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Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Officially defining Islamophobia endangers freedom of speech
Professor Steven Greer worked at Bristol University for 36 years as an expert in human rights law before his career was ruined. The 68-year-old faced a false accusation in 2020 from the university's Islamic Society alleging he had made Islamophobic remarks. The complainant had not attended Mr Greer's teaching module, yet alleged he had made discriminatory remarks. In reality the lecturer had merely spoken of the Islamist attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine. The complaint against Mr Greer went nowhere, until Bristol's Islamic Society launched a social media campaign against the lecturer. It falsely claimed he had mocked Islam and the Quran. A pile-on ensued with a petition calling for his sacking garnering 4,000 signatures. Mr Greer felt so intimidated by the online anger that he went into hiding, venturing out only in disguise. He sincerely believed his life was in danger. • Islamophobia row academic: I wore a disguise. Better ridiculous than dead Bristol University initiated an inquiry and, five months later, he was exonerated after an independent assessor from another department concluded it was a storm over nothing. The lecturer went on sick leave and has since retired but, rightly, he is not letting the matter rest. In an interview with this newspaper today, he accuses his former employer of failing to protect him. By scrapping Mr Greer's module on 'Islam, China and the Far East' following its inquiry, Bristol University has demonstrated institutional cowardice, as well as humiliating Mr Greer. Alas, there is a precedent here. Kathleen Stock, a professor of philosophy at Sussex University, was driven out for her views on sex and gender. Eventually an investigation by the Office for Students led to Sussex being fined £585,000 for its failure to protect freedom of speech. If the OfS is to fulfil its duties as a protector of freedom of speech on campuses, it must urgently investigate whether or not Bristol offered Mr Greer appropriate protection. Mr Greer's case is instructive as the government considers a formal definition of Islamophobia. Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, instigated a working group earlier this year following a rise in reports of anti-Muslim hatred. The working group claimed that any definition 'must be compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression'. Yet the mere instance of a definition creates a bar for free speech to be measured by, especially if a commissar is created to adjudicate on it. Although the group has pledged to engage 'widely', there are concerns about its findings becoming a foregone conclusion. According to the Policy Exchange think tank, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, which promotes its own definition of Islamophobia, has claimed that stating that those involved in grooming gangs were predominantly of Pakistani origin is Islamophobic. Yet that is exactly what Baroness Casey of Blackstock concluded in her recent report into such gangs. Equally troubling is the fact that the working group, led by Dominic Grieve, a former attorney general, has endorsed the parliamentary group's work. Given the ongoing debate on grooming gangs, with a national inquiry due, the government would be wise to halt its work on an Islamophobia definition. The danger to free speech is too great, as is the danger of more cases arising like that of Mr Greer. Strong laws against racial hatred already exist. There is no need for more.
Irish Independent
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘I hope you don't expect us to win': rival Irish University Challenge captains join forces for a fiendish pub quiz
Oscar Despard and Kevin Flanagan were recent opponents on a semi-final of the long-running BBC show. Louise McLoughlin takes them to a London pub to see how they fare with a less academic test I've never been great at pub quizzes. So the opportunity to team up with two of Ireland's best and brightest minds promised some vindication – even if only as part of a team. On a personal level, a friend had suggested beforehand that the experience had the potential to be humiliating. I suggested 'humbling' was perhaps a better word. A win is a win, after all. In all honesty, I expected my contribution to be minimal. The two other members of my team were Dubliners Oscar Despard (22) from Portobello and Kevin Flanagan (29) from Dundrum, who recently went head-to-head in the semi-finals of University Challenge. Despard, who is studying for a PhD in molecular biology, went on to lead Christ's College Cambridge to its first ever victory on the show, winning a tense final by just five points. Flanagan captained the team from Bristol University, where he is doing a PhD in AI.
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Theo Nichols obituary
My friend Theo Nichols, who has died aged 86, was a social sciences professor dedicated to the critical study of the relationship between capital and labour. Theo's first book, Ownership, Control and Ideology (1969), was followed by Workers Divided (1976) and Living With Capitalism (1977), two case studies of work at a large chemical complex, while The British Worker Question (1986) employed his powerful prose to critique dominant accounts of low productivity and the performance of the British economy. He went on to publish another 15 books and edited collections including the classic study The Sociology of Industrial Injury (1997). Theo was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, as the only child of Wally and Min (nee Baker), both factory workers. Educated first at St Andrew's Murray secondary modern school and then Lawrence Sheriff grammar school, both in Rugby, in 1957 he went on to take up social studies at Hull University. Drawn to industrial sociology, and after stints lecturing at the universities of Aston (1963-64) and Bath (1964-68), in 1969 he took up a lectureship at Bristol University, where he and I were part of the second tranche of appointments to its new department of sociology. In 2000 he left Bristol to take up a distinguished research professorship in social sciences at Cardiff, working there until his retirement in 2010. Theo was a principled man who had little time for authority figures, valued hard work and disliked unfairness. An avid reader, he loved walking his dog and watching Bristol City at Ashton Gate. His second wife, Nancy Lineton, whom he married in 1994, died 15 days before Theo. He is survived by three children, Rob, Jo and Claire, from his first marriage to Joyce Sage, which ended in divorce, by Nancy's three children from a previous marriage, and 15 grandchildren.
South Wales Guardian
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Coronation Street star Michael McStay dies aged 92
In a statement, the spokesperson said: 'It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Michael McStay, an actor of the highest standing and talented writer, whose career across stage, screen and radio spanned over six decades.' McStay had a 60-year career and died from heart failure on Sunday, May 18, according to the Sun. The newspaper explained that his last acting role was in Coronation Street, where he played Alan Hoyle, replacing John Woodvine in 2011. McStay studied a degree in Drama, French and Philosophy at Bristol University, reports the Sun. He then went to France and starred in thirteen episodes of the French serial Le Mari de L'Ambassadeur. McStay had roles in Doctor Who, Peter Yates' Robbery, Blunt and more, but rose to fame after No Hiding Place was released. Recommended Reading Coronation Street star addresses future on the show after 15 years on ITV soap Identity of Deal or No Deal's banker finally revealed as Coronation Street star Coronation Street legend shares on-set secret of iconic fight with Gail Platt ITV soap icon retires from Emmerdale and Coronation Street roles after 27 years Tributes have been paid to McStay following the news of his death with one Coronation Street fan sharing to X: 'Sad to see that Michael McStay has passed away. "Absolutely adored him in Corrie as Alan Hoyle in the John Stape storyline. "Both him and the late Jean Fergusson were brilliant in the basement episodes.' Another person replied to this post, saying they were 'sorry to hear of his death.' He was also a writer, having written plays for BBC Radio 4. He also wrote ITV comedy Pull the Other One.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
My friend ruined my wedding day so I cut her out of my life
It took me and James 18 months to plan our wedding meticulously at a beautiful Georgian manor house in Wiltshire, back in 2023. It cost a fortune, but his parents are well off and they insisted on paying the venue costs. I was so grateful to them, and determined that nothing would mar our special day. We pored over menus, DJs and arrangements daily, and when it came to the guest list we invited 100 carefully chosen people. I was initially unsure about inviting my old girl gang from Bristol University. They were great fun but all big drinkers and could be fairly raucous in a group. But James pointed out that they had been a significant part of my life back then, that we'd all kept in touch over the years and that they should attend. In the end, I invited all four. I was with the make-up artist in the bridal suite before the ceremony when my old pals burst in, clutching bottles of champagne and shrieking with excitement. The loudest, Helen, whom I hadn't seen since before Covid, had always been a party girl. She was immediately splashing booze into glasses and turning up the music as if we were getting ready for a massive club night, rather than my wedding ceremony. I laughingly asked her to tone it down a bit, and she told me not to be 'boring'. Luckily the others were better at reading the room, and dragged her away to get dressed. I didn't see them again until after the ceremony when we were having drinks and canapés on the lawn. I noticed a few of James's friends glancing over at Helen and I realised she was wearing a skintight, emerald green satin strapless dress. She's quite well-endowed, and the men's eyes were on stalks. James is from a very upper-middle-class background, he went to boarding school and his friends all understand social rules. They were beautifully dressed, with the women in chic silk frocks and expensive hats. In contrast, Helen looked like a Vegas showgirl. My other friends said nothing, but I saw a few raised eyebrows as she sashayed past, tipping back her champagne flute and brandishing it for refills. I knew she wasn't on a great salary, and I assumed she was making the most of the free fizz and would calm down over dinner. We had chosen a typical English summer feast of poached salmon and asparagus followed by Eton mess, and then it was time for the speeches. The best man's jokes were perfectly pitched for the crowd, funny without being filthy, and very affectionate. But when my dad stood up to speak, and was telling a sweet story about how neat and tidy I had been as a child, I heard Helen's voice yell, 'She wasn't f---ing tidy when I lived with her!' I assume she'd hoped for a laugh, but there was a frozen silence. My dad eventually said, 'Well, not many students are,' and carried on. I had seen my new mother-in-law briefly close her eyes in horror, and I felt so mortified that I could barely focus on James's lovely speech, which he'd been worrying about for weeks – even though afterwards, people told me it was one of the day's highlights. During the applause, I heard Helen shrieking, 'Whoooh!' and whistling, as if we were at a rock gig. I tried to ignore my humiliation as the evening party got under way. We'd booked a DJ to play old favourites; our first dance, to Unforgettable, went beautifully; and I was enjoying myself. I was dancing with various family members when my sister nudged me and nodded at someone across the dance floor. I had a sinking feeling, and I was right. To my horror, Helen was dirty-dancing with – or more accurately, at – Clive, James's 70-year-old, ex-military father. She was shimmying up and down, pulling his tie to lead him along, running her hands up and down his chest… Clive wore an expression of bemused alarm, and was clearly trying politely to extract himself, but Helen was too drunk to notice, draping her arms around his neck and pressing up against him. Thankfully, the best man saw Clive's predicament and stepped in to dance with her. Clive shook his head wearily as he left the dance floor, saying, 'Your friend's certainly enjoying herself.' I was very embarrassed, but I didn't want her antics to spoil the day – she was drunk and having fun, and everyone else was having a great time too, albeit less chaotically. Later on, at about 10pm, James and I were in the lobby, saying a polite goodbye to his elderly aunt and uncle, when a blur of emerald green rushed past us, swiftly followed by loud vomiting noises. The couple had to make their way out past a pool of sick on the front steps, ignoring Helen, who was now standing barefoot on the lawn, presumably sobering up. James found someone to clean it up, apologising profusely, and we returned to the party – but Helen's behaviour was all anyone could talk about. I'd hoped our wonderful wedding would be remembered only for its warmth and elegance, but she put paid to that. Before we went on honeymoon the next day, I apologised to the staff, and to James's parents, who were very gracious and laughed it off, albeit rather stiffly. But Helen had checked out first thing, and hadn't left a message. I had expected a fulsome apology, but none was forthcoming. As the days, then weeks, went by, it became clear she wasn't going to apologise at all. Perhaps she was too embarrassed. I spoke to the other university friends from our group, and they hadn't heard from her either. I would have forgiven her awful behaviour, but as she didn't have the decency to acknowledge it, I blocked her on social media and – in my mind, at least – ended the friendship. I didn't feel sad. Helen wasn't in my life day-to-day, and clearly, we no longer had anything in common. Now, I just wish I could remember our wedding day without thinking about Clive's horrified expression and the terrible mess the staff had to clear up. It was certainly memorable – but not quite in the way I'd hoped.
