truth will out
OK, let’s not beat around the bush, Ukip’s MEP (an oxymoron if ever there was one) for Yorkshire and the Humber, the right honourable Godfrey Bloom, is an idiot. Following his now infamous ‘Bongo-Bongo Land’ outburst I also find him facetious and disingenuous. Billing himself as some quasi mouthpiece for middle England, why didn’t he have the tenacity to follow through and explain to us all exactly where was he referring to? Even I, as the archetypal libertarian, know that Bongo-Bongo land is a derisory term levelled at the third world, specifically Africa and certain parts of the Asian continent. Choosing not to blatantly state who he was snidely referring to, and hiding behind a mealy-mouthed explanation that no-such place exists and therefore he wasn’t accusing anyone in particular, further condemns the man in my eyes. Simply an idiot.
I have to admit I love it when the racists and bigots within our society are unequivocally shown to be such. We only need to think back to the BNP leader, Nick Griffith’s Question Time appearance, or Bloom’s boss Nigel Farage’s brilliantly orchestrated visit North of the Border! My oh my, another couple of idiots. And bigots. It would appear that our democracy is alive and kicking when all we need to do is give these individuals suitable air-time and the opportunity of putting their collective feet in mouths invariably presents itself. Hey presto, job done!
Sadly it isn’t always as easy in several of our European partners. We may all laugh heartily at Silvio Berlusconi’s bunga-bunga parties but let’s ensure we don’t find the racist abuse aimed at Congolese-born Cecile Kyenge, Italy’s first cabinet minister, that funny. “When I see her I can’t but think of an orangutan” mused the Northern League’s senior politician, Roberto Calderoli. Yep, you heard that correctly. If it were possible, one Northern League councillor, Dolores Valandro, went even further by asking “Why doesn’t someone rape Kyenge so she can understand what victims of atrocious crimes feel?” And Cecile’s response? Brilliantly, she told them to just grow up. Priceless.
