Civitas Blog

Fine piece by Anthony Browne, though his points shouldn't even need to be made. In my view the parlous condition of Britain today is the result of a logical - and grotesque - extension of the Welfare State. Where it aimed to help poor, hard-working families, it now gives financial incentives to the fecund idle. Where it gave educational opportunities to able children of impoverished families, it now denies this to all within the state sector. In Blair-Brown's cultural revolution no-one is permitted to be more intelligent than anyone else: I can see Chairman Mao nodding.
I was a wartime baby, the only child of working-class parents. (In those days they did work). Car-less, like pretty much everyone else, parents then walked - and bussed - kids to London parks, museums etc. Now scads of housing-estate families are on Welfare while the infants are brought up by TV-sets. This is of course at the tax-payers expense.
Has any politician the guts to even question the validity of this kind of society?

I am personally sick to death of trying to accomodate all of the 'political correct' statements in my working life.
If it is not 'Unison' then it is the other workers who have alternative lifestyles, which? cannot be mentioned in the work place.
Some days I feel, What? is the point of going to work, trying to provide a quality of service and then finding out that I am not 'politically correct'I believe that the majority of this Country have to suffer for a small minority, who? is the disadvantaged group?

The liberals in this country, UK, have a lot to answer for, they have the resonsibility for ALL the social disorder, benefit abuse and the high levels of public service workers retiring sick?

As yet there has been no comment on this site on Gordon Brown's widely trailed proposal (er..by the BBC)for a 'British' day to celebrate 'Britishness'(no connection surely with the kite flying exercise earlier in the week that tried to convince us that the 'SS Empire Windrush' was a great British icon?).

I have received an outline plan of one of the symposia which will take place in an inner London Borough somewhere near you...

9.00AM Formal Opening: EU National Anthem 'Ode to Joy' sung by inmates of Feltham Young Offenders Institute. Main Address: 'Patriotism - a dangerously outmoded construct' by George Galloway MP.

10.00AM First Plenary Session: 'Accepting the Infidel in Multicultural Britain' (session leader currently on active service in Iraq)

11.30AM Workshops TBA (Islington's 'Black Lesbian Lap-Dancing Collective' have confirmed their session entitled 'Therapeutic solutions to the Trade Gap' - an open forum on the micro-economic benefits of aromatherapy, rebirthing & psychic ballet)

1.00PM Lunch- grace will be replaced by a minute's silence for Luftwaffe casualties of the
Battle of Britain (delegates requiring a carniverous option to the vegan Tikka Masala course will have to provide medical evidence that they are allergic to non meat & dairy products).

2.30PM Second Plenary Session:'Overcoming Obstacles to Inclusive Migration - the Resettling of Indigenous Communities' (Speaker to be supplied by the Albanian Royal Parks' Hot Snacks Association). NB This address will feature a case study that examines the role of the Barbary Pirates in stemming a population explosion of the Cornish speaking peoples circa 1600 CE.

4.00PM Union Flag Workshops. Some will be devoted to reclaiming the Union flag from the Brugges Group. Other will focus on simply replacing it with either a completely white one or just a plain one with Nelson Mandela's head stuck on it.

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT! Billy Bragg will recite his poetry and sing unaccompanied his latest 200 songs on tactical voting. There will be pet friendly non exploding fireworks during the interval (c. 3.30AM).

Further suggestions for this and other events warmly welcomed.

Excellent article. I have just re-joined Civitas and look forward to 'The Retreat of Reason'. However, I find his article ironic by the fact that the article above is in itself 'politically correct'.

For example, lets look at these examples:

Issue:
Women's pay less than men's

Politically Correct Truth:
Sex discrimination

Factually Correct Truth (but not the whole story):
Different work/life choices, childcare breaks

Other truths(less savoury but scientifically proven):
Fewer women at the top end the IQ scale.

Issue:
Africa getting poorer

Politically Correct Truth:
West not giving enough aid

Factually Correct Truth (but not the whole story):
Bad governance

Other truths (less savoury but scientifically proven):
Sub-Sahara Africans have a lower average IQ than Europeans and Orientals.

These truths might even be too unpolitically correct for Antony Browne. I hope he stands firm to his quote “Western minds may be free again to reason rather than just emote, to pursue objective truth rather than subjective virtue”.

The term 'Political Correctness' originated in pre revolutionary Russia. When analysis of specific situations and calls for action were deemed 'correct' by the central committee of the Russian Social Democratic Party (much later the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) cadres were expected to follow unhesitatingly the party line.

Today, whilst the concerns of political discourse
may have altered its conduct has not. Marginal cliques determine the line, the masses simply follow. And woe betide any authority, any professional expert that produces stark evidence to the contrary!

In the UK the three most powerful determinants on contemporary political thinking are our weak national self image, Beveridge and the 60's counter culture. Between them these factors have determined the range and scope of the issues now considered to be beyond debate by largely unaccountable opinion formers: minorities, gender, welfare, the environment, globalisation, debt relief, the UN the EU and so on and so forth.

Today, the future reproducers of politically correct ideology are nurtured in second rate universities. Unlike the class of '68 these passive students do not do agitprop. They receive the line in course 101. Not just sociology 101, but any old 101. That deconstructive tool of the superstructure, 'Critical Theory', formerly the preserve of a handful of trendy sociologists has jumped the subject barrier and infected related and unrelated disciplines alike.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of these brain washed young things are then press-ganged into the service of the state: into the civil service, local government, education, the health service, broadcasting and the armed forces. What has been swallowed whole from primers is then spewed out in briefing documents, policy directives, curricula and news bulletins.

Gramsci, the Italian Marxist theorist to whom these muddle-headed ideologues aspire, surely got it wrong. His central argument is that advanced capitalism maintains itself prinicpally through 'ideological hegemony' rather than by the 'repressive apparatus of the state.' Yet advanced capitalism seems to spawn and nurture values that often are diametrically opposed to its fundamental interests.

It could just be that liberal bourgeois democracy is more flexible and accommodating than Gramsci acknowledged. In the absence of a significant direct threat, the system seems to have a limitless capacity to absorb and sponsor all kinds of nonsense. And that is the problem - we have no significant direct threat. We face insignificant direct threats (suicide bombers) and significant indirect threats (China, EU & UN).

If those who really govern us think that by surrendering civil society to a lunatic fringe it allows them to pursue national strategic objectives largely unhindered they are sadly mistaken. In time, all gains made in this way at the Risk board will be friterred away.

And it will be our grandchildren who will have to live with the consequences.

I was very sorry to read about your respondent's experience who was dismissed TWO days before Christmas. I sincerely hope that you succeed in suing your ex employer successfully. The audacity to say that you can't describe a person as disabled or complain if they have a body odour problem!

I know just what you mean by the young brigade who, just because they know what a thong is and booze all night at the weekend think that they're god's gift to humanity. They make me puke!

However, I still think that you're luckier than I was. I had to put up with sexism as well as racism during my stint of working in an office not to mention everybody passing me up and down all day and nobody speaking to me or even acknowledging that I was there unless of course, they felt that they had something to complain about. Not only that but I was subjected to a re-running of the display of the film of the young white men demonstrating what they'd like to do with their knives to a black person which formed part of the evidence in the Stephen Lawerence case at one point of which the young englishman wielding the 10 inches long bread knife was right behind me while I was sitting at my desk. I guess he wanted to see whether I'd be afraid. I did n't give him this satisfaction. Needless to say, I had to resign the job soon afterwards.

I couldn't believe what was occuring in a British office of work!

But what gauls me more than anything is when Blair and his cronies try to give the impression that all is well in this country with his cringeing remarks about 'our society' and 'our communities' as though everything is perfect here!

This is another reason why I have to admire Anthony so much because, obviously, he's a young man but has had the wisdom to perceive this evil problem of 'political correctness' and write about it so impressively. 'More power to his elbow'!

I wish the other respondent all the best in any action which he takes against his ex employer and hopes that he succeeds in winning extremely punitive compensation against them.

I would do the same with my ex-employer but don't currently have the resources to do so. Unsurprisingly, I am not a wealthy man but I still plan one day, to see them in court. I don't suppose that I'd get any financial legal assistance. After all, I'm not a refugee!

Thank you for your comments agreeing with me about this disease of 'political correctness'. I can't describe to you how much of a hero Anthony Browne has become to me since learning of his work! I wasn't aware of the article to which Phil (above) referred in his comment but it rang so much of a bell with me that I had to respond again. His reference to 'every man being an island' and causing 'massive internal and unseen stresses' so hit the nail on its head! It so reminded me of a trip which I made out yesterday for some shopping in my personal locality. Everbody seemed sullen and aggressive. Nobody seemed interested in speaking to anybody who was n't their close relative or personal acquaintance. Even people who seemed from the same ethnic group seemed unwilling to greet each other. I remembered Anthony's article and an item I read may years ago as a youngster when I was studying sociology about 'anomie'( sorry if I got the spelling wrong - it was a very long time ago) and I couldn't help sardonically laughing, to myself, at how the politically correct mobs have reduced this country to a bitter, evil, twisted hell for so many of its people and sadly, the people most affected are almost certainly too ill informed to realise fully what is going on!

As for Alibhai-Brown's condemnation of Anthony's pamphlet (The Times link on another page of this website); I used to have a certain amount of regard for A. Brown when some years ago, she wrote her autobiography 'No Place Like Home' describing the horrors of her life in an Asian family growing up in Africa. I particularly felt for her when she described how, as a child, she took part in a school play when she played alongside an african child. She described how for the rest of his life, her father never spoke to her again, presumably for getting so close to an african, and furthermore, whilst they were living in Africa itself! That combined with my experiences here told me all that I needed to know about them.

However, since then Ms Brown has been involved in a television programme in which she pleaded with her own people to stop threatening to murder her as a result of some of the more liberal things which she'd been saying in the media. Consequently, everything she says now is probably a sop to the muslims to be nice to her and therefore I can't take her seriously any more or have any respect for her.

Suffice to say that in a poll conducted by Sky tv, 92% of respondents agreed with David when I cast my vote and checked the results.

The main point which I'd like to make is that I so wish that Anthony and others will accept my suggestion and form a political party to row back this tide of politically correct filth. Don't forget that this country has a history of over reacting to a situation! Remember the anti landlord legislation which was passed in the wake of the Rachman episode back in the 60s(?) which only had to be reversed years later and after so much suffering when landlords were simply refusing to let out their properties to tenants and the State could n't keep up the supply of council housing to house its people - from which we're probably still suffering today!

'So come on Anthony, even if it's only a single issue Party - do something'. I'd be the first to join!

I totally agree that political correctness has gone too far. Two days before Christmas 2005 I was fired. Oops. Am I still allowed to say Christmas? The main reason given was that I had said something that was not PC. Is this legal?

My crime was that I had referred to a mutual colleague as "disabled". Furthermore, I had mentioned to the disabled person's manager that the disabled person had a body odour problem and it was bothering me.

The next day I was fired. There was no verbal warning. I was just fired.

Now, I would say that I am strongly anti-racist; in fact I hate it. But I would not summarily fire someone for using the term "black" to describe someone. And as for the odour problem, well that was a fact.

I have been going over this in my mind and I just can't make sense of it. I am not just shocked and upset that I got fired, I am upset because I would have considered myself as having pretty high standards, being open minded, and accommodating towards other people who may be different in some way.

There are two points of irony that I noted. Although the politically correct manager claimed to take offense at the use of the word disabled, I was there in the office, and I can say that the manager didn't treat the disabled lady very well at times. Aren't we missing the point, when we think we are defending the "weak" by dancing around words yet treat them like shit? Well, that's political correctness for you.

The other point of irony was that in the termination meeting, one of the comments that the director made was, "we are a young company", implying I was older than the average employee. You could say that this was a hurtful ageist comment. But it seems that political correctness is in the eye of the beholder.

I would conclude that the politically correct very often should take the planks out of their own eyes before they look for the speck of sawdust in others eyes.

I dare not leave my name or email address.

This commentary so accurately describes the problem and reflects the views of the vast majority of UK citizens. My own investigations would confirm that this wrong minded illiberal concept has its origins in academia but I can't, for the life of me, trace how it has become so accepted by our political and social institutions. Are there no voices of reason amongst our political and social leaders that can launch an attack on a disease that is destroying our society?

I fully concur with both the main article and Earl.

I recall reading an article about the mental health problems caused in the former USSR (it was about 10 years ago after the break up of the USSR when access for the West into the country was allowed - I'm sorry I can't remember where or in what context I read it). Essentially the stress of seeing and living one thing and being told the diametrically opposite and being forced to agree black was white caused massive and unseen internal stresses. It alienated people from people and caused "every man to be an island". No social or intellectual contact was risked in case of denunciations and the conswequences.

I can forsee this happening here if it isn't already occurring.

I want you to know how very much I agree with virtually all of your report on political correctness and congratulate you on your admirable work.

I would like to tell you also that as a white, middle class man you simply can't begin to imagine just how right you are about the evilness of the consequences of political correctness not allowing opinions and perceptions to be openly debated. The whole area is like a festering sore, deprived of the healing power of fresh air i.e. open debate.

I suffer the consequences every day and I am VERY unhappy about it!

I accept that these measures were doubtless created with the best of intention but their consequences have been completely the opposite.

Political correctness has made this country virtually impossible for me to continue living in and I'm seeking an opportunity to get out!

This is virtually the most important subject which you could discuss i.e. freedom of speech, which as far as I'm concerned, hardly exists in this country, if you can't say exactly what you think - and we can't. The disgrace is that so many people go around asserting that we have freedom of speech in this country when in fact we don't. We have a very LIMITED freedom of speech which often reminds me of life in the formeer Soviet Union and in many countries of the world which we should n't wish to live in today.

The practical consequences of political correctness are so iniquitious that you can't begin to imagine. I know from my daily, very painful, personal experiences in this country.

My only wish is that now that Mr Browne has so sensibly and admirably described the problem that he and others will now do something about it and perhaps form a political party to do away with this diseaase of our society which is no more than an ruse for the political parties securing the votes of major sections of our communities. I would be the first to join!!

I, myself, am a member of an ethnic minority community living in the UK!