Steve Jamieson, the CEO of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), was forced to apologise because he had followed Tommy Robinson on X, according to the Free Speech Union. Those who thought that wokeism and cancel culture died at the election of Donald Trump were sadly mistaken.
During what strongly reminds us of a Maoist struggle session – where people were accused of being “class enemies” and publicly shamed, and forced to admit to crimes they may not have committed and subsequently tortured or even killed – Jamieson had to apologise after having followed Tommy Robinson on X (formerly Twitter), according to the Free Speech Union. Jamieson had not “liked” any of his posts. Trying to keep abreast of what a person with influence on the public discourse, then, is enough to warrant an outcry, judging by the reaction of Jamieson’s organisation.
«My immediate reaction was one of shock, disbelief, concern, and worry given Tommy Robinson’s well-documented association with far-right ideologies. It was already a stressful and terrible time for colleagues and friends with the riots happening, and the revelation was hurtful.»
Easily triggered
Woke activists are easily triggered, as we already know very well. But htat these three were able to gather about a hundred colleagues is disappointing at a time when we keep being told that wokeness is on its way out.
«Many Black and Brown members have lost trust in the chief executive and do not feel he holds our best interests at heart. He has failed to uphold organisational values and damaged the organisation’s reputation,» concluded Farah.
Jamieson apologised unreservedly:
«I am sorry for the hurt, upset, distress, fear, and anger that this caused members, colleagues, and staff,” he said. “Whilst I cannot turn back the clock, I have learnt from this and want members, staff, and other RCSLT stakeholders to know that I recognise I have let you down, and I am truly sorry.»
No courageous hero
One is led to believe that Jamieson had committed a crime when reading his apology. The irony is that his language is more suited to those Robinson has criticised over many years: the Pakistani grooming gangs that raped and abused young, white girls. The words could also have been used by those who have ignored and excused them – like Keir Starmer, who was head of the Department of public prosecution while the gangs were operating, or the local police forces, who knew what was happening but did nothing to stop them.
«No one should be penalised for following anyone, let alone a key participant in an ongoing public debate. We cannot hope to solve any of the major problems besetting our society unless we get out of our echo chambers and engage in dialogue with people from all sides.»
Jamieson is the victim of the story, but has himself not been heroic. He was persecuted, but instead of standing up for free speech, he let the mob win to save his own skin. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but let the activists in his own organisation get the last word. The story is a good example of how cancel culture has become so ingrained in British culture that stories like this hardly get a mention.
Michael Deacon in the Telegraph writes that even though Elon Musk has declared on X that wokeness is on its way out, it’s not that simple. Despite identity politics and cancel culture being far from popular among the British people, the activists have succeeded in implementing their principles into all the large institutions in the UK, such as schools, the church, the BBC, the National Health Service, universities and large companies. And because they have succeeded so well, we rarely see them in the media anymore, says Deacon. They don’t have to shout as loudly because their values have become part and parcel of mainstream culture. Deacon writes:
«All right, so it may seem as if prominent woke activists are a little less noisy than they used to be. But that’s not because they’ve lost. It’s because they’ve won.»
