thecrashingisles Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/13/peter-tatchell-snubbed-students-free-speech-veteran-gay-rights-activist The emails from the officer of the National Union of Students were unequivocal. Fran Cowling, the unions lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) representative, said that she would not share a stage with a man whom she regarded as having been racist and transphobic. That the man in question is Peter Tatchell one of the countrys best-known gay rights campaigners, who next year celebrates his 50th year as an activist is perhaps a mark of how fractured the debate on free speech and sexual politics has become. In the emails, sent to the organisers of a talk at Canterbury Christ Church University on Monday on the topic of re-radicalising queers, Cowling refuses an invitation to speak unless Tatchell, who has also been invited, does not attend. In the emails she cites Tatchells signing of an open letter in the Observer last year in support of free speech and against the growing trend of universities to no-platform people, such as Germaine Greer, for holding views with which they disagree. Cowling claims the letter supports the incitement of violence against transgender people. She also made an allegation against him of racism or of using racist language. Tatchell told the Observer that the incident was yet another example of a witch-hunting, accusatory atmosphere symptomatic of a decline in open debate on some university campuses. The latest person to get the Germaine Greer treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARTINX9 Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Who would you rather hear speak - Tatchell or Fran Cowling. Seems Tatchell's crime was to defend freedom of speech - not saying anything himself. Frankly we need to oppose the sort of fascism Fran Cowling stands for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Fran Cowling clearly needs rattled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Students "collectively" are utter wonk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Who would you rather hear speak - Tatchell or Fran Cowling. Seems Tatchell's crime was to defend freedom of speech - not saying anything himself. Frankly we need to oppose the sort of fascism Fran Cowling stands for. Exactly. I guess she wasn't born when her sort drove my generation of students to disaffiliate from the NUS altogether, despite the loss of NUS-card bribes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 The country's future - frightening isn't it? We have got to a point were minority views have far too much prominence and sway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybong Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Taking no sides but it all sounds very kangeroo courtish by all sides with nobody listening to what anybody else has to say. A bit like the corporates and othe bureaucracries behave. Probably best to steer well clear of the lot of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 The country's future - frightening isn't it? We have got to a point were minority views have far too much prominence and sway. The majority views are depressing enough most of the time too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 The country's future - frightening isn't it? We have got to a point were minority views have far too much prominence and sway. It's called "democracy"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 The ultra left lost the actual political argument decades ago so now tries to get its way by stopping the debate from happening at all. When wondering who exactly were the people who ran the concentration camps in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany or who now fight for ISIS now or who tortured people during the Spanish Inquisition or burned witches in middle ages and so on, the answer is easy, it's the kind of people you often find running extremist groups like the NUS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dances with sheeple Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 That not wanting to put a slogan on a cake with icing got to court says a lot about how far society has fallen IMO. Couldn`t the baker just have shown the customer how to use the icing applicator or whatever it is and sold/lent them one, then they could have written anything they want? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 But, just to add, the NUS hasn't actually banned him, and the talk will go head it seems. What's happened is that one of the comrades has refused to share a platform with him because she seems to think he's a bigot of some sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormymonday_2011 Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Unlike the NUS Tatchell has shown some genuine guts in defending his views to the extent he has suffered a number of beatings. I wonder how committed most of the NUS would be if they had to confront the same thing. You probably would not see them for dust is my suspicion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 OK, I've got it figured out. Looking at his Twitter feed he's clearly Islamophobic: Peter Tatchell @PeterTatchell Feb 12 .@CEMB_forum Muslim Labour councillors 'sabotaged & blocked Muslim women from standing for election' http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/muslim-labour-councillors-sabotaged-blocked-10850672 … via @NatSecSoc View summary 10 retweets2 likes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 The NUS has been in loony left territory since at least the seventies, I didn't know a single person at college with any involvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Students "collectively" are utter wonk! Are you calling me "utter wonk", Pinny? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Are you calling me "utter wonk", Pinny? Fight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Fight! I'm wearing undepants with skulls on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Executive Sadman Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 But, just to add, the NUS hasn't actually banned him, and the talk will go head it seems. What's happened is that one of the comrades has refused to share a platform with him because she seems to think he's a bigot of some sort. So, basically, her policy is to run away in the face of supposed bigotry, rather than challenge it. And she's the LGBT rep?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XswampyX Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 So, basically, her policy is to run away in the face of supposed bigotry, rather than challenge it. And she's the LGBT rep?! While claiming the moral high ground! What does she want an open discussion or a sermon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 So, basically, her policy is to run away in the face of supposed bigotry, rather than challenge it. And she's the LGBT rep?! That seems to be about the sum of it, yes! I think, give or take, the reasoning is that anything she doesn't agree with is bigotry but that someone can be as bigoted as they like so long as they aren't white, male and middle class. So, her immediate reaction to Tatchell, who I suspect she was too dumb to know anything about, was just her usual one. When the collective left wing echo chamber of Twitter replied with 'er, do what?' she then had no choice but to vanish in a puff of logic. Don't worry though, she'll be back in a few years as a Labour front bencher to amuse and entertain us all further, there's a very well trodden route from the NUS executive to there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XswampyX Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Hoisted by his own petard... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 While claiming the moral high ground! What does she want an open discussion or a sermon? She wants everyone to do exactly as she says without discussion or argument because either of those might infringe her safe space. She also wants as much ice cream as she can eat, absolutely no broccoli, not to have to go to bed at 9 o'clock, not to have to do her homework and the latest iPhone on an unlimited plan (paid for by someone else of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XswampyX Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 That's the one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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