Rail conductor sacked for questioning 'White Privilege'.

 

Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998, guarantees the right to freedom of expression. It says that this right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority regardless of frontiers. But it seems that this right doesn't apply if you're employed by West Midland Trains.

Last March, a train conductor, Simon Isherwood (see above), was sacked when he was overheard questioning notions based on the idea racial or skin privilege, during online diversity training. The webinar that Mr Isherwood voluntarily attended, included the controversial subject of 'white privilege'. He was overheard to say to his wife, " I couldn't be arsed because I thought, you know what, I'll just get fucking angry. You know what I really wanted to ask?... and I wish I had, do they have black privilege in other countries, so if you're in Ghana...? After some of his work colleagues, complained, Mr Isherwood (60), was sacked for gross misconduct for breaching the company's policy on equality, diversity and inclusion. He's now taking the company to an employment tribunal with the backing of the Free Speech Union.

The concept of white privilege, or white skin privilege, refers to the idea that people have basic rights and benefits simply because they're white. It suggests that they have societal advantages over non-white people. The term white privilege has become particularly fashionable since the tragic death of George Floyd and is considered by some, to be politically controversial terminology. It's seen to be particularly alienating to disadvantaged white communities who may be experiencing severe hardship and to reinforce racist attitudes.

Simon Isherwood is not the only person to have difficulty in comprehending, or to have a desire, to challenge fashionable politically correct notions such as 'white privilege'. Most English people would probably see white privilege in terms of social class privilege and not white skin privilege. What are termed concepts, such as white privilege, are really just an opinion, a way in which some people, perceive the world in which they live, and are therefore open to challenge and debate. People like Simon Isherwood, have every right to be sceptical about these types of issues and they have the right to freedom of expression, regardless of how much people dislike their opinions.

We are not nodding dogs, who are expected to bow to the whims and fancies, of a pious self- righteous clique of politically correct dipsticks. The French have a term for this, which they call 'Mouton de Panurge' or 'Panurge's Sheep'. It describes an individual or group that will blindly follow others regardless of the consequences and do the same thing as others, in order to follow the fashion. But as the philosopher Herbert Spencer, wisely pointed out, we must at times, resist the tyranny of fashion.