Boris explodes: "I am furious"

Boris has reacted to Black leaders’ criticism in the New Nation newspaper of his use of language by printing a statement on his website.

In the statement Boris refers to the front page of the London Paper, which was headlined “BORIS BRANDED A RACIST”.  He says of these accusations “I am being accused of being a racist. I am furious.”

He refutes the claims that he has offended people with his comments by saying that he never intended to offend anyone.  He goes on to reprint in full his article praising rail privatisation, in which he refers to African people’s “water-melon” smiles.

But he doesn’t include any reference to some of the other comments he has made, which have caused offence too.  He doesn’t – for reasons unexplained – try to explain away his description of South Africa under Mandela as “the majority tyranny of Black rule”, his labelling of the Lawrence inquiry as “Orwellian”, or his comments that racism is “natural”.
ConservativeHome now has a thread of this row, with information about an Evening Standard article about Boris’ campaign.

Update [2007-12-14 4:39:44 by boriswatch]:

Boris isn't furious on his front page now, just reflective.  The full "I am furious" rant is now HERE.


Display: Sort:

Re: Boris explodes: "I am furious" (#1)

I didn't realise the picanninnies comment was a reference to the 1968 rivers of blood speech:

"'Eight years ago in a respectable street in Wolverhampton a house was sold to a Negro. Now only one white (a woman old-age pensioner) lives there. This is her story. She lost her husband and both her sons in the war. So she turned her seven-roomed house, her only asset, into a boarding house. She worked hard and did well, paid off her mortgage and began to put something by for her old age. Then the immigrants moved in. With growing fear, she saw one house after another taken over. The quiet street became a place of noise and confusion. Regretfully, her white tenants moved out.

'The day after the last one left, she was awakened at 7am by two Negroes who wanted to use her 'phone to contact their employer. When she refused, as she would have refused any stranger at such an hour, she was abused and feared she would have been attacked but for the chain on her door. Immigrant families have tried to rent rooms in her house, but she always refused. Her little store of money went, and after paying rates, she has less than £2 per week. She went to apply for a rate reduction and was seen by a young girl, who on hearing she had a seven-roomed house, suggested she should let part of it. When she said the only people she could get were Negroes, the girl said, "Racial prejudice won't get you anywhere in this country." So she went home.

'The telephone is her lifeline. Her family pay the bill, and help her out as best they can. Immigrants have offered to buy her house - at a price which the prospective landlord would be able to recover from his tenants in weeks, or at most a few months. She is becoming afraid to go out. Windows are broken. She finds excreta pushed through her letter box. When she goes to the shops, she is followed by children, charming, wide-grinning piccaninnies. They cannot speak English, but one word they know. "Racialist," they chant. When the new Race Relations Bill is passed, this woman is convinced she will go to prison. And is she so wrong? I begin to wonder.'"

Not that I ever considered voting for him, but I'm shocked that he did that.

Re: Boris explodes: "I am furious" (#2)

What he is really furious about is that he his true colours were  'exposed'..

He got his Victoria Street PR agency (Inhouse PR - http://www.inhouse-pr.co.uk/) to quickly rush out a press release on his anti-BNP EDM on Tueday ... which was itself introduced after the allegations in New Nation....

Re: Boris explodes: "I am furious" (#6)

I don't think you're really helping your argument here are you?


Also, please stop using racist slurs, even though they are said in jest. No Labour voter I know ever uses those words, so there's no reason for you to throw such an accusation.


The BNP certainly share more traits with the Tories than Labour or the LibDems. Sure, they might be economically socialist, but I don't think you get many voters turning to the BNP for economic reasons, do you?


Also, I don't like George Galloway, but he's not a facist. Your twisting of the English language could be taken straight from Orwell.

Re: Boris explodes: "I am furious" (#8)

You chose to marry into this family of racists so I guess you must sympathise with them in some way.

The BNP cannot ever win against the Tories. It's the Labour vote they're after. When Labour's in power, the National Front, BNP, SNP, whoever, all do well. When the Tories are in, they all fizzle.

I cannot believe the utter stupidity of those four sentences. I'll tell you now, the reason why the BNP support fizzles when the Tories are in power is because racists and homophobes see no reason to support the BNP as there are enough racists and homophobes in government already. Since the xenophobic Tories love placing illiberal laws on immigrants and shun any cooperation with Europe to make us the backward nation of the Continent then no racist will ever need to turn to the BNP in despair as they can find a common friend in the Conservative government.

People who support the BNP are generally racist, homophobic and authoritarian. The vast bulk of the Conservative party membership can be seen as the same.

Remember how nobody clapped at the Tory conference when Cameron said he supported civil partnerships?

Remember the Tory slogan "Want a n***** for a neighbour, vote Labour"?

Remember Section 28 - which most of today's Shadow Cabinet fully supported at the time.

Remember Baroness Warsi's campaign to get elected in Dewsbury where she ranted against gay couples adopting children.

Remember how David Cameron wrote the most right-wing, xenophobic Tory manifesto in 2005?

Remember how Thatcher blocked out the speeches by Gerry Adams causing the IRA to become more united than ever before.

Remember how Maggie's defence cuts led to the Argentinians invading the Falklands?

Remember how the Tories managed to reach unemployment of 3million, interest rates in double figures, inflation in double figures and successive recessions?

Remember how schools couldn't even afford text books under the Tories?

Remember how the NHS was strangled under Thatcher and people died because the waiting lists were so long and our hospitals resembled third-world countries?

Remember how Thatcher supported Apartheid South Africa and schmoozed up to General Pinochet?

Remember how Thatcher bribed policemen to go and beat the hell out of the miners whilst the government turned a blind eye?

Remember how David Davis supported capital punishment (and still does).

Remember the moral decline of our society when James Bulger was murdered and the pupils in Dunblane were massacred - symptomatic of Britain under a Tory government. And equally, remember that this is the first government since the second World War where crime is lower now than what it was when we came to power.

Remember Jonathan Aitken? David Mellor? Tim Yeo? Neil Hamilton? Geoffrey Archer? All lying, corrupt, dishonest men who are perfect examples of your average Tory.

Remember the sheer relief in 1997 when the Tories were kicked out of power and people celebrated up and down Britain as Labour came to government. People will remember that when they vote at the next general election.

Like elephants, the British people never forget. And they certainly won't be electing a bunch of elitist, neo-con, lying, incompetent, authoritarian, racist, homophobic, nationalist, small-minded, inward-looking, backwards Tories into power any time soon.

The Conservative party are an embarrassment to Britain. And I look forward to day when electoral reform is completed and we never have to see an ugly, shambolic Conservative government mis-ruling our country with an overall majority ever again.

Re: Boris explodes: "I am furious" (#9)

Given our recent history I don't think it particularly wise to bring up sleaze. Personally I wouldn't criticise the tories for being authoritarian when our beloved leader wants ID cards and to extend detention past 28 days.  

Re: Boris explodes: "I am furious" (#3)

Well well shock horror the BNP favorite story, I think you missed your aim this is a Labour party site, you will get applause from the BNP site.


Re: Boris explodes: "I am furious" (#4)

Whoops I see now thats the story about Boris for a minute I though I was reading the comment of somebody, until In recognized the speech.