Politics and Sport

[Budgie]

The other thread was closed so I started a new one because I have an observation. Yay for me!

There's quite the controversy over in The Old Dart at the moment where Gary Linekar has been suspended by the BBC from hosting Match of the Day because he described his Government's proposed asylum seeker legislation as “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”

BBC crisis escalates as players, stars rally behind suspended presenter Gary Lineker

The BBC is facing an escalating crisis over its suspension of former England striker Gary Lineker from Match of the Day over a Twitter post commenting on the government’s asylum policy.

www.smh.com.au

The thing that made me think of the earlier thread was that Linekar and our own Craig Foster have both been extremely vocal on asylum seekers. Soccer players.

It seems to me that soccer players are better placed than the vast majority of us to have opinions on the reasons for and plight of asylum seekers because they play with people from almost every country in the world ... the World Game.
If not them, then who?

So for those, in the earlier thread, who suggest that sports people should stay out of political opinion, I say what a lot of rubbish. Being a sports person not only doesn't cancel tham out from being a thinking human being (except for the blows to the head), but can absolutely enhance their knowledge of some extremely political matters.

 

[Woodsie]

The other thread was closed so I started a new one because I have an observation. Yay for me!

There's quite the controversy over in The Old Dart at the moment where Gary Linekar has been suspended by the BBC from hosting Match of the Day because he described his Government's proposed asylum seeker legislation as “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”

BBC crisis escalates as players, stars rally behind suspended presenter Gary Lineker

The BBC is facing an escalating crisis over its suspension of former England striker Gary Lineker from Match of the Day over a Twitter post commenting on the government’s asylum policy.

www.smh.com.au

The thing that made me think of the earlier thread was that Linekar and our own Craig Foster have both been extremely vocal on asylum seekers. Soccer players.

It seems to me that soccer players are better placed than the vast majority of us to have opinions on the reasons for and plight of asylum seekers because they play with people from almost every country in the world ... the World Game.
If not them, then who?

So for those, in the earlier thread, who suggest that sports people should stay out of political opinion, I say what a lot of rubbish. Being a sports person not only doesn't cancel tham out from being a thinking human being (except for the blows to the head), but can absolutely enhance their knowledge of some extremely political matters.

I'm not sure that the solution, to what is a tragic condition for many .... is the total collapse of a Nations borders ...

 

[Uber Eagle 72]

Interesting discussion thread. Most people I know can’t stand politics and find ways to avoid it but I guess times are a changing.

I think celebrity views on politics which I guess would include actors as well as elite sports people are likely quite differently nuanced to the average joe or Jane. Most people’s main priority is staying on top of the rat race. Actors and elite sports people are blessed with hyper privileges such as disproportionate wealth and attention. They hardly speak for the average person in my opinion.

 

[manly al]

Know it is an old adage but not sure how genuine many of those asylum seekers were or have been , not just those moving onto the U K from the French coastline but in the Mediterranean region and other parts of Europe in general . U K had that harsh policy of sending some asylum seekers to that remote central African region but not sure if that was sustained . U S should be taking most of the responsibility in reality , their " liberation " , intervention - invasion policy in places like Libya , Iraq and a couple of other regions has contributed big time to the inevitable instability and society disruption and subsequent people movement in those then damaged countries . Certainly understand refugee movement from famine parts of Nth Africa but quite sure there is a fair proportion of non genuine asylum seekers who have made it all the way to the French coast and then on to the U K .

 

[Woodsie]

Know it is an old adage but not sure how genuine many of those asylum seekers were or have been , not just those moving onto the U K from the French coastline but in the Mediterranean region and other parts of Europe in general . U K had that harsh policy of sending some asylum seekers to that remote central African region but not sure if that was sustained . U S should be taking most of the responsibility in reality , their " liberation " , intervention - invasion policy in places like Libya , Iraq and a couple of other regions has contributed big time to the inevitable instability and society disruption and subsequent people movement in those then damaged countries . Certainly understand refugee movement from famine parts of Nth Africa but quite sure there is a fair proportion of non genuine asylum seekers who have made it all the way to the French coast and then on to the U K .

Pretty sure most of those areas were deranged 1000's of years before the US even existed Al.

 

[manly al]

Pretty sure most of those areas were deranged 1000's of years before the US even existed Al.

Fair point but does not help to be adding to it on pretty dubious reasons

 

[Woodsie]

Fair point but does not help to be adding to it on pretty dubious reasons

Go 2 days without oil, no petrol, no jobs, no food in supermarkets, no power generation, no hospitals ... then get back to me.

 

[manlyfan76]

The times are changing.
Millennials are now in their 30's and 40's and are not going conservative as they age like previous generations.
Expect them are younger generations to change things up regularly from now on.