angelneptustar

angie · @angelneptustar

2nd Mar 2015 from TwitLonger

Boris's article on Mugabe - any racism?


@joetendai @LyndsayBurtonsh @KalabashMedia
As I explained on twitter, the first 3 paras describe his absolute horror at slaughter of wild animals. Boris's father Stanley is a leading animal activist, Pres. of Tiger Society, climbed Himalayas to save the tigers. Entire Johnson family loathe cruelty to animals. Only last week Stanley Johnson presented petition at No. 10 to release all circus anmals.So I fail to see what is racist about protecting animals, and dig that boris would find this behaviour acceptable in whites is prejudiced. The patronising assumption that Boris would not object to BRITISH Lion trophies, completely wrong.

The remark about Tusker lager is a minor error, hardly racist though.

"The people are so badly malnourished that one in three children is physically stunted, according to the UN. If you go there you see the ravages of HIV" This is FACT. HIV might be better, but to say country is ravaged by HIV is fair comment. You are wrong to think that Boris would not tell unpalatable truths about European countries, he certainly would. There is huge defensiveness in the writer's attitude.

Boris is equally blunt about Britain. You read the description of Tony Blair? Hardly flattering was it? We are not spared. ".....Britain played a shameful part in the disaster. Readers will remember the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement..."

Boris makes no attempt to justify colonialism, because that is not what the article is about. It's about the obscene slaughter of wild animals at Mugabe's morally reprehensible birthday party, the disgusting display of wealth when the country is so poor. it is about the betrayal by the Lab. gov. of the white community because they ditched the Lancaster House Agreement.

The writer says "Boris is "getting them( his readers) all pumped up on patriotism!" You must be kidding! His contempt for Blair is plain.

I'm awfully sorry, but my feeling is the writer is indulging his own prejudices in this criticism. He has no understanding of Boris or his writing, known for blunt honesty no matter whar colour, creed or race the subject is. This is the man who described Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg as David Cameron's condom! He described Hillary Clinton as reminding him of a nurse in a mental hospital, with steely blue eyes and pouty lips! Who hurled ashtrays at Bill like frisbees! (Awkward when he met her, but he survived.)

The blistering honesty exhibited in this article is displayed in everything he writes. nobody is spared. In fairness, the writer of the rebuttal makes many wrong assumptions. For years I was involved with a White South African and he was always saying Zimbabwe was riddled with HIV, his views of Mugabe unprintable. I must be honest and say, I find not one trace of racism in this article and if you accept that Boris comes from a family of passionate animal activists, it does put a totally different complexion on his article. regards, angela

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