Aaron Bastani, Corbynite cheerleader, must not be silenced
Much as they might like to, anti-Corbynites cannot have it both ways on the question of free speech and the supposed pollution of the public realm. For days now on social media, a campaign to defend Sir Roger Scruton has been running from the centre-right and outraged free speech liberals. Rightly, in my view, there is an effort to defend Roger against claims he can play no part in public life. We debate this – heatedly – on the latest Reaction podcast.
But then, when a leading Corbynite says something particularly shocking and stupid, there are calls from the centre-right for him to be disowned by the Labour party and banished from the airwaves. The double standards are obvious. Right on cue, on Thursday in the middle of Scrutongate, up popped Aaron Bastani, founder of a Communist-leaning media outlet, and one of the far left’s most accomplished and reliable idiots.
Bastani’s latest tweet was a corker and caused quite a fuss among those of us in the political/media bubble with not enough to do of an afternoon:
“Absolutely sickening that as a country Britain spends £45 million on poppies to feel good and help a worthy cause while 13,000 ex veterans are homeless. When was the last time the Royal British Legion challenged the government on homelessness and public services? Joke.”
That is a terrible attack on the Royal British Legion, and Bastani was condemned. There was a silly video too of him talking rubbish about this on the intertubes. There are furious calls being made for him to be removed or sacked from something, anything.
No, I reject this. Bastani must not be silenced. It is vital that he is heard, as often as possible, over and over again. Not simply because we should take an equal opportunities approach to this – the intellectually-challenged have a right to be heard too – but because his pronouncements are terrifically helpful to those of us who don’t want the country destroyed by the Marxist maniacs who have invaded and destroyed the Labour party.