political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
When David Lammy Should Have Known Better
For all those of you who missed David Lammy's stunningly bad performance on Celebrity Mastermind at Christmas, this is a special treat. The best section starts at 5 mins 18 secs. Enjoy.
It started to go wrong in the cosy little chat before the general knowledge round when after boasting how he had the gift of the gab, Lammy then started umming and erring.
Paul Halsall, who are you accusing of being racist? Tony Blair for promoting somebody for the colour of his skin or the video maker for pointing it out?
People who are accusing Lammy of being thick are simply showing their ignorance. Anyone who knows him knows that he is very bright. Not everyone is suited to Mastermind, including frontbenchers of all partys and i'm sure quite a few bloggers here too. To conclude on the basis of this one performance that he is thick is not only ridiculous but also has a nasty undercurrent to it.
So appearing on Mastermind is regarded by NuLab as a huge test of personal courage? How does Lammy feel about crossing the road without the aid of a Pelican Crossing and maybe an armed guard or two?
Nobody forced him to go on the show and end up looking a complete prat, did they? Perhaps other people have got more sense.
Overlooking your pluralisation of party to partys as indicative of your ability to rate intelligence, it is quite clear that at the very least David Lammy's general knowledge is worse than your average intelligent 5-year old. Perhaps his shocking performance does not prove a lack of intelligence. What it does prove though is a shocking ignorance of the world around him.
I didn't know they awarded Nobel Prizes posthumously.
To all those complaining how beastly and racist all this is, are you seriously suggesting NuLab would never lower the bar to favour designated 'victim' groups? It is a fundamental part of their warped mentality to do precisely that.
You have obviously forgotten:
1) Harman's planned Bill legalising the appointment of candidates according to gender or ethnicity rather than ability.
2) that a Judicial Review found that Patricia Hewitt selected candidates for DTI jobs by gender instead of merit. To add to the disbelief, she was in charge of sex equality at the time.
3) that Keith 'Suitably Rewarded' Vaz was suspended from the Commons for corruption, after an inquiry which partly failed through his obstruction. What does he do now? Chairman of the HASC. That's right Skippy, they gave the law and order brief to a proven crook. Don't tell me ethnicity doesn't boost his CV. It seems the slimey sleazeball's been up to his usual tricks recently.
I'll tell you what... next time another politician, say someone who's been to private school, performs badly on a TV show why don't we all have a debate about how this exposes the fact that he's only got to where he has due to positive action. Why do I say that? Because the only positive discrimination in force today is the kind that gives opportunities to those who are already privileged or from well-connected families. People like David Lammy have had to fight that much harder (and therefore have to be that much brighter) to prosper given that the political system has affirmative action in favour of white, middle class men.
Car crash TV. I bet Harvard Law School are keeping this alumnus under wraps....
I think you will find that he is not as working class as he like to make out. He attended a selective school. And the last time I looked The King's School, Peterborough wasn't in Tottenham.
You're in great danger of letting your stupendous class-prejudice show.
The "only positive discrimination" that I've been able to detect in the past decade has been entirely against the average white middle-class male tax-paying citizen.
I don't care what colour Lammy is. He's a thick loudmouthed pretentious poncing git. And he's now demonstrated that to the world at large. What has he done to advance anyone - apart from himself, of course?
Yes, Lester. David Lammy is much, much brighter than the rest of us. Hence his score at mastermind
If it had been a white Tory in the Mastermind chair, with such a moronic score, you would all be having a jolly good laugh and the BBC would play the clip over and over and over again.
One of the funniest things I've seen for ages. That should be on an ITV programme called 'Mastermind Bloopers - or when smart arses go bad!"
DAvid Lammy - a legend in his own lunchtime and a man who clearly believed his own publicity. I understand he is the new US President's best friend?
Lester's weasle words are pathetic and are why true integration will never be achieved and why this country will never move forward always being mired in racial schism, allowing the skilled players of the race card to do well on the misfortunes of others.
The House of Commons (as opposed to Parliament) is geographically representative. Therefore it is not surprising that ethnic minorities are under represented, as they tend to be concentrated in English urban centres according to the Census.The Commons is not intended to act as a sort of mirror of the social and ethnic composition of the UK. The use of race is a red herring. Lammy's race is immaterial. I have had the pleasure of meeting him while he was at the then DCA. It struck both me and a colleague that he was not in command of his brief, charming as he was. A subsequent embarrassing performance before a select committee confirmed this.
For the benefit of those having difficulty understanding the videomakers primary concerns, he has made it simple. Here are the contexts in which he himself proudly posts his work Here and here.
Time for your remedial lessons again. Reading is really not your forte, is it?
MP's? So bleeding what? You just hate the 'Europeans' then? How do you get on with Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Afghans, etc etc? Are they all 'Europeans' in your view?
Your sole measure is of "African descent". So in your view this just is about Black Africans being elected to parliament? I think it probably is.
So tell us, do these MPs of African Descent represent any white people at all? After all, one can hardly regard them as British, can one?
Back in 2003, David Blunkett, the then New Labour Home Secretary and former Education Secretary, who insulted opponents of his notorious ID card database scheme as "intellectual pygmies", only managed to score 2 out of 13 on the General Knowledge round of Celebrity Mastermind, one of the lowest scores in the history of the program.
As someone who regularly plays against Pat Gibson (Who wants to be a millionaire million pound winner and Mastermind champ of 2005)in our local west lancs quiz league, I have to say that we would class those questions as 'nimps'.... Just too easy to believe.
It just goes to prove that politicians' biggest talent is bigging up their own inflated egos. How can we take this man seriously when he thinks that Henry 7th succeeded Henry 8th - and that there was a prison in Paris called Versailles? What a div!!
Haven't laughed so much since Tony (brain of a planet) Blair crashed and burned doing the 'You Say, We Pay' quiz...
Rohan, so the Commons is representative is it? The total percentage of visible ethnic minority MPs currently stands at under 3%, yet nationally the ethnic minority population is double that and growing every year. As I said before, the facts are clear but if you want to ignore them... Rohan, after claiming that the Commons is representative you then go on to contradict yourself by claiming that the Commons is "not a mirror." This argument has been used for a very long time to protect privilege, but even David Cameron realises that it can no longer be used as an excuse to justify why so many talented black and Asian people are excluded from the Commons. All major parties realise that for politics to have genuine credibility it needs to reflect society; and while there has been some progress on women, the issue on black representation is action to turn that recognition/awareness on the part of leaders into tangible results. Unsworth, you obviously won't prosper on Mastermind; I was talking about African descent to illustrate the most under-represented group, stupid. Anyway, I'm done debating with you thickos here, have a nice day.
It was brave but unwise for David Lammy to do the show. It would also have been more fun if all 3 parties had fielded someone. In the last 3-party test I read the Literate Democrats did best. First - Lynne Featherstone Second - Michael Gove Third- Barry Sheerman http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article5006527.ece
Lester you have missed my point. If political parties were serious about increasing minority representation in Parliament they could easily create life peers. In fact Blair created more than anyone else. So why wasn't this mechanism used? Probably because this idea is classic political tokenism. An easy high profile "look at me mum I am progressive" of looking 'good'. But when it comes down to actually doing something....
In fact if people like you were as serious about racial equality as the rest of us are, instead of fascinated by tokenism, you would be more concerned about stories like this:
Erm, Rohan, so you've found a random story about racial discrimination and you're telling me I should be concerned about it? Of course I bloody am; and I'm happy to point you in the direction of countless other spheres of life where there is clear evidence of racism. I've written about and campaigned against racism most of my life, so if the truth be told the BBC link really hasn't taught me anything new. What is should teach you, however, is that in order to tackle issues of race discrimination across public life it is very useful to have political representatives who have an insight into the issues, or even personal experience of them. If the political system is committed to tackling these issues, it is much more likely that the agencies and organisations in each area will also push the issues up their political agenda. Which takes me back to the point about black representation...
I was just wondering if I had stumbled onto a BNP site. Get off of your privileged intellectual high horses and understand the hurdles a black man has to jump through to get to such a position. That is the achievement.
49 comments:
It started to go wrong in the cosy little chat before the general knowledge round when after boasting how he had the gift of the gab, Lammy then started umming and erring.
'This isn't just any promoted-beyond-his-ability MP.
This is a NuLabour promoted-beyond-his-ability MP...'
Thick as a plank. Probably one of New Labour's brighter ministers.
Iain, you are much too hard on him. After all, he would be a GREAT improvement on the present Balls-Up Minister !
Alan Douglas
I haven't laughed as hard for a while as when he said 'Leicester' for the cheese which traditionally accompanies Port.
It becomes racist at 8:13.
Henry the VII succeeding Henry the VIII...?!
Jesus Christ.
Antoinette?! That one's worthy of Dumb Britain.
Paul Halsall, who are you accusing of being racist? Tony Blair for promoting somebody for the colour of his skin or the video maker for pointing it out?
I suppost it is possible that he simply succumbed to the pressure on the night ...
People who are accusing Lammy of being thick are simply showing their ignorance. Anyone who knows him knows that he is very bright. Not everyone is suited to Mastermind, including frontbenchers of all partys and i'm sure quite a few bloggers here too. To conclude on the basis of this one performance that he is thick is not only ridiculous but also has a nasty undercurrent to it.
And this is the bloke who is consistently touted as 'one to watch', 'rising star' etc? Gawd help us
In response to Scary:
The video maker was being racist.
Beowulf said...
I haven't laughed as hard for a while as when he said 'Leicester' for the cheese which traditionally accompanies Port.
Oh yah, seriously funny. I bet he doesn't even know which way to pass the Port or which knife to eat his soup with. Wha wha wha wha.
I'm betting no NuCon would dare go on Mastermind.
@ Left Field
So appearing on Mastermind is regarded by NuLab as a huge test of personal courage? How does Lammy feel about crossing the road without the aid of a Pelican Crossing and maybe an armed guard or two?
Nobody forced him to go on the show and end up looking a complete prat, did they? Perhaps other people have got more sense.
Lester,
Overlooking your pluralisation of party to partys as indicative of your ability to rate intelligence, it is quite clear that at the very least David Lammy's general knowledge is worse than your average intelligent 5-year old. Perhaps his shocking performance does not prove a lack of intelligence. What it does prove though is a shocking ignorance of the world around him.
just loved Henry 7th succeeding Henry the 8th.
Not that i knew many of the answers, but at least I know the Henry the 9th would have been a better guess.
"Let them eat Radium!"
I didn't know they awarded Nobel Prizes posthumously.
To all those complaining how beastly and racist all this is, are you seriously suggesting NuLab would never lower the bar to favour designated 'victim' groups? It is a fundamental part of their warped mentality to do precisely that.
You have obviously forgotten:
1) Harman's planned Bill legalising the appointment of candidates according to gender or ethnicity rather than ability.
2) that a Judicial Review found that Patricia Hewitt selected candidates for DTI jobs by gender instead of merit. To add to the disbelief, she was in charge of sex equality at the time.
3) that Keith 'Suitably Rewarded' Vaz was suspended from the Commons for corruption, after an inquiry which partly failed through his obstruction. What does he do now? Chairman of the HASC. That's right Skippy, they gave the law and order brief to a proven crook. Don't tell me ethnicity doesn't boost his CV. It seems the slimey sleazeball's been up to his usual tricks recently.
It's beyond friggin' satire.
He is so obviously a product of positive discrimination it's a travesty of natural justice.
I'll tell you what... next time another politician, say someone who's been to private school, performs badly on a TV show why don't we all have a debate about how this exposes the fact that he's only got to where he has due to positive action.
Why do I say that? Because the only positive discrimination in force today is the kind that gives opportunities to those who are already privileged or from well-connected families.
People like David Lammy have had to fight that much harder (and therefore have to be that much brighter) to prosper given that the political system has affirmative action in favour of white, middle class men.
It's reassuring to know that Higher Education is in such capable hands.
Lester must be watching a different clip to the rest of us. The one I watched showed a guy as thick as pig shit.
Car crash TV. I bet Harvard Law School are keeping this alumnus under wraps....
I think you will find that he is not as working class as he like to make out. He attended a selective school. And the last time I looked The King's School, Peterborough wasn't in Tottenham.
Working class my arse.
"Not everyone is suited to Mastermind"
Thick people in particular.
@ Lester
You're in great danger of letting your stupendous class-prejudice show.
The "only positive discrimination" that I've been able to detect in the past decade has been entirely against the average white middle-class male tax-paying citizen.
I don't care what colour Lammy is. He's a thick loudmouthed pretentious poncing git. And he's now demonstrated that to the world at large. What has he done to advance anyone - apart from himself, of course?
I bet Lester's nickname is Red. It would suit him well.
Lammy is ignorant. This is often the case with folk whose only interest is achieving ministerial rank.
Yes, Lester. David Lammy is much, much brighter than the rest of us. Hence his score at mastermind
If it had been a white Tory in the Mastermind chair, with such a moronic score, you would all be having a jolly good laugh and the BBC would play the clip over and over and over again.
Yes, racism is alive and well - against whites.
One of the funniest things I've seen for ages. That should be on an ITV programme called 'Mastermind Bloopers - or when smart arses go bad!"
DAvid Lammy - a legend in his own lunchtime and a man who clearly believed his own publicity. I understand he is the new US President's best friend?
Lester's weasle words are pathetic and are why true integration will never be achieved and why this country will never move forward always being mired in racial schism, allowing the skilled players of the race card to do well on the misfortunes of others.
"People like David Lammy have had to fight that much harder (and therefore have to be that much brighter)..."
Evidence, please, that Lammy has had to fight harder than anyone else?
I won't ask for evidence that he's much brighter than anyone else, because, well....
"@ Lester
You're in great danger of letting your stupendous class-prejudice show."
Oh, don't stop him! Like Lammy, he's on a roll...
MPs of African descent = 4
MPs of European descent = 632
That's less than 1%.
If you want to believe that Britain is discriminating against white people don't let facts get in the way.
and your point is Lester?
UK was in Europe, not Africa last time I checked. I'm no Mastermind though, so I could be wrong.
The House of Commons (as opposed to Parliament) is geographically representative. Therefore it is not surprising that ethnic minorities are under represented, as they tend to be concentrated in English urban centres according to the Census.The Commons is not intended to act as a sort of mirror of the social and ethnic composition of the UK. The use of race is a red herring. Lammy's race is immaterial. I have had the pleasure of meeting him while he was at the then DCA. It struck both me and a colleague that he was not in command of his brief, charming as he was. A subsequent embarrassing performance before a select committee confirmed this.
For the benefit of those having difficulty understanding the videomakers primary concerns, he has made it simple.
Here are the contexts in which he himself proudly posts his work
Here and here.
@ Lester
Time for your remedial lessons again. Reading is really not your forte, is it?
MP's? So bleeding what? You just hate the 'Europeans' then? How do you get on with Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Afghans, etc etc? Are they all 'Europeans' in your view?
Your sole measure is of "African descent". So in your view this just is about Black Africans being elected to parliament? I think it probably is.
So tell us, do these MPs of African Descent represent any white people at all? After all, one can hardly regard them as British, can one?
"For the benefit of those having difficulty understanding the videomakers primary concerns, he has made it simple.
Here are the contexts in which he himself proudly posts his work"
So...? Is he therefore wrong to oint this out? Does it somehow invalidate the embarassing performance of the minister in question?
Allow me to illustrate with a quote from 'JFK':
"Bill Broussard: None of their testimony is gonna hold up in court, Chief. Hell, all three of them have reputations as low as crocodile piss.
Jim Garrison: That bother you, Bill? I always wonder why it is in court if a woman's a prostitute, she has to have bad eyesight. "
Remember how widely shown was the video of George W not knowing the names of foreign leaders before he was elected President?
I wonder if the beeb will similarly keep dragging out this video of lammy.
Of course, we're not allowed to know how thick socialists are so my guess is that this will never be shown.
VW: Cult il IQ
It would have been even funnier if Harman had gone on.
Back in 2003, David Blunkett, the then New Labour Home Secretary and former Education Secretary, who insulted opponents of his notorious ID card database scheme as "intellectual pygmies", only managed to score 2 out of 13 on the General Knowledge round of Celebrity Mastermind, one of the lowest scores in the history of the program.
Blunkett's Questions and Answers:
David "Mastermind" Blunkett - an "intellectual pygmy" ?
Perhaps David Lammy is too clever to be a Cabinet Minister ?
As someone who regularly plays against Pat Gibson (Who wants to be a millionaire million pound winner and Mastermind champ of 2005)in our local west lancs quiz league, I have to say that we would class those questions as 'nimps'.... Just too easy to believe.
It just goes to prove that politicians' biggest talent is bigging up their own inflated egos. How can we take this man seriously when he thinks that Henry 7th succeeded Henry 8th - and that there was a prison in Paris called Versailles? What a div!!
Haven't laughed so much since Tony (brain of a planet) Blair crashed and burned doing the 'You Say, We Pay' quiz...
Rohan, so the Commons is representative is it? The total percentage of visible ethnic minority MPs currently stands at under 3%, yet nationally the ethnic minority population is double that and growing every year. As I said before, the facts are clear but if you want to ignore them...
Rohan, after claiming that the Commons is representative you then go on to contradict yourself by claiming that the Commons is "not a mirror." This argument has been used for a very long time to protect privilege, but even David Cameron realises that it can no longer be used as an excuse to justify why so many talented black and Asian people are excluded from the Commons.
All major parties realise that for politics to have genuine credibility it needs to reflect society; and while there has been some progress on women, the issue on black representation is action to turn that recognition/awareness on the part of leaders into tangible results.
Unsworth, you obviously won't prosper on Mastermind; I was talking about African descent to illustrate the most under-represented group, stupid.
Anyway, I'm done debating with you thickos here, have a nice day.
It was brave but unwise for David Lammy to do the show. It would also have been more fun if all 3 parties had fielded someone. In the last 3-party test I read the Literate Democrats did best.
First - Lynne Featherstone
Second - Michael Gove
Third- Barry Sheerman
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article5006527.ece
Lester: "Anyway, I'm done debating with you thickos here..."
Oh, the irony. It burns..! ;)
@ Lester
You wouldn't be David Lammy by any chance?
Lester you have missed my point. If political parties were serious about increasing minority representation in Parliament they could easily create life peers. In fact Blair created more than anyone else. So why wasn't this mechanism used? Probably because this idea is classic political tokenism. An easy high profile "look at me mum I am progressive" of looking 'good'. But when it comes down to actually doing something....
In fact if people like you were as serious about racial equality as the rest of us are, instead of fascinated by tokenism, you would be more concerned about stories like this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7826077.stm
But in truth it is you that deserves to be labelled a thicko like your poseur hero Lamy the Baldric of British politics.
Erm, Rohan, so you've found a random story about racial discrimination and you're telling me I should be concerned about it? Of course I bloody am; and I'm happy to point you in the direction of countless other spheres of life where there is clear evidence of racism. I've written about and campaigned against racism most of my life, so if the truth be told the BBC link really hasn't taught me anything new.
What is should teach you, however, is that in order to tackle issues of race discrimination across public life it is very useful to have political representatives who have an insight into the issues, or even personal experience of them. If the political system is committed to tackling these issues, it is much more likely that the agencies and organisations in each area will also push the issues up their political agenda.
Which takes me back to the point about black representation...
I was just wondering if I had stumbled onto a BNP site.
Get off of your privileged intellectual high horses and understand the hurdles a black man has to jump through to get to such a position. That is the achievement.
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