Tommy Robinson to quit EDL

[bb21]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24442953

EDL leader Tommy Robinson quits group

English Defence League leader and founder Tommy Robinson has left the group, saying he has concerns over the "dangers of far-right extremism".

The EDL organises protests across the UK against "radical Islam".

Mr Robinson said it was still his aim to "counter Islamist ideology", although "not with violence but with better, democratic ideas".

Several senior figures have quit, but an EDL spokesman said the group "will not die because they're walking away".

He added that supporters would spend the next few weeks discussing how to proceed.

Ousted, or was that just a publicity stunt?

 

[Eagle]

Stephen C. Yaxley-Lennon (let's please use his real name, it sounds much better) claiming that the EDL is too extremist for his liking? Has he suddenly had an epiphany? Or has he just remembered that both his parents are immigrants (from Ireland) so his stance is very hypocritical?

Something is definitely missing from the picture here.

 

[tbtc]

He always seemed so mild mannered on Time Team...

Seriously though, I'd imagine that we are just going to see another reshaping of the far right, in the way that the BNP splintered into the "moderate" wing (English Democrats and maybe even a handful to UKIP) and "extreme" (the EDL), just like the far left shifts around every few years (Respect, UAF etc).

Whilst I'm certainly no fan of Mr Yaxley-Lennon, at least he was a known force - the danger is that the power vacuum will see someone even more moronic try to prove how much they want to "defend" England (by rioting through its streets, refusing to respect the wishes of the Armed Forces etc)

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I don't agree with what the EDL says and I certainly don't agree with the way they go about matters but I'll just say we all don't know what's caused this. He could have been shoved, he might have realised his hypocrisy but he might also have had some personal experience or change in his life that has made him do this - as human beings we all encounter different things over the course of our lifetimes that makes us changes stances and opinions. But, always lovely to see people jump to conclusions so they can further tarnish a 'political' movement.

 

[Eagle]

Well luckily he's on Newsnight right now to explain it all...

 

[tbtc]

Well luckily he's on Newsnight right now to explain it all...

I thought he came across reasonably well, which surprised me.

Seems like learning more about Islam (as he was doing for a BBC programme) makes you more tolerant. There is hope...

 

[Clip]

Stephen C. Yaxley-Lennon (let's please use his real name, it sounds much better) claiming that the EDL is too extremist for his liking? Has he suddenly had an epiphany? Or has he just remembered that both his parents are immigrants (from Ireland) so his stance is very hypocritical?

Something is definitely missing from the picture here.

Whilst you have already watched it on newsnight this part of the story which wasnt quoted above has been known since it was reported

Their decision follows discussions with the Quilliam group, which describes itself as a "counter-extremism think tank".

What was the newsnight feature like?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It seems that more than the two senior members of this organisation could be leaving from the top level.

 

[swj99]

I couldn't watch the interview right to the end, because I found it too annoying that Paxman constantly interrupted what Robinson was trying to say. It broke the flow of the conversation and made it extremely had to follow.
I think under the circumstances, Robinson did very well, and came across very well, and Paxman didn't.

My attitude to anyone who behaves as Paxman did in that clip, is simply this. Don't interrupt me when I am answering your questions, otherwise the conversation ends.

 

[Johnuk123]

I couldn't watch the interview right to the end, because I found it too annoying that Paxman constantly interrupted what Robinson was trying to say. It broke the flow of the conversation and made it extremely had to follow.
I think under the circumstances, Robinson did very well, and came across very well, and Paxman didn't.

My attitude to anyone who behaves as Paxman did in that clip, is simply this. Don't interrupt me when I am answering your questions, otherwise the conversation ends.

Paxman is odious and only one step away from the most obnoxious and egotistical bloke on the telly which is Piers Morgan.

 

[TheKnightWho]

I think under the circumstances, Robinson did very well, and came across very well, and Paxman didn't.

It's similar to when Nick Griffin was on Question Time, where he strangely came out looking the best of all of them due to the thoroughly unpleasant way in which everyone else was behaving towards him.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

It's similar to when Nick Griffin was on Question Time, where he strangely came out looking the best of all of them due to the thoroughly unpleasant way in which everyone else was behaving towards him.

I remember seeing an interview Griffin did with Paxman on Newsnight (probably around the 2010 GE) and Paxman tried his usual tricks. Griffin just shook them off, and came out of the interview absolutely immaculate, by the end of it even Paxman was hard-pressed to find thing to pull him up on.

 

[TheKnightWho]

I remember seeing an interview Griffin did with Paxman on Newsnight (probably around the 2010 GE) and Paxman tried his usual tricks. Griffin just shook them off, and came out of the interview absolutely immaculate, by the end of it even Paxman was hard-pressed to find thing to pull him up on.

Although we should remember that that still doesn't excuse his, quite frankly, abhorrent views. He's just not deceptive about them, I suppose.

 

[swj99]

You don't have to agree with his views, or even like them, but he's as much entitled to them as you are to yours.

 

[samxool]

Stephen C. Yaxley-Lennon (let's please use his real name, it sounds much better) claiming that the EDL is too extremist for his liking? Has he suddenly had an epiphany? Or has he just remembered that both his parents are immigrants (from Ireland) so his stance is very hypocritical?

Something is definitely missing from the picture here.

You what???
The edl is essentially against Islamic extremism, what's that got to do with his parents being immigrants from Ireland??

 

[Johnuk123]

You don't have to agree with his views, or even like them, but he's as much entitled to them as you are to yours.

Robinson and Griffin are not people I'd want to go out for a drink with.

But you need to remember though that's it's only the Liberal left that have the right to free speech if you're even remotely right of centre your views are classed as extremist and racist.

Of course this is exactly why Labour and it's mates in Hacked off are desperate to take control of newspaper output and completely stifle a free press.

Millibands outbursts against the Mail weren't coincidental as that paper and the Sun have readerships that the Guardian and Independent can only dream about.

 

[TheKnightWho]

But you need to remember though that's it's only the Liberal left that have the right to free speech if you're even remotely right of centre your views are classed as extremist and racist.

Is this the "liberal left" as defined by the Daily Mail or Express (i.e. anyone even remotely to the left of them), or the definition most of us use?

 

[Johnuk123]

Is this the "liberal left" as defined by the Daily Mail or Express (i.e. anyone even remotely to the left of them), or the definition most of us use?

What's your definition ?

 

[TheKnightWho]

What's your definition ?

Do you want a short answer or a long answer, because at the end of the day the idea of there being a 'spectrum', as opposed to a multi-dimensional, infinitely complex and dizzying range of views on a number of different scales depending on the issue is incredibly simplistic.

But my definition would not be a blanket cover, as the Mail's is, of everyone who understands why benefits exist; everyone who remotely believes in climate change; everyone who thinks immigration can be a good thing etc. etc. Except, funnily enough, some of their views are remarkably left-wing when you think about it: they seem to think pay should be proportional to 'hard work', rather than simply what the market will pay for it, which is considered the orthodox 'right-wing' view. But this just highlights why thinking of the political spectrum as being a simple sliding scale is completely incoherent.

The short answer, though, is that the "liberal left" are everyone from the Liberal Democrats onwards. Labour are decidedly not left-wing on quite a few issues; not least of which is personal privacy, for example.

 

[bb21]

I have no wish to wade into the arguments about the politics involved, however I hope that this thread does not descend into another slanging match or the thread will be locked.

Civil debates are all welcome. Insults and finger-pointing will be dealt with accordingly.