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Thatcher Agent Wants BBC Apology

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BBC News, February 4, 2009

Carol Thatcher’s agent has demanded an apology from the BBC after the former Prime Minister’s daughter was axed from working as a reporter on The One Show.

The decision was made after Thatcher referred to a tennis player as a “golliwog” backstage during filming.

Ali Gunn told radio station TalkSport that it was “absolutely outrageous” that her client’s conversation had been leaked to the public.

“They should be issuing us with an apology,” she said.

Thatcher was dropped as a contributor to The One Show on Tuesday night after talks with BBC bosses.

‘Fulsome apology’

However, the 55-year-old has not been banned from the BBC as a whole.

The corporation said it had hoped Thatcher would issue an unconditional apology but she had declined to do so.

Ms Gunn claimed she knew the identity of the person who had leaked the conversation, but declined to name them.

“Obviously they know what their agenda is and there is certainly an agenda behind this,” she said.

“I would like to say that this comment was made in jest afterwards in the green room over a drink and no-one objected to it at the time.

“I think it’s absolutely outrageous that the BBC has condoned this leak.

“They haven’t even disciplined the member of staff and frankly we issued a fulsome apology that was rejected by them. But they should be issuing us with an apology.

“I would say that if her name were not Thatcher we wouldn’t be talking.”

Her profile has been removed from the show’s website, which once described her “self-deprecating wit and tenacious spirit”.

Crowned queen of the jungle in the 2005 series of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, Thatcher was employed as roving reporter to file on a wide variety of issues.

Original article

(Posted on February 4, 2009)


Thatcher Axed by BBC’s One Show

BBC News, February 4, 2009

Carol Thatcher will no longer work on The One Show after being reported for making an off-air remark, the BBC has announced.

The daughter of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher referred to a tennis player as a “golliwog” backstage during filming of the BBC One programme.

However, the 55-year-old will not be banned from the BBC as a whole.

The corporation said it had hoped Thatcher would issue an unconditional apology but she had declined to do so.

Her spokesman told The Times she made the remark in a conversation with the show’s presenter Adrian Chiles back stage and it was “meant as a joke”.

“Carol never intended any racist comment,” he said.

“She made a light aside about this tennis player and his similarity to the golliwog on the jam pot when she was growing up.

“There’s no way, obviously, that she would condone any racist comment—we would refute that entirely. It would not be in her nature to do anything like that.

“It is disgusting that we’ve had a leak of private conversations in the green room—the BBC has more leaks than Thames Water.

“Carol is mortified that anyone should take offence at a silly joke. She has summarily apologised.”

According to press reports, the comment was made during a conversation about the Australian Open tennis tournament, in reference to a player who had recently been knocked out of the men’s singles draw.

The BBC called speculation that Thatcher was referring to Andy Murray “wholly innaccurate”, adding she was definitely talking about a black tennis player. It declined to name the athlete.

Apology sought

The corporation said it considers any language of a racist nature “wholly unacceptable”.

BBC arts correspondent David Sillito said the row was about “what is and what is not acceptable to say in a workplace”.

He added: “People were upset by what she said in the green room and they complained.

“We understand she has not made the unconditional apology that they sought, and as a consequence of that, her position on The One Show is no longer tenable.

“As far as we understand she believes that it wasn’t racist, it was meant in jest.”

Conservative peer Lord Tebbit questioned the BBC’s decision.

“It does seem very odd that Jonathan Ross can be back broadcasting having made obscene, insulting remarks on the air, and Carol Thatcher, who said something which is allegedly highly offensive but which I rather doubt was meant to be so, in private, should be banned in this way,” he said.

“It is probably a bit of a way for the BBC to get back at Carol’s mother.”

Original article

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Comments

1 — Graham R wrote at 6:10 PM on February 4:

If you work for the British Broadcasting Conspiracy one must expect KGB like tactics. They will always have their PC spies out & about to ensure freedom of speech is eliminated.

2 — SouthernJew wrote at 6:49 PM on February 4:

The Iron Lady was a dear and noble champion of the Right, and it seems likely to me that the ultra left-leaning BBC was probably willing to use any pretext it could to give her the axe. Shame on the BBC.

3 — Anonymous wrote at 6:52 PM on February 4:

Those cute little Golliwog dolls were favorite playthings for Carol Thatcher’s age group. She obviously hasn’t kept up with the times. What was welcomed and loved 50 years ago is now politically uncorrect. At least the Africans haven’t condemmed her to death as the muslims often do to those who irritate their oh so delicate sensitivities and sensibilities.

4 — Anonymous wrote at 7:27 PM on February 4:

“The corporation said it considers any language of a racist nature wholly unacceptable”.

This coming after complaints about comments by Prince Harry.

Now that they are the establishment in Britain, the Marxist-socialists are enforcing their thought control, just as Orwell predicted.

5 — June wrote at 2:07 AM on February 5:

What the hell is a “golliwog?” Oops…going back, I see that it’s a doll. Is that bad? I played with Shirley Temple dolls as a child. I’d love to have been mistaken for that curly-haired little tap dancer! If that’s all jolly old England has to worry about, good for them.

6 — Iain, UK wrote at 6:27 AM on February 5:

“Those cute little Golliwog dolls were favorite playthings for Carol Thatcher’s age group. She obviously hasn’t kept up with the times.”

Incorrect. The golliwog was only removed from jars of Robertson’s jam as recently as 2001/2. Even the left didn’t seem to be unduly concerned about it - until, that is, Margaret Thatcher’s daughter used the word.

7 — Kenelm Digby wrote at 6:43 AM on February 5:

Of course this is the same BBC which broadcast ‘The Black and White Minstrel Show’ (its highest rated show ever), continuosly from 1958 to 1978.

8 — Yorkshireman wrote at 10:07 AM on February 5:

So there was no public outrage as non-one knew about it. Just the army of dark hooded aliens embedded within the BBC on permanent ‘White Christian English’ newspeak watch reporting on anything which could be construed as ‘offensive’. Meanwhile, ITV had thousands of complaints because a soccer match at 0-0 went into extra time to resolve the game but a commercial break was aired over the final deciding goal. So, goals or golliwogs? This ‘celebration of cutural diversity’ has run it’s course. It’s about time to recover Excalibur from the lake and use it to re-establish England for the English. First to go must be our scottish government, although they have left very little for us to work with and we have to first sweep aside the dregs of african and pakistan which drain us of our culture and assets.

9 — John H wrote at 12:50 PM on February 5:

Golliwogs are still very much part of British life, I bought one from a local newsagent just a year ago.

10 — fred wrote at 4:31 PM on February 5:

once again, a private comment becomes a center of attention. certainly, not the kind of thing one would say in public. but then she wasnt really in public was she? i wonder how many of those BBC execs have said the same or worse about blacks? or whites? i guess it all really depends on which side of the iron curtain one is on.

11 — Rab the Ranter wrote at 8:50 PM on February 5:

Yorkshireman said:

“First to go must be our scottish government”.

As a Scot, I agree they must go, and should, in my opinion, be tried for treason, but please spare us this “scottish government” nonsense.

They are *not* a “Scottish government”, hell-bent on destroying England by way of revenge, as some of the more paranoid “Little Englanders” seem to believe. They are a Communist government, obsessed with globalism and international Marxism.

We are either in this together as indigenous “British” or we are lost. England can not and will not “go it alone” against the EUSSR.

12 — Anonymous wrote at 8:58 PM on February 5:

Yorkshireman, get over the “Scottish” (note the capitalization) government thing.

The current ZaNu-Labour “government” are died in the wool Communists and are comprised of people of both Scottish and English ethnic origin.

United we stand, divided we fall.

13 — A Mayer wrote at 6:42 PM on February 6:

It seems Miss Thatcher uttered the proscribed word twice. A Scottish caller to a radio station went one better, despite a warning that the word would not be tolerated. He said ‘About this golliwog incident. I asked a West Indian friend (murmured approval from the presenter) if I could call him a ***** golliwog? ‘Of course’ my friend agreed, I could’
the Scot continued. And now I always greet him - ‘Hello you old golliwog’. There was a shocked silence before the presenter struggled to speak, saying ‘That was disgusting. I will not allow that word’.

A storm in a teacup, yes, but it is good to see the rules of political correctness contravened.

14 — Graham of Wales wrote at 10:30 AM on February 7:

The race-ophobism continues unabated….Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of BBC motoring show ‘Top Gear’, referred to the British Prime Minister as, “A one-eyed Scottish idiot”.
During debate concerning ‘Gollygate’ on Jonathan Bumblingbee’s, BBC radio program ‘Question Time’, the term, “Scottish” was also classed as being racist.
I just hope that no one refers to me as being Welsh….what’s Clever-Trevor-Phillips & The Race-Industry’s phone number??


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