BBC lets non-Irish officer insult ‘irrational’ ‘Micks’

Smug commentary to Jubilee parade angers Irish people

The BBC’s commentary on part of its coverage of the Jubilee celebrations has angered Irish people by allowing, unchecked and unchallenged, the non-Irish former ‘Private Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’ to quote a non-Irish figure insulting ‘irrational’ ‘Micks’ serving in the Irish Guards

Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton – Anthony James Moxon Lowther-Pinkerton, to give him his full handle – chatted happily about the ‘Micks’ and quoted Lawrence of Arabia about the supposed innate ‘irrational tenth’ of Irish people as the BBC pursued its basically non-stop coverage of the royal shindig:

Pinkerton may have served in the Irish Guards, but he was brought up in Suffolk and educated at Eton. TE Lawrence or Lawrence of Arabia, whose sweeping generalisation of Irish people Lowther-Pinkerton quoted, was Welsh.

The reaction of Irish viewers was not hard to fathom:

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And as for Lawrence of Arabia. He wasn’t Irish. https://t.co/BdgwUDejZB

— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) June 2, 2022

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You what! Seriously, it is 2022 not 1922, this is out of order. The casual way this is simply dismissed is unreal. It is offensive to call us Irish “Micks” it is a wonder they didn’t throw in a few “paddy Irishman jokes” for good measure while they were at it

— Brent Poland (@BrentPoland1) June 2, 2022

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My Irish wife says fuck you @BBCNews

— David Turner #AbolishTheMonarchy (@PrivacyCestFini) June 2, 2022

And in case anyone was still unsure why it was offensive, Irishman Tory Fibs gave a handy explainer:

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Explanation

• ‘Mick’ (Michael) = Papists (Sectarian)
• ‘Irrational’ = Prone to non normative behaviour (Violence Crime)
• Lawrence of Arabia was not Irish (Absentee Landlord family: famine)
• Commentator “we”: He’s employed by Royal family & English. Speaking on our behalf https://t.co/N8cniflNPf

— Tory Fibs (@ToryFibs) June 2, 2022

This is not the BBC’s first time around the casual racism block. At the queen’s 90th birthday celebrations, a BBC guest regaled other guests with a jolly tale of her madge comparing a foreign ambassador to a gorilla. The story was embarrassing enough even in 1967 that the queen banned the broadcasting of a clip of her saying it, but the BBC – despite the obvious discomfort of black musician Will.i.am – had no such qualms.

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