THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

So Gary Lineker has been suspended from MotD, while Ian Wright & Alan Shearer have walked out in protest.

I see that the are two issues here. The 1st issue is that the Tories and the right bleet on about freedom of expression (e.g. cancel culture), but when they get criticised they are at the front of getting these freedoms removed.

I can understand BBC journalists being restricted, but as said elsewhere Lineker is not spouting his views on the show and should be entitled to his right of free speech off it. The comparison between the Tories refugee policy and Holocaust may be been over the top, but just because it irritates the Tories, doesn't mean that a Tory Head of the BBC and a friend of Boris Johnson too boot, has the right to deny Lineker his freedom of speech.

The 2nd issue is the refugees crossing the Channel in boats. Again there are other rights and the UNHCR says bill extinguishes the right to seek refugee protection. It's a bit much that we intervened in Afghanistan, were part of the cock up withdrawal and then deny Afghanistans (especially women) the right to refugee protection in the UK.

I can understand more returning Albanians, although that country also has human rights abuses, but when a Home Secretary says that she is is pushing the boundaries of legality, I wonder if this is the approach that a Home Secretary should take and it's ironic that both Braverman & Sunak are children of immigrants.

It's been a bad week for UK freedoms and I for one won't be watching Match of the Day (although I rarely do anyway).

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Disclaimer: All my comments are my opinions unless stated otherwise. I'm just a fan following my club.

Wonder if Alan Sugar will be 'stepping back' from The Apprentice for his odious right-wing tweets.

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For those that like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.

Good OP.

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I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

At last ! A football programme today without an overpaid twit of a presenter and a bunch of pontificating twerps pretending football can be analysed like a game of chess.

Irrespective of the rights or wrongs of dumping Lineker it vastly improves our watching experience.

Do you really think football is beyond analysis? I'm not having a go, it's just that it seems an unusual position to hold.

I'll concede that some pundits aren't very good at it though!

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I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

This

All they need to do now is remove the nauseating bbc adverts scattered thoughout the program.

It's an assault on free speech. The BBC were perfectly happy to have Dorries on The World At One last Friday pontificating on Sue Gray for 15mins unchallenged. As I've already mentioned. Lord Sugar can tell everyone via Twitter to vote Tory at the last election, and constantly attack the trade union movement, but still front but still front a flagship show for them.The DG himself has donated to the Tory party, and helped facilitate a loan to the then Prime Minister, and on and on it goes.

The right in this country would like nothing more than for the BBC to be disbanded. Read the Mail online this morning, if you can stomach it. Amid their continued attacks on Harry and Meghan, you'll find countless articles on both Lineker and Auntie. It's a truly disgusting site, foul. This government are on their way out, of that there's no doubt. Hopefully it'll be decades before we ever see them in power again.

As for punditry. Lineker is at the top of his game. To suggest otherwise is just plainly ludicrous.

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For those that like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.

I haven't read the Mail since I left home and then the only thing worth reading was Fred Bassett and Snoopy.

I agree about free speech but the thing that gets me is the hypocracy. If Liniker is really concerned about refugees is he using his wealth and opening up his home to them? From what I read and hear social media, the bbc and politians are full of people who are full of talk and no action people who are not willing to make the sacrifice for their views.

I don't do social media except occasionally here, so I have joined the hypocrites.

It’s a breach of contract, nothing more. Most employment contracts will have something in them about behaviour outside of work reflecting on your employer.

He’s been told not to do something then he’s gone ahead and done it, now he’s paying the consequences.

I am sure there are a lot of ex footballers who didn't / aren't making the money the current pundits are who would jump at the opportunity to earn a good wage on the BBC let them have a go , Sweeting may have some data which would help.