Tonight's football thread

[anthonykay]

That is, the worse part of Lineker's statement wasn't his political view, but how he used an analogy with one of the world's darkest parts of history - Holocaust related - to make political gain. Distasteful and crass don't even cover it.

Yes, this is the point. Suella Braverman seems determined to restore the reputation of the Tories - as the Nasty Party - and the gist of what Lineker was saying was good, but he did a real disservice to his argument by going over the top with his reference to 1930's Germany.

[Graham Breeze]

No, in this case it is 'vowed' rather than 'said'. That is, because the emotional valence expressed in the heartfelt assertions of several contributors within the comments sections was quite marked (presumedly due to their apparent pique or indeed anger at the issue). Consequently, I think 'vowed' or 'vowing' would seem to be the appropriate verb to use here. They implied they were intending to make (vowing) an earnest promise to perform a specified act or behave in a certain manner, motivated by heightened emotion.

Furthermore, given my preference to buy my bread from Booths, regardless of the price, in the face my of my partner's thrift, should I ever condescend to visit Tescos to placate her, I would indeed have to 'vow' to buy bread from Tescos tomorrow (yuck, perish the thought!)

Ah so if a vow is an earnest promise a mere promise is ... well nothing much at all?

Anyway ... we have a Booths in Ilkley so you would feel at home here.

[Travs]

It was the other end of the political spectrum, and not the BBC, but John Gaunt (of Coventry) was sacked immediately from his Radio show for his comparison of a politician to a Nazi.... Lineker should probably count himself lucky he hasn't been sacked outright.

Not that it bothers me too much either way.... Match Of The Day is awful and the presenters/pundits are terrible (although that is not unique to MOTD).

Premier League has been going downhill for years as a competition, and the "big 6" trying to create a European Super League was the final nail in the coffin for me....

I don't know how the media have just forgotten about that so quickly, and on European nights push the narrative that everyone is behind the English clubs.... are we heck.... a lot of fans aren't ever going to forget it.

[Mossdog]

MOTD will probably get record viewings this evening (not because of the absence of the fatty-foods crisps promoter $$$$$ and his Qatar WC supporting rich chums), but out of curiousity.

Some very good things could come out of this hissy-fit, as it is again exposes to the general public how the BBC is a tax payers' funded platform for champagne-socialists and other virtue-signallers, whose views are unlikely to be reflective of the general public's views, certainly outside of the 'Oxbridge M25 bubble'. Another spur to reform the Beeb hopefully.

As Andrew Marr admitted back in 2006, when talking about alleged bias at the BBC, he said: "The BBC is not impartial or neutral. It's a publicly funded, urban organisation with an abnormally large number of young people, ethnic minorities, and gay people. It has a liberal bias, not so much a party-political bias. It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias." However, in today's turbulent culture wars that cultural bias does now translate, as evident by Comrade General Lineker himself, into party politics.

[Marco]

Some very good things could come out of this hissy-fit, as it is again exposes to the general public how the BBC is a tax payers' funded platform for champagne-socialists and other virtue-signallers, whose views are unlikely to be reflective of the general public's views, certainly outside of the 'Oxbridge M25 bubble'. Another spur to reform the Beeb hopefully.

I think that most of the general public are well aware of the BBC's political leanings, and this is reflected in the huge drop in TV licences, year on year, despite a growing population.

I ditched the TV 19 years ago, as I didn't want to subsidise their liberal-left propaganda. Nor did I want to put a penny in their crisp salesman's wallet, or pay for Chris Packham to sneer at me in designer outdoor gear.

The BBC are so arrogant, and detached from reality, that the only way to make them change is to vote with your wallet - and not renew your TV licence.

[PeteS]

I'm not going to have a political debate on here - I've seen where that ends up far too often! However, I find it odd that nearly everyone you speak to believes that the BBC is not impartial but also believe it is biased in polar opposites to their own political persuasion whichever end of the spectrum.
I guess a lot depends on the programs/presenters you watch but the days of impartiality are I'm afraid, long gone.

[Witton Park]

I'm not going to have a political debate on here - I've seen where that ends up far too often! However, I find it odd that nearly everyone you speak to believes that the BBC is not impartial but also believe it is biased in polar opposites to their own political persuasion whichever end of the spectrum.
I guess a lot depends on the programs/presenters you watch but the days of impartiality are I'm afraid, long gone.

There's a degree of truth in this, but that's probably because politics has changed and we no longer have traditional left and right.

There's a significant number of small "c" conservatives on the left, many in Labour or traditionally Labour and a significant number of progressive social democrats particularly in the Commons for the Tories and the higher echelons of the party.

I went to an evening with Lee Anderson just over a week ago. I made the point to him, that I (I'd call myself a Thatcherite) have far more in common with Paul Embery, a staunch unionist and Labour member than I do with Johnson, Sunak, Nokes, Hunt....

We have seeing a "uniparty" develop in the Commons over the last 25 years, with many MPs out of tune with their membership on both sides and an establishment around them that mirrors that.

[Witton Park]

It's interesting that no one on here has come out yet for Lineker.

I do.

Free speech within the law should be a right in whatever job, with few exceptions, and I don't believe a sports presenter should have to stay out of politics in the same way as perhaps a political presenter like Andrew Nail when at the BBC, or a judge.

Employers should be allowed to assess the likes of Lineker at contract renewal and replace if they feel they need less "drama" or renew if they are happy.

Likewise employees such as Lineker can move to other platforms if they feel they are being restricted.

But that right of free speech, and the right to offend or upset within the law should extend to all. Clarkson, Lineker, and the welder from Burnley that flew the banner over the Etihad.

Unfortunately the Lineker supporters coming out publicly to defend free speech, are the same that called for Clarkson to be sacked, and Lineker piled in to the Burnley welder.

That cherry-picking approach to defending free speech could come back to bite him.

[anthonykay]

It's interesting that no one on here has come out yet for Lineker.

I support his right to say what he said, and not be sacked for it. I am just really disappointed that he spoiled a good message with too much hyperbole.

[Mike T]

I strongly support Lineker but I accept that whether he has broken his contract/breached BBC guidelines and whether his tweet was appropriate are both subjective.

I see the Auschwitz Memorial Museum supports him.