A Tory MP takes racism to a whole new level while trying to dig herself out of a hole

Nadine Dorries
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Nadine Dorries has taken racism to a whole new level while trying to dig herself out of a hole. The Conservative MP attempted to explain why she’d ‘mixed up’ two people of colour (again). And her excuse just made matters even worse.

Excuses, excuses

Dorries took to Twitter to call out Novara Media‘s Ash Sarkar on 4 February. Sarkar had appeared on The Andrew Marr Show a day earlier, arguing that the notion Labour is “misty-eyed” on Venezuela is a “myth”. Dorries clearly disagreed:

 

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But, as Owen Jones pointed out, Dorries “confused” Sarkar with Faiza Shaheen, Labour’s candidate for Chingford, in her tweet. She has since apologised, although to BBC Newsbeat rather than the two women. Dorries first claimed that the gaffe was due to only seeing Sarkar in a “tiny video on my small phone screen”. She then offered the following absolute corker:

It was the accent I was basing the identification on via my phone as I thought I recognised the voice and it sounded like Faiza.

So, Dorries doesn’t only appear to have trouble seeing the difference between people of colour. She also seems to think they all sound the same too.

True to form

As Sarkar explained to the Independent, this isn’t unusual behaviour from the Conservative MP:

It’s racist and Nadine Dorries has a long track record of mixing up people of colour who she doesn’t like

For example, Dorries said Labour MP Chuka Ummuna looked like former boxer Chris Eubank in 2013:

Sarkar also argued that the gaffe is indicative of a wider problem in Dorries’s party:

It’s no surprise she doesn’t feel obliged to apologise, given the party’s repeated inaction when we’ve seen similar incidents in the past. Racism is endemic in the Tory party.

Some members of the Conservative Party also appear to agree with this. Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi mocked Dorries on Twitter for the mix-up. And on the same day, the peer also called out her party for not tackling Islamophobia in its ranks:

But, as Sarkar says, “racism is endemic” in the Conservative Party. So it’s hard to imagine that the independent inquiry Warsi is calling for will ever get off the ground.

Featured image via YouTube – Nicholas Stone

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  • Show Comments
    1. No way is Britain open minded. I say this as a non-native who has been discriminated against even in an official context and knows plenty of stories of others who I personally know and who suffered even worse. Britain is, after all, a deeply segregated country along racial lines. Why else would there be such an institution as the “National Black Police Association”? So why do we get all upset when non-police officers advocate racial segregation and thus discrimination? I think you’ll find the national black police association emerged after, and due to, the rampant racism of the police force. Otherwise they wouldn’t have needed to form. Clearly.

      The quiet racism thrives in all-white all English enclaves, especially rural areas. I live in one such place and in the local village pub after hours when their guards are down the racist abuse starts on the very safe ground of Muslim hating then extends eastern Europeans, and more recently the Scots. But this will only be said when the door is locked and the curtains drawn, when they feel safe to voice their racism. And sadly its not just the the ignorant, but also as I have witnessed a lawyer and a solicitor, a pair of parish councillors, a prison warden, and a retired policeman. This is not something that can be eradicated by educated, these people are educated, they are also laced with hatred. If British people are against people coming from other countries to live and work here then they should be prohibited from living and working in foreign countries themselves. Seems fair, doesn’t it? Britain has one of the lowest amounts of immigration of most Western Europe…

      No one has any problem when: Jews keep beards and wear their traditional caps Christian priests and nuns wear their religious outfits Buddhist monks wear orange robes Sikhs keep beards and wear turbans Indian aunties wear Sarees (cross streets and hang out in Wal-Mart) Yeah but if any Muslim male keeps beard or if any Muslim girl wears hijab then everyone has problem. It’s Freedom when you go naked but it’s extremism when you wear hijab – just plain hypocrisy! Looking at the case of France, a major secular nation, I believe it is also not allowing women freedom by not letting her to wear her choice of clothing as it supposedly “clashes with French secular values”.

      Stop treating foreigners like garbage and they will stop ruining your precious country. Why did you let them in in the first place if you didn’t want them here? They left everything in their countries because of your promises. Are you so anxious to please that you can’t say “no”? I would love to see you go to a foreign land where you don’t have any friends, you don’t even know anyone and you don’t speak the language, and start from scratch. I would just LOVE to watch you do that. Let them integrate and stop segregating them. What I want is people being nice to each other. I don’t care about race.

      Speaking English does not promote integration into British, American and Australian societies, and broaden opportunities. English speaking Muslim youths are angry, frustrated and extremist, thanks to state schools with monolingual non-Muslim teachers and English language. English language is not only a lingua franca but also lingua frankensteinia. Human right are also covers linguistic right. Cultural and linguistic genocide are very common. British schooling is murdering community languages like Arabic, Urdu and others. English is today the world killer language. Linguistic genocide is a crime against humanity and British schooling is guilty of committing this crime. Language is not just a language. It defines one’s culture, identity and consciousness. It defines how we think, communicate and express ourselves. The fact is the most South Asian Muslims have come to know Islam by way of Urdu, the children’s alienation from the language that connects them the heritage of their parents and grandparents is disturbing. As a matter of fact, one has to get to know his mother tongue well if one is to master any other language.

      The demand for Muslim schools comes from parents who want their children a safe environment with an Islamic ethos. Parents see Muslim schools where children can develop their Islamic Identity where they won’t feel stigmatised for being Muslims and they can feel confident about their faith. Muslim schools are working to try to create a bridge between communities. There is a belief among ethnic minority parents that the British schooling does not adequately address their cultural needs. Failing to meet this need could result in feeling resentment among a group who already feel excluded. Setting up Muslim school is a defensive response. State schools with monolingual teachers are not capable to teach English to bilingual Muslim children. Bilingual teachers are needed to teach English to such children along with their mother tongue. According to a number of studies, a child will not learn a second language if his first language is ignored.
      IA
      http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

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