woke.

[Butch2000]

1 hour ago, Boycie said:

Right, without wishing to turn this thread into a left vs. right thing, how would you all be reacting had a well known pundit/commentator stepped down due to expressing right wing/anti-immigration views for example? I bet you'd all be celebrating (though if I'm wrong here then I'd be happy to be corrected).

 

 

Alan Sugar has already, a couple of years ago.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Butch2000

[JNLister]

Obviously not claiming complete credit but:
 

 

 

[Devon Malcolm]

Am I the only one who doesn't give the slightest shit about any of this? Gary Lineker is a fairweather liberal arsehole and seeing him garner sympathy from across almost the entire left really sums up what a pathetic fucking state this country is in.

Plus, all the BBC's commentators are shit anyway, this is great news for any football fan.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Devon Malcolm

[Butch2000]

4 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

No time for him usually but GO ON ALISTAIR! 

 

Still wish Paul O Connell knocked fuck out of him in 2005 though.

[Butch2000]

1 hour ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Am I the only one who doesn't give the slightest shit about any of this? Gary Lineker is a fairweather liberal arsehole and seeing him garner sympathy from across almost the entire left really sums up what a pathetic fucking state this country is in.

Plus, all the BBC's commentators are shit anyway, this is great news for any football fan.

While I agree with you about MOTD being watchable again, I still reckon it’s possibly an important bellweather. To be “cancelled” by the apparently freedom of speech loving anti cancelling crowd, and then to have his colleagues fight his corner, and even tonight the lads in the pub (of whom are usually quite right wing) in support of him could be a bit of an important moment I’d hope.

[westlondonmist]

7 hours ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Am I the only one who doesn't give the slightest shit about any of this? Gary Lineker is a fairweather liberal arsehole and seeing him garner sympathy from across almost the entire left really sums up what a pathetic fucking state this country is in.

Plus, all the BBC's commentators are shit anyway, this is great news for any football fan.

This isn't about Lineker though, it's about the BBC happily employing Alan Sugar despite the various shit he has said and done, defending Fiona Bruce who thinks it's OK that Stanley Johnson broke his wife's nose because it was only the once and their chairman gave the Tories over 400k. None of them impartial and Bruce hosts a fucking political show. But you criticise the Tories and suddenly you can't be impartial! 

I think Lineker is a bell, but it sets a really bad precedent for me from a publicly funded organisation. 

[Keith Houchen]

1 hour ago, westlondonmist said:

it's about the BBC happily employing Alan Sugar

They don’t. 

[westlondonmist]

5 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said:

They don’t. 

OK it's produced by another company but they've been happy to commission the show with him and broadcast it. They will fund a large proportion of this show knowing he is not impartial. 

[Keith Houchen]

5 minutes ago, westlondonmist said:

OK it's produced by another company but they've been happy to commission the show with him and broadcast it. 

That’s an important distinction though. MOTD is made by the BBC. The Apprentice isn’t, it could just as easily be shown on another channel or with a different boss. It’s shown on the BBC but isn’t produced by the BBC so there’s no impartiality rules to adhere to. 
 

Besides, Sugar is in the House Of Lords so can vote on government bills. It’s his job to be political. 

[LEGIT]

It's the same old thing imo, everyone who agrees with Lineker's views is sympathetic towards him and everyone who disagrees finds his suspension great. When it's less about his views being right or wrong and more about the rules he's required to work under for his many millions a year.

I'm an unsympathetic arsehole and find it great all these rich people who have no idea what it's like to struggle for money are turning their back on MOTD, you can bet your arse if all their presenting jobs dried up and they couldn't fund their lavish lifestyle they'd be begging for a job back.

Hopefully the BBC gets rid of them all and spreads the millions out on more talented and deserving people.

Edited March 11, 2023 by LEGIT

[Keith Houchen]

7 minutes ago, LEGIT said:

When it's less about his views being right or wrong and more about the rules he's required to work under for his hundreds of millions a year.

Hundreds of millions? I knew the beeb is accused of squandering money but that’s a different level!

For me, the issue is about the rules being adhered to selectively. Namely when he criticised the tories. When he praised them, or when he criticised the opposition, those rules didn’t matter 

12 minutes ago, LEGIT said:

'm an unsympathetic arsehole and find it great all these rich people who have no idea what it's like to struggle for money are turning their back on MOTD

Ah yes, professional footballers are of course famously from wealthy backgrounds and had privileged upbringings akin to politicians and journalists. 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

2 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said:

For me, the issue is about the rules being adhered to selectively. Namely when he criticised the tories. When he praised them, or when he criticised the opposition, those rules didn’t matter

That is the heart of this. If you have rules stick to them, no matter if it's Lineker, Sugar, or Bruce. 

5 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said:

Ah yes, professional footballers are of course famously from wealthy backgrounds and had privileged upbringings akin to politicians and journalists

I'm sure they are all Marxists. Isn't that what we learned from the whole BLM backlash. 

[LEGIT]

2 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said:

Hundreds of millions? I knew the beeb is accused of squandering money but that’s a different level!

For me, the issue is about the rules being adhered to selectively. Namely when he criticised the tories. When he praised them, or when he criticised the opposition, those rules didn’t matter 

Ah yes, professional footballers are of course famously from wealthy backgrounds and had privileged upbringings akin to politicians and journalists. 

I changed the hundred of millions part before you posted as I thought twice about such an exaggeration. Doesn't change my point though.

I agree with you 100% that the rules should be consistent.

And I'm not talking about these footballers upbringing- I'm making the point that most have been rich all their adult lives. These pundits, most of whom are rubbish anyway, turning their back on MOTD is hardly an admirable move and like I said I bet if all their presenting jobs dried up they'd be begging for their jobs back.

Lineker makes millions. If the terms of his contract say he's to keep political opinions to himself and he's consistently broke that, then he's an idiot for not doing so. I earn minimum wage and my employer has a strict social media policy when it comes to certain things.  Lineker's not hard done by, by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

1 hour ago, Keith Houchen said:

That’s an important distinction though. MOTD is made by the BBC. The Apprentice isn’t, it could just as easily be shown on another channel or with a different boss. It’s shown on the BBC but isn’t produced by the BBC so there’s no impartiality rules to adhere to. 
 

It was until 2018. I’d argue that Alan Sugar is a less worthy target to focus on then Andrew Neil who was able to be in charge of The Spectator throughout his BBC career.

6 minutes ago, LEGIT said:

Lineker's not hard done by, by any stretch of the imagination.

 

I don’t see anyone say Gary Lineker is going to be financially hard done by. He’ll be poached by a rival for even more then the BBC pay him, I think most people are upset with the double standards and the seemingly looking away, or defence at any Tory criticism put forward. I’ve been a big fan of the BBC but anyone paying attention to who is now running it, or how they got those roles, should be disgusted and I hope this is the start of their downfall.

[westlondonmist]

5 minutes ago, LEGIT said:

I changed the hundred of millions part before you posted as I thought twice about such an exaggeration. Doesn't change my point though.

I agree with you 100% that the rules should be consistent.

And I'm not talking about these footballers upbringing- I'm making the point that most have been rich all their adult lives. These pundits, most of whom are rubbish anyway, turning their back on MOTD is hardly an admirable move and like I said I bet if all their presenting jobs dried up they'd be begging for their jobs back.

Lineker makes millions. If the terms of his contract say he's to keep political opinions to himself and he's consistently broke that, then he's an idiot for not doing so. I earn minimum wage and my employer has a strict social media policy when it comes to certain things.  Lineker's not hard done by, by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Lineker probably isn't hard done by, and he will likely do work for sky this weekend and get paid well (probably why Lineker doesn't really care) , but as you say it's the consistency and what they appear to punish and what they defend (such as Question Time). How would you feel if one person at your office posted political opinions and got away with it and you did it and got sacked? You'd probably feel hard done by.