammon as hate speech.

Better report it to the Police as a ‘non crime hate incident’ then.

[Ex_Southwell_Magpie]

I take being called a Gammon as hate speech.

You shouldn't really as Gammon is the term always used by Snowflakes.

[Elite_Pie]

I take being called a Gammon as hate speech.

I used to have an aversion to ham, but now I'm cured.

[GranthamPie]

The French invited us to set one up. We said no.

The likely reason is most refugees who do make it to the UK are found to have valid cases. So better to let the sea put them off and reduce the number applying, right?

Not sure what you mean by this, but there isn't any way for the vast majority of refugees to apply for asylum other than getting to British soil. And that's a deliberate choice by this government.

It is a deliberate choice… it’s been proven that you simply cannot apply for asylum in the asylum seekers own country. The Government know this and it’s why the UNHCR are so angry about it. Unless of course you are from Hong Kong (with millions in the bank) or Ukraine.

Our total disregard for international conventions is putting the UK on par with some of the most dubious and despotic states in the world.

[optipez]

If you believe in free speech then you'd have to stand up for the right of Lineker to Tweet what he wants. Contractually, BBC employees have to remain neutral but as he sub contracts he gets away with it, to the BBCs detriment as it just drags them into impartiality rows they don't need.
The BBC does make a huge amount of good programmes, most of the output of Quest, Yesterday ,Drama and PBS America are BBC re-runs.
Where it falls down for the BBC is that it's always one way liberalism. What are the chances of Professor Neil Oliver being recommissioned to make a history series ?
Free speech involves being irritated and offended. For some It's Jeremy Clarkson and Laurence Fox, for others it's Gary Lineker and Suzy Eddie Izzard. What I don't like is cancel culture and especially one way cancel culture. Most people in life aren't impartial, we all have views but increasingly we are being thought policed into silence. Izzard and Lineker are welcome at the BBC, Clarkson and Fox not so much.
I'm sure the left leaning posters disagree but it is career suicide to admit you voted Brexit and want to have a career at a university, people keep silent as they do about voting Tory. I know this, I have family that do work at universities and they absolutely will not make their views known. That really isn't how a democratic, open, questioning and tolerant society should function.
Covidiots, Brexiloons, fascists, climate change deniers, Terfs, conspiricists, tin foil hat brigade the list goes on and what all the name calling does is close down opinion, close down debate. It largely also reinforces the powerful. Covidiots empowered Matt Hancock, Terf empowered Niccola Sturgeon, climate deniers empowers Bill gates multi billionaire, land grabbing private jet owner and frequent user who's carbon footprint is huge.
Free speech should, I would argue must always rise above politics but increasingly I feel speech is being weaponised into a form of censorship.