UPDATE on Inigo Wilson and Orange

Peter Shankman, CEO of New York PR consultancy Geek Factory, has posted about the suspension of Orange employee, Inigo Wilson. Peter’s contribution is fairly innocuous but he has also included an exchange of emails from within Orange following the initial complaint about Inigo’s comments. Peter claims these came from “someone close to the incident”.

As a footnote to this affair Peter’s post includes ConservativeHome’s comment policy which states clearly:

“Homophobic, racist or other hateful posts will … result in permanent bans.”

However, editor of ConservativeHome, Tim Montgomerie, writes on the site:

"ConservativeHome will do all it can to stand up for Inigo Wilson. His freedom of speech is our freeedom of speech. Orange needs to know that."

The site obviously doesn't deem Inigo’s remarks racist. Obviously many others do, but will the new moderate Conservative party intervene? What does Dave think?

I don't think anyone is denying Inigo of his right to feedom of speech. His employer is rightly deciding whether it wants to associate itself, brand values and customers with Inigo's distasteful views.

Comments

[anon]

Simonsays - well picked up on the Tory double standards employed on the conhome site.

A picture you may wish to add to your blog entry:

http://img228.imageshack.us/my.php?image=orangezc1.jpg

[Sam Coates]

Sorry Simon but the article is not racist in the slightest, we wouldn't have published it if it was.

ConservativeHome is an independent website, so I don't know what you think the Conservative Party should do to intervene.

[Simon Collister]

The problem is, Sam, how do you define what is racist. One definition (although perhaps not to your liking) is that if someone feels that something is racist then it is.

Plenty of people do find Inigo's comments racist.

As for intervention, I only mean whether new man Dave would like what's being said over at CH. He's very moderate and I can't see Inigo's comments (however you want to look at them) boosting support for the Conservative Party among key audiences!

[Rob Skinner]

The Conservative conversion to the cause of freedom of speech is a recent one. Remember Howard Flight, the former Tory deputy chairman? He was deselected as a parliamentary candidate in 2005 after making comments about spending cuts that embarrassed then-leader Michael Howard. There was also the ban on broadcasting interviews with elected Sinn Fein MPs and councillors imposed by the Thatcher government.

[jummy]

this...

"The problem is, Sam, how do you define what is racist. One definition (although perhaps not to your liking) is that if someone feels that something is racist then it is."

...is the evidentiary standard of a witch trial.

conservatives' adherance to principles of free speech may be a new or uneven thing, but it is no where to be found amongst those advancing or justifying the attack against wilson.