Article Published in Country Squire Magazine
Some years ago, a colleague of mine was interviewing prospective undergraduates for entrance to Cambridge. He had just finished the interviews for ASNC (Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic) - yes, there is such a subject – when the telephone rang. It was the Admissions Tutor at one of the most prestigious, ancient Colleges that make up the University of Cambridge: “We need a Black. Do you have any?”, asked the Tutor.
I don’t recount this anecdote which did the rounds of the Senior Common Room to implicate anyone. I couldn’t give a fig for the gentleman’s political incorrectness. I mention it because readers should understand to what extent the insidious DEI ideology has infiltrated every aspect of public life in Britain. It is no different when it comes to Britain’s elite universities and to some degree, this is sadly how Oxbridge Admissions (and certainly Faculty hires) works now.
One is reminded of this anecdote following the absolutely abhorrent comments made by George Abaraonye, the Oxford Union President-elect, in the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination in Utah last week. Charlie was a remarkable and extremely brave advocate for the freedom of speech – one of the most effective we have ever seen. He was kind, courteous, eloquent and willing to debate anyone irrespective of their views. On hearing of Charlie’s death, George posted a series of public comments which were frankly beyond the pale including: “Charlie got shot. Let’s f***ing go”. With Kirk in mind, George Abaraonye wrote: “They should – and they must – be taken down, by any means necessary. They are cancers in society!”.
Had he been white, he would perhaps have been arrested for hate speech since this surely fulfils the definition. Instead, he found the support of the Far Left Establishment who seem to think violence is acceptable when confronted with someone who holds a different opinion. We used to think of the political space being divided up roughly between Conservatives and Liberals, but it seems to me it is now more a case of Good and Evil. George had recently debated Charlie Kirk at the Oxford Union and was now publicly celebrating the cold-blooded murder of this kind-hearted father and husband. And he was certainly not alone in doing so – news channels were busy hosting Leftist academic nut-jobs in the US who chose to justify his assassination. It is surely not surprising that so many people around the world with an ounce of decent Christian values are enraged.
It soon came to light that George who debates well-known public figures dressed like a failed gangster (oh, how standards have collapsed at the Union!), is a DEI hire. Nowadays and after twenty years of absurd grade inflation, ABB at A-level might get you a place to read Women’s studies at Plymouth, but not PPE at Oxford – the degree that runs Britain and other parts of the world. Had he have been white, he would unquestionably have been ‘desummoned’, i.e. not invited for interview. Instead, he enjoyed the fruits of what can only be described as ‘corruption’ and now we are left to see what a mistake his admission was. The truth of the matter is that scores of better qualified, white British school-leavers are overlooked each year to make way for ethnic minorities who would otherwise have little chance of being accepted at the top universities in Britain. Are parents aware of this? And all because Mr Abaraonye’s namesake was mishandled by a policeman in America five years ago. This is the absurdity of twenty-first century Britain – a two-tier society where ethnic minorities and migrants are given a ‘special’ fetishized status and are allowed to flaunt it Scot free.
Following this disgusting debacle, I received a great number of messages from people around the world asking me how this is possible. Many were incredulous, incredulous that the Oxford Union intends to do nothing to salvage its reputation. Friends, colleagues and acquaintances wanted to know how it was possible that such an individual could be accepted for the most prestigious degree at the world’s most prestigious university and be elected to be President of such a famous debating chamber. How could it be that such a pre-eminent institution could fall so low in electing someone who promotes violence over debate? Unlike those living in foreign climes and well apart from the identity politics that continue to scar Britain, the answers to these questions are of course well-known to our readers.
That aside, my hope is that Charlie Kirk’s memory will be honoured in a fashion appropriate to his extraordinary achievements. We should be erecting statues and naming squares in his name, and not those of George Floyd. Charlie’s murder, streamed online, was terrifying, but advocates for freedom of speech must now unite and be even more outspoken than they have been previously. Charlie’s death should be our clarion call. His murder should make us stronger, and that I am sure would have been his wish. It might be tempting to cower in the wake of the likes of George Abarayone and his evil-minded counterparts who can be found on any university campus, but the haters who aspire to a society devoid of viewpoint diversity must never be allowed to win. The Leftists describe Charlie Kirk and those like him as “people who divide us”. This should be understood for what it is: thinly veiled authoritarianism. And it must never be welcomed on the shores of Blighty.
Some years ago, a colleague of mine was interviewing prospective undergraduates for entrance to Cambridge. He had just finished the interviews for ASNC (Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic) - yes, there is such a subject – when the telephone rang. It was the Admissions Tutor at one of the most prestigious, ancient Colleges that make up the University of Cambridge: “We need a Black. Do you have any?”, asked the Tutor.
I don’t recount this anecdote which did the rounds of the Senior Common Room to implicate anyone. I couldn’t give a fig for the gentleman’s political incorrectness. I mention it because readers should understand to what extent the insidious DEI ideology has infiltrated every aspect of public life in Britain. It is no different when it comes to Britain’s elite universities and to some degree, this is sadly how Oxbridge Admissions (and certainly Faculty hires) works now.
One is reminded of this anecdote following the absolutely abhorrent comments made by George Abaraonye, the Oxford Union President-elect, in the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination in Utah last week. Charlie was a remarkable and extremely brave advocate for the freedom of speech – one of the most effective we have ever seen. He was kind, courteous, eloquent and willing to debate anyone irrespective of their views. On hearing of Charlie’s death, George posted a series of public comments which were frankly beyond the pale including: “Charlie got shot. Let’s f***ing go”. With Kirk in mind, George Abaraonye wrote: “They should – and they must – be taken down, by any means necessary. They are cancers in society!”.
Had he been white, he would perhaps have been arrested for hate speech since this surely fulfils the definition. Instead, he found the support of the Far Left Establishment who seem to think violence is acceptable when confronted with someone who holds a different opinion. We used to think of the political space being divided up roughly between Conservatives and Liberals, but it seems to me it is now more a case of Good and Evil. George had recently debated Charlie Kirk at the Oxford Union and was now publicly celebrating the cold-blooded murder of this kind-hearted father and husband. And he was certainly not alone in doing so – news channels were busy hosting Leftist academic nut-jobs in the US who chose to justify his assassination. It is surely not surprising that so many people around the world with an ounce of decent Christian values are enraged.
It soon came to light that George who debates well-known public figures dressed like a failed gangster (oh, how standards have collapsed at the Union!), is a DEI hire. Nowadays and after twenty years of absurd grade inflation, ABB at A-level might get you a place to read Women’s studies at Plymouth, but not PPE at Oxford – the degree that runs Britain and other parts of the world. Had he have been white, he would unquestionably have been ‘desummoned’, i.e. not invited for interview. Instead, he enjoyed the fruits of what can only be described as ‘corruption’ and now we are left to see what a mistake his admission was. The truth of the matter is that scores of better qualified, white British school-leavers are overlooked each year to make way for ethnic minorities who would otherwise have little chance of being accepted at the top universities in Britain. Are parents aware of this? And all because Mr Abaraonye’s namesake was mishandled by a policeman in America five years ago. This is the absurdity of twenty-first century Britain – a two-tier society where ethnic minorities and migrants are given a ‘special’ fetishized status and are allowed to flaunt it Scot free.
Following this disgusting debacle, I received a great number of messages from people around the world asking me how this is possible. Many were incredulous, incredulous that the Oxford Union intends to do nothing to salvage its reputation. Friends, colleagues and acquaintances wanted to know how it was possible that such an individual could be accepted for the most prestigious degree at the world’s most prestigious university and be elected to be President of such a famous debating chamber. How could it be that such a pre-eminent institution could fall so low in electing someone who promotes violence over debate? Unlike those living in foreign climes and well apart from the identity politics that continue to scar Britain, the answers to these questions are of course well-known to our readers.
That aside, my hope is that Charlie Kirk’s memory will be honoured in a fashion appropriate to his extraordinary achievements. We should be erecting statues and naming squares in his name, and not those of George Floyd. Charlie’s murder, streamed online, was terrifying, but advocates for freedom of speech must now unite and be even more outspoken than they have been previously. Charlie’s death should be our clarion call. His murder should make us stronger, and that I am sure would have been his wish. It might be tempting to cower in the wake of the likes of George Abarayone and his evil-minded counterparts who can be found on any university campus, but the haters who aspire to a society devoid of viewpoint diversity must never be allowed to win. The Leftists describe Charlie Kirk and those like him as “people who divide us”. This should be understood for what it is: thinly veiled authoritarianism. And it must never be welcomed on the shores of Blighty.
