Bernie Ecclestone is the latest victim of the new McCarthyites | News & Politics | News & Comment

we might ask what on earth do his views on Hitler, Saddam and the Taliban and the merits of different political systems, have to do with his stewardship of Formula One?

Ecclestone caved into the pressure and issued toe-curling apologies to the Times newspaper and the Jewish Chronicle, where, despite having expressed no support for Hitler's persecution of Jews in his original interview, he nevertheless felt obliged to state: "Most of my mates are Jewish people, I spoke to two or three very prominent people today, Jewish people. One of them said to me, 'Bernie, you're more Jewish than all of my friends'."

In 2007, it was pop star and former art student Bryan Ferry's fate to experience the wrath of the new McCarthyites for praising the iconography of the Third Reich, in an interview with a German newspaper.

In the furore which followed, Ferry was pressurised, like Ecclestone, into issuing an apology, in which he made it clear that he, like every "right-minded individual" regarded the Nazi regime "evil and abhorrent". "I trust that he will never make the same mistake again", said the former Labour MP Lord Janner, ominously.

Since the Hoddle

Glenn Hoddle paid the price for expressing his beliefs, even though they had nothing to do with football

affair, it has become increasingly common for people to have their livelihoods threatened for expressing opinions which are at variance with the officially approved positions.

Last December, PC Graham Cogman, despite fifteen years of service, was sacked for his opposition to gay sex. An NHS nurse, Caroline Petrie, was suspended for two months because she offered to pray for a elderly patient.

David Booker, a charity worker in Southampton, was suspended under 'diversity' rules after telling a colleague, during an informal night-shift discussion, that although he was not homophobic, he did not agree with same-sex partnerships. And Treasury civil servant Azad Ali was suspended for views he had expressed on Middle Eastern conflicts on his blog - though he has since been reinstated.

It could reasonably be said that at no point in Britain's recent history has expressing honestly-held opinions been such a high risk activity as it is today.

Due to the pervasive influence of political correctness, the efforts of vociferous single-issue lobbies and pressure groups and the passing of illiberal laws which infringe freedom of speech - such as the Racial and Religious Hatred Act of 2006, we are fast approaching the stage when only views within the officially approved parameters can be voiced without fear of comeback. And the parameters are getting smaller and smaller.

In the Britain of 2009, don't express disapproval of gay partnerships or you may be labelled a homophobe - or, in the case of David Booker, be suspended from your job. Don't criticise Israel too strongly or you run the risk of being labelled an anti-semite. Don't express a belief in reincarnation and the concept of karma. Don't say that you disapprove of contemporary 'democracy' and admire some dictators. And whatever you do, don't appear to offer a sliver of even grudging respect for any aspect of Nazi Germany, even the art-work.

Democracy should mean encouraging people to voice opinions freely and without fear. And it certainly shouldn't mean only being allowed to express opinions which the political elite or certain lobbies and pressure groups deem to be 'acceptable'.

Although the interventions of clowns like Tony Blair and Denis MacShane make the whole thing seem ridiculous and amusing, the sight of politicians coming on to our television screens to call for the heads of sporting figures for expressing their honestly-held opinions/the 'wrong' views, constitutes a threat to our freedoms which is in fact extremely serious.

FIRST POSTED JULY 7, 2009

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Aren't you getting just as carried away as those you are criticising? Surely the most important elements of this story are: 1. This man obviously considers himself so important that he can make idiotic statements like that 2. If he is apparently stupid enough to make comment such as this then he shouldn't be trusted with anything important. He is quite short though I suppose!

Posted by Tony Platt at 9:26am on July 8, 2009

Agree 100% with the article, the PC chatterati have a lot to answer for, and are the closest thing we have to fascists. Muslims were quick to jump on the anti-semitic bandwagon and start shouting loudly about islamophobia whenever anyone voiced criticism of Islam just as Jews do where Israel is concerned. And no, I don't think the author got carried away, he makes some good points about the growing power of the vociferous PC bullies. They also shout down any criticism of immigration or 'multiculturalism' as racist, and are basically against free speech if they don't agree with what is said. Sounds like a fascist, walks like a fascist, smells like a fascist... must be a fascist.

Posted by Peter Simmons at 10:21am on July 8, 2009

Excellent article...Britain is no longer a country which is free and fair. There is no aspect of our lives that the government doesn't want to touch and control. But it's an irony that whenever something like this comes up, it's hard to stand tall with the protagonist

Posted by Nick Bowman at 10:21am on July 8, 2009

To me, MacShane has always come across with a 'sneering' attitude. He first came to my notice when he was Minister for Europe.... and really got my back up. 'Sanctimonious' is too kind a description.

Posted by Alan Butcher at 10:32am on July 8, 2009

Tony Pratt - it is you who miss the whole point. I, like Mr. Ecclestone (and you presumably), consider it my right to make my views known. Of course you may consider them idiotic from your perspective. But unless you support your argument, it is a useless and fascistic contribution. Your last sentence exposes your lack of consideration and warped 'wit' - shallowness that is unfortunately so common nowadays.

Posted by BRYAN BESTWICK at 11:02am on July 8, 2009

Where were the PC bridgade when a bunch of banner welding muslims were insulting our troops whilst marching through Luton . These people have made our country the laughing stock of the world and as my father and many other like him died in the second world war defending free speech i think it a disgrace that one member of an organisation (McShane) that has been fleecing the British tax payers of thousands of pounds has the nerve to get his head out of the trough of public money to critise others !! We should adopt the Australian Government's approach to this PC nonsense .

Posted by terry wilson at 2:28pm on July 8, 2009

By all means disagree with someone's opinions. Counter them, argue with them, rebut them. Jump up and down on your soapbox. Shout as loud as you like. But threaten someone's livelihood, or even worse, carry out that threat, then you're a bully, plain and simple. And in our enlightened society we don't tolerate bullies. Do we?

Posted by iforget at 3:53pm on July 8, 2009

Thank God I'm retired,I can say anything I bloody well want to, so there. PC is EVIL.

Posted by ROBERT BOYD at 4:30pm on July 8, 2009

Mr Butcher - you rather undermine your sneering points by the 5th form misspelling of my name and the peculiar use of fascistic! My point, that I think you missed, was that people in prominent positions such as Mr Ecclestone have rather more of a duty of responsibility to be careful what they say than us mere mortals. This is not a matter of PC gone mad but rather someone in a position of power assuming they can say anything about anyone without proper thought or consideration. Political correctness is ridiculous posturing but thinking before you speak is actually common sense and shows a little more respect for others.

Posted by Tony Platt at 8:41pm on July 8, 2009

Adolf Hiler did get things done. He was an amazing strategist and a great orator. And he was also a head case who was not put away. A very sick man. Insane in fact. No one in the right mind would kill millions of people in camps especially set up for that purpose.

Posted by don roberts at 10:09pm on July 8, 2009

The excesses of political correctness are execrable. The basic rule was taught to us all at early age, however, if we were fortunate enough to have mothers who taught us to be aware of the feelings of others. In the case of Mr Ecclestone, you do not mention the recent embarrassment that Max Mosely (another prime mover in the sport) caused when his predilection for dressing in Nazi garb and playing Sado-Masochistic sex games with prostitutes was made headline news. So perhaps those who follow the greatest form of motor sport--as I do--were sensitized, shall we say. Frankly, Bernies stupid remark did seem to call for an apology, if you ask me.

Posted by John McCann at 1:37am on July 9, 2009

So according to the author I should be able to walk into a theatre and scream out "Fire" at the top of my lungs??? I don't think so>>>

Posted by sean@oz at 5:56am on July 9, 2009

Hitler used forced labour to build roads, improve agriculture and industry. Forced labour killed tens of thousands through hard work, poor food and accommodation and no health or education facilities. That is before the millions murdered in the camps - jews, gypsies, mentally ill, disabled, elderly and infirm. To compare people who do not want Hitler lovers to have public access to support fascist views with McCarthyism is a form of fascism itself. Neil Clark clearly needs to read some history or while he can - go and speak with some of few survivors from Nazi camps to see whether their experiences compare to losing your job as a film actor in Los Angeles in the 1950s. 'Poppycock' is the politest word to sum up Clark defending the indefensible.

Posted by Philip Gosling at 11:31am on July 9, 2009

There is a saying" Just because you are paranoid,does not mean you have NO enemies" !! In a similar vein," Just because peoplecome out and(shout down)someones views does not mean they haven't a case! Herr Hitler had NO redeeming qualitys, get it, NOT ONE. he should have taken a leaf out of his own playbook and had himself knocked on the head at Birth...The world would surely have been a better place!!!!

Posted by Seanofaus at 6:49am on July 10, 2009

Surely the issue here is not whether Herr Hitler had any redeeming features and certainly not the holocaust (which, by the way, accounted for many non-Jewish lives as well), but the gradual curtailing of freedom of speech. While it is seemingly fine for the p.c.left to shout their mouths off, what right does anyone have to censure any opposing views? Neither does this have anything even remotely to do with Mr Ecclestone's suitability for his job. Go on Bernie. Tell it as you see it. 'Offensive' language is a cyclical and ephemeral thing. Some years ago one would have been vilified for uttering the word 'damn', more recently the word 'fuck' would have had one ostracised from polite' society. Now it's "bitch', 'nigger' etc.etc.etc. All this will pass. Maybe next it will be 'donkey' or 'wallpaper' or some such inanity. Long live freedom of speech for without it we return post haste to the dark ages!

Posted by Roddy Steele at 10:22am on July 11, 2009

It's a myth that totalitarian regimes are efficient in anything but censoring the evidence of their innefficiency. In the last resort democracy ran circles around fascism and communism. If Hitler had been 'efficient' he wouldn't have forced the major theorist of atomic power into the hands of his enemies. I'm not sure what PC has to do with it. BE's remarks were simply stupid. F1 is in such a mess it needs someone smarter in charge.

Posted by Sibadd at 11:12am on July 13, 2009

I have to say that I was rather surprised that Bernie Ecclestone's innocuous and what many consider true comments raised such ire. Perhaps this why not an insignificant number of us cock a snoop at what we consider over rated western democracy. Y.M. Agble

Posted by Yolande Agble at 11:25pm on July 19, 2009

Um....hello everyone. One point of history. Adolf Hitler was NOT mad, insane, or anything related to it. He had a purpose, a deep belief and conviction; he acted on it with devilish efficacy. Was he wrong? Yes. Was he evil? Hell, yes. Was he insane? Any cursory purview of the history of his time proves to the contrary.

Posted by Irene at 5:12am on July 21, 2009

There is a fine line between freedom of speech and the politically correct notion of not saying anything to offend "others" (Muslims, blacks, the disabled, Jews, Catholics, Liverpudlians etc etc). Freedom of speech is one of the main hard won rights of western style democracy, and indeed one of its main safeguards. It seems fascist and intolerant to force people to apologise for their opinions or risk their livlihood, when those opinions are unrelated to their suitability or ability to do their job. These views should be debated openly and can, in an environment of freedom, be ridiculed, if worthy of that! We should perhaps, when making a judgement about these issues ALWAYS err slightly in favour of the more important of the two principles ie Freedom of Speech versus Causing Offence to vocal lobby groups or oft ill informed "public outrage"

Posted by maurice fahmy at 4:20pm on August 12, 2009