Patrick Mercer, the Conservative Party spokesman for Homeland Security, has just stepped down from his post.
The MP, who served in the Armed Forces for many years before entering Parliament, had this to say about allegations of racism in the Army:
But that’s the way it is in the Army. If someone is slow on the assault course, you’d get people shouting: ‘Come on you fat bastard, come on you ginger bastard, come on you black bastard’.
He also claimed that in his time in the Armed Forces, he knew many soldiers who were “idle”, and who used claims of racism to excuse their poor performance.
Predictably, the knives came out. Labour MP, Dawn Butler, of whom I had never heard before this afternoon, has been uttering some sanctimonious words about how ‘the Tories have not changed’.
Shahid Malik, of whom I have heard, albeit nothing impressive, has declared Mercer’s comments to be ’shocking’. He then seized the opportunity to describe the Conservative Party as sexist, racist and homophobic.
My view? I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Patrick Mercer recounted what used to happen in the Army when he was a soldier. Is he now to be punished for attesting to what he observed in his many years as a soldier? Has it not occurred to all the people claiming outrage out there, that as an old soldier, Mr Mercer may actually know what he is talking about? The fact that he speaks of a reality different to what PC Britain would wish its Army to be, does not mean he should be punished for it.
Actually, what Patrick Mercer is saying, far from being offensive, makes the very good point that where there is camaraderie and close relationship, comments which one may otherwise see as racist are not actually so. I know that the jokes I endure from my friends of other races, while they may seem offensive to the causal bystander, are clearly not so when considered in the context of our relationship. Why? Because the balm of friendship takes away any sting of racism. Being called a ‘black bastard’ by an angry drunk in the pub is a totally different matter from being called that amid the casual joshing of Army training. The relationship matters, and the context matters.
None of that matters, however, in our PC-indoctrinated society. Rather, Patrick Mercer is condemned for describing Army life as he saw it. As for his claim about knowing ‘idle’ soldiers who used racism as an excuse, if that was what he witnessed, why shouldn’t he say so? Are his critics claiming that no single ethnic minority worker is guilty of this behaviour? Are all ethnic minority workers symbols of hard work and dedication to duty? Is it really implausible that there may have been a few such ‘idle’ soldiers in Patrick Mercer’s regiment?
The PC version of reality, where no one, not even the closest of friends, indulges in any racial teasing, and where all black workers are paragons of hard work, is sadly not reflective of society. However, there is great peril in pointing this out, as Patrick Mercer found out today.
March 8th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
At long last I find a blog prepared to speak out for Patrick Mercer, and to hell with the dictatorship of PC. Well done, Bel.
What we have is a situation where the factually correct position (ie what happens in Army camps) is at odds with the politically correct position (what we should believe). And who wins? PC. Facts are nothing where PC is concerned. Never mind that the situation may actually be as Patrick Mercer described it, if it is not politically correct to say so, then he should be gagged. That is the message from this episode.
March 8th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Sorry Bel, but for once I politely disagree with you. I think Mercer made light of an issue that is serious for some people in the Army. He was wrong to dismiss it so cheaply.
Just because some people in the Army describe some soldiers as ‘black bastards’ it does not make it acceptable. Mercer played it down as if to say ‘that’s just the way it is’. The point is this should not be tolerated. When I was in the Territorial Army, none of the black guys in my platoon got any racial abuse like this and if they had me and my peers would not have put up with it. And no one would describe me as PC in any way.
My Regimental Sergeant Major was black. I have no doubt he probably experienced racist abuse as he rose from private in the regulars. But it does not mean it should be tolerated. He should not have had to put up with it. A man who has gone into the service of the Crown, possibly risking his life for this country, deserves more than to be told by Patrick Mercer, a former officer, that if he is belittled in a racist manner that ‘that’s just the way it is’.
March 8th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
Tony, I am not saying racism should be condoned. If things were that way in Patrick Mercer’s experience, and the black (and ginger haired etc) soldiers accepted it as part of Army camaraderie, then I can see why Patrick Mercer has said what he has.
So do you think he should have lost his job for reminiscing about his Army days?
March 8th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
I am sure some do see it as camaraderie, but I know for a fact that others simply suffer it in silence because to react is to make them marked as troublemakers and they get even more abuse.
Mercer was not taking a trip down memory lane, he was explaining why this daft new trade union for Commonwealth soliders is a bad idea. By reinforcing difference in this way it makes it harder to break down barriers. Sadly his comments probably gave the group more validation that it could have wished for.
March 8th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Even if one were to accept that his comments were offensive (they were certainly not racist), is that sufficient grounds for him to be sacked?
March 8th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
If he was fired for lack of judgement, so be it. In the present intolerant climate of racist witch-hunts, the press reaction was as predictable as it was dishonest.
Nothing he said was racist, but it should have been obvious to a career politician that it would be spun as such. It is sad that a decent, honourable man who has served his country well should be fired for such a stupid reason, but it was entirely predictable.
Until sanity is restored to public debate on these issues, sensible people must steer clear of this topic, alas. We will know we are a free people again, when the response to any allegation of “racism” is rational rather than hysterical.
March 8th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Dawn Butler is Paul Boataeng’s successor at Brent South.
I’m slightly on the fence here. I don’t actuaaly think Mercer was saying it was RIGHT, just that it happened.
There has a been a little oversensitivity, I think.
On the whole, I think your post is fair, Bel.
Mercer is also, from what I have seen, a good constituency MP. He’ll be reinstated to the front bench in a few months.
In fact, forget on the whole, reading your post closer, it’s bang on.
Joe departs scratching his head and wondering if he’s losing the plot….
March 8th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
bel: I did respond to your comment, and it posted, but when it did so it dropped down one as another comment came in as I was typing the reply.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
jailhouselawyer, thank you
I’ll go over to check.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Joe, I must say, I thought you would disagree with this article. I was even rehearsing the arguments I would use in that event.
I’ll keep them for next time.
March 8th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
You should know by now Bel, I assess each situation on it’s own merits.
I don’t like ‘isms’ of any sort.
Except hedonism.
March 9th, 2007 at 8:03 am
Good blog, Bel! Reading a few other entries at the moment!
Ah, but though it obviously was not racist directly he could have said a short sentence saying that he does not support this. Otherwise it quite clearly shows his silence and ease on the matter, as if he thinks there is actually nothing wrong with what happened. Personally I thought Mercer was a great person, and it’s a shame he had to go.
March 9th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Hi Matt, welcome! And thank you.
But why must he have to preface his comments with a disapproval of racism? What sort of society are we living in? Is there, or should there be, an accepted way of discussing racism, whereby one first starts by declaring one’s disapproval?
I see this sometimes when something related to the BNP hits the news. On the few occasions that the BNP are right, and someone (not a BNP member) speaks up for them, the commentary always has to run this: ‘I don’t agree with the BNP. They are a vile, racist, party, but in this instance, it is right that Griffin was acquitted etc etc’. Why the need to preface one’s comments so? Is it that because we live in times of racist ‘witch hunts’, as Tom Paine above would say, we are afraid that being seen to speak for the witches would carry its own harsh, unmitigated punishment, unless we follow the ‘accepted’ form of words. ie Condemn the witches first, then make your specific point.
I confess I used to be guilty of that, but nowadays, before I comment on racism, I check myself to make sure I don’t do that. Any reasonable person should know that racism is wrong. If I have to make a point about race, I will not genuflect at the altar of PC before doing so.
Welcome to the blog.
I hope you visit regularly. I only found your blog last night, and will be returning regularly.
March 9th, 2007 at 10:45 am
Bel: Do you want to link?
March 9th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Yes, please. I was about to ask you, actually. I’ll add your link now. Thank you, jhl.
March 9th, 2007 at 11:05 am
I have had the night to sleep on things and written a reflection on this matter that is too long to post here. Hopefully I have been able to better articulate my thinking on the sacking and what has brought it about.
March 9th, 2007 at 11:36 am
It’s a bit more complicated than that Bel. Context and relationship do matter but the point remains that no amount of context is sufficient to justify the sort of remarks he referred to. Nor is it acceptable to suggest there’s parity between ribbing someone over their hair colour and ribbing them over their race.
I’ve recorded my thoughts here…
March 9th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Tony, I’d better go over and read your reflections. I read your article yesterday on your blog, and it would be interesting to see whether your views have changed, and if not, any reasons why not.
Liam, should he not have talked about his experiences? As to the parity between hair colour and race, I am not sure I agree with you there. I’ll go read your article, and then I’ll be in a better position to discuss this further.
March 9th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
bel: I have added you to my recommended blogs.
March 9th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Bel - talking a note of your comment, I do agree with everything you said. I myself have had to be extremely careful when wording small articles, as well as in conversation. It is a shame we cannot have an open debate surrounding certain issues, but really it is just a consequence of our political system forcing all politicians towards the centre ground?
However, I still feel that Mercer should have been more sensitive regarding the issue.
March 9th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Matt- not an Insomniac by any chance?
Odd that Newark MPs generate such blogging. Fiona Jones, who Mercer unseated was Blog Headlines last month.
It’s a storm in a teacup, but Cameron had to do what he did, I suppose. David Anthony Republic has written a very thoughtful post on his blog. Between what he has said and what Bel has said, I can’t think of anything to add, so for once, I’ll shut up.
March 9th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Thanks Bel. My views have not changed as you can see, I just felt I should add some context around why I think the way I do.
March 9th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
bel: Off topic, I have linked to this site in America have a look you might like it http://gingersnaps.wordpress.com/
March 9th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Matt Marshall says: “Ah, but though it obviously was not racist directly he could have said a short sentence saying that he does not support this.”
Why. the. hell. should. he? Why should he bend the knee to the thought fascism of the left? He’s a soldier, for God’s sake! He’s a straight shooter and a straight speaker. Why should he come in like a nanny with a hankie, saying to other adults who should bloody know better, “There, there! I didn’t really mean it!” Thank God for our military!
Oh, I raced down to make this comment with my hair on fire, and I see Bel addressed the same point immediately below the post.
I do think Cameron panicked and acted with appalling judgement, and I do think he should resign. If Cameron panics about a trivial issue - no matter how the Guardianistasand Beeboids pretend to regard it - like this, he is not sound and will not be dependable in a real emergency. He took all of two hours to decide that this honourable man, who served his country in the military for 25 years, and now serves in Parliament, should go. He truly is a Blair clone. The voters, having no choice, will turn to UKIP and the BNP.
March 10th, 2007 at 3:34 am
Bel: Iain Dale states in the Telegraph “A true friend is one who tells the truth, even when it is unpalatable”. Then why did David Cameron sack Patrick Mercer?
BTW, I have fisked Iain’s piece on my blog.
March 10th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Verity: He’s a soldier, and he’s a politician. All politicians should know the consequence of their words, it may be that they do not agree with what they sometimes have to say or state, but they should know how to conform to the current situation and hidden rules in politics.
I cannot believe that you do not support Cameron’s decision either. I may not be the biggest Cameron supporter, but I believe that he took the right decision in his party. The Conservative Party have been doing a lot to remove their old image, and this story just put it back to square one. It is a pity that our political system requires PC and fighting for the centre ground, but it would be stupid to ignore this.
March 10th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Matt Marshall - He was recalling his experiences in the Army, years ago. He thought he was speaking privately. I do not see that he said anything offensive. How do you think a group of testosterone driven men training to be warriors act among themselves? Like Little Lord Fauntleroy?
Even outside an armed services situation, men are rough on one another.
March 10th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Verity: In private? A newspaper interview is hardly what I would call an ‘in strict confidence’ moment. I see why some may have seen it as racist, and what a great opportunity it was for the unbiased BBC to publish such a story!
March 11th, 2007 at 1:05 am
I understand he was talking to an old mucker from years back who works for a newspaper … it’s not clear whether it was an interview or just a chat. Perhaps you can enlighten me. But even if it was an interview, I don’t see that he said anything vaguely offensive. And if he did, which I don’t believe he did, it is not a crime - yet - to say something in contravention of the received politically correct line. Some people are going to take high-profile offence, if it’s in their interests and protects their position.
Kowtowing to such people would close down free debate in Britain,which the socialists, and now the Tories under Blair Mark II, seek to do.
But I don’t think he was. He was simply reciting his 25 years of military experience, and many others in his regiment, especially black soldiers, have come forward of their own free will to back him.
It makes sense. Black soldiers who abuse the system and then cringe dramatically and cry “racism” damage the perception of the loyal,intelligent and heart-stoppingly brave deeds by black servicemen like VC holder Beharry.
I would back Sgt Beharry and Mr Mercer over David wossname any day.
April 3rd, 2007 at 11:50 am
[...] yesterday evening thinking about it, and I wonder why we should be surprised. As the Patrick Mercer episode taught us, where Truth conflicts with political correction, Truth must bow the [...]
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