Gary Lineker, BBC and Freedom of Speech - **Read OP**

Since you asked, you must show a passport twice in Calais, once leaving France and once entering the UK. The British officer is posted on French soil.

Taking a dinghy to sail to England from France most likely means circumventing these checks with intention.

If arriving on a private sailboat, you have to visit the harbour master, as far as I know. This applies to all citizens, British or foreign and is certainly not 1930ies Germany.

I doubt that that's what's on the mind of a migrant or a trafficker.

It's not necessarily true to what Gary stated, but again, it's his right to free speech.

Did... did someone say Linekar was "Marked" now? Sweet Jesus. Absolutely. Marked by ITV. Marked by Sky. Probably Marked by numerous US networks. Oh how will he survive.

BEST CASE. Absolutely best case scenario for BBC is if they come back on bended knees, begging for him to come back. Otherwise he will simply go to the highest bidder that he agrees with. The VAST majority are behind him. If not his opinions, then his right to HAVE those opinions. Of course you are going to have the tinfoil/red hat brigade opposing him but leave them digest themselves in their own bile of hate. They will say that there is a HUGE silent majority who don't agree with Linekar but, heads up..... they will never ever ever ever be able to back up that claim that they are in this "silent majority" ever... EVER... in NO way that cannot be instantly refuted

Ever

If Gary releases a book in the run up to the Christmas rush would you be purchasing it?

Can't find the post you were replying to (assuming it was a post) but Clarkson's case was a bit different: telling racially insensitive jokes will get you into trouble in a lot of places and is a bit different from expressing an opinion. He also punched someone which is definitely crossing a line.

I'd agree with your post though on freedom: but broadcasters simply need to put up a 'viewpoints expressed by the individual are not nessecarily those of X brodcasting' and move on. We are (thankfully) beginning to get to the point where the public are starting to see the point of freedom of expression and side with the commentor and not the employer/broadcaster. Thus, cancelling and censoring is beginning to lose it's force: people have to think twice before the fire someone for a tweet because the public might not react as positively to their virtue signalling as they may have anticpated.

No. Probably not. Because my interest in football can be written on the back of a stamp... AFTER I write what I know about football.

I have zero interest in football. Seriously... NONE. it bores me to tears. Millionaires kicking a ball and faking life-threatening injury for a few mins... any sport really. MAYBE i have a slight interest in rugby... MAYBE!

So I have no interest in Gary Linekar as a footballer or pundit.... I know him more for his crisp ads than anything football related. I do not think I have ever watched a full episode.

BUT I stand by my point that he should be entitled to his OPINION. Especially as he stated this OPINION, not as an official (or unofficial) spokesman for the BBC or MoTD but as Gary Linekar. An opinion, as a human being, that he is entitled to and entitled to express. Had he presented this as something like:"The official opinion of MoTD is..." then, absolutely, nail him for violating his BBC contract. But that is not what he did.

He is 100% entitled to his OPINION. and others are 100% entitled to disagree with this OPINION. But, given the fact that BBC legally is not supposed to be swayed by political interference, I find it chilling that it seems they chose to pursue this path.

THAT is what I find disturbing: That the famed BBC impartiality is being cast aside. It is nothing to do with the individual of Gary Linekar or even his opinions. But more to do with the creeping oppression of supposed independent organisations by government in the Western world. One only needs to look at Eastern Europe news shows to see how that goes. People are being arrested for disagreeing with the government. I know this not what is happening yet in the UK but...

Thankfully this is not moderated by the BBC...

So... as is usual with me (sorry): TLDR. No. I won't read his book

Still no

All the talk about free speech and whether the language used is actually reminiscient of 1930s Germany or not seems to miss the point to me.

He wasn't removed from the programme for bringing the BBC into disrepute, or for making inflammatory statements, or similar.

He was removed from the programme for reasons of 'impartiality'. Now, on the face of it, it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that a state (and state-funded) broadcaster might have as a condition of their empyoyment that the employee (including whatever contractual relationship Lineker has with the BBC) cannot make comments that are biased towards/against a particular party. It doesn't even seem crazy that the condition might include what the employee might say in a private capacity on social media.

For me, the real issue is why Lineker has been censured in this way, while many many others who have made statements/posts/etc that were clearly biased in favour of one party have not. And on that,I'd like to know the make up of the panel or committee or ad hoc group of people that decided Lineker should be censured, while the others didn't need to be. That panel should be the very definition of impartiality in its make up, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Can't even see how this could possible be concieved ON-topic....!

If GL had said something like Fiona Bruce saying that 'Stanley Johnson only hit his wife once' (broke her nose) he wouldn't be reprimanded at all.

Even if he personally put pressure on the BBC - which is something that hasn't even been suggested - then Sunak's personal choices are not relevant, and even if they were, building his own swimming pool is hardly a free speech issue.

But it hasn't blown up in Lineker's face. He seems perfectly fine and relaxed and at ease with himself. All of the pressure at the moment is on the Tory Brexit regime, their numerous right wing press pals and the BBC itself.