Gary Lineker's tweet

He used to be contracted to BT Urms then went to the BBC.

Urmstongran

I hear BT Sport have asked him to front their football programme. Next season? Not sure. I missed when.

Nah.
He’ll go to Sky

I do hope all those who were saying they and/or their husbands would enjoy Match of the Day without the pundits and commentators are looking forward to the whole 20 minutes of football tonight. Silent football, as the BBC aren’t allowed to use the world commentary they were hoping to access.

And MOTD2 tomorrow is looking at risk.

So if GL is a freelancer and not a member of the BBC staff - nor a political commentator on it - what rule has he broken?

I wonder if those who are so up in arms are the same individuals who rant about 'cancel' culture and 'no platforming' when they accuse the 'woke' Left of banning free speech.

Lineker may be 'big' in the BBC - be he is not the BBC and has a right to an opinion on social media.

Eritrea, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, Vietnam - are among countries where the State owns the broadcasting. It feels a bit like that's where we're heading.

Five of my FB friends who have openly voiced support for Lineker have been temporarily suspended from the site - no specific reason given, just a 'breach' of the guidelines. Three of them insist that they were very careful with their wording and did not go full-rant mode because they were afraid they would be suspended.

I'm fearful that we are already on that slippery slope leading to a dictatorship - when you look at the bigger picture and take note of all that is being said - and done - by the government.

I don’t think he will go anywhere, he isn’t going to roll over and resign, and if the BBC sack him there will be a national outcry - this has hit the zeitgeist. Interesting week ahead.

Lineker has been openly political, full of his own self importance, for many years. He is not bigger than the company he works for, there will be rules about non politicisation, and impartiality, as pointed out by the BBC, and he's trod a fine line, this last rant, and dreadful language, may well be the straw that broke the camels back. Be good to see viewing figures up for Match of the Day, who needs pundits.

I have been discussing free speech for the last ten years, I suppose you could also ask Dickens where those supporting GL were when people were being sacked, or banned from Twitter etc.

Just listened to the news. the head of the BBC has said he'd like to see GL back.

Hmmm people in glass houses?

Yes, we are engaged in culture wars: its inevitable since certain government ministers are now making it so with the very language they use. It was not needful to stir up hate against refugees, nor morally good.

If you'd listened to Any Answers today you would have heard where the balance of POV lies. Just one man - one - rabbited on about how immigrants were taking over blah blah it was out of a textbook Brexit interview.

Up for 3 hours. Marsh family on Gary Linekar et al. Enjoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4S8ctjt8Cc

Garry Lineker has been suspended by the BBC, who have no doubt felt under pressure from those on the right, in government and out. What did he say which was so dreadful that it brought chaos to the BBC?

He referred to those using extremist language. He believes it is akin to that used in 1930s Germany. What do those that attack him want? Are we supposed to forget the history of this time?

... it was Mussolini who first coined the slogan “drain the swamp” so loved by the Trumpian radical right. Read of German newspapers of the 1930s whipping up hatred of judges as “enemies of the people”, and the wretched Paul Dacre’s Daily Mail comes to mind. Read of how totalitarian politicians used the language of treason and treachery, and you hear and see much of our media and politics today, and Putin vowing to liquidate the “scum” who dare to call his war a war. *

The examples above, and what we have heard from those supposed to lead the country, is the language of the extremes. The use of language in this way has been seen down the centuries. The 1930s saw it used to extreme ends during the lifetimes of some still with us. That is why we use this time as a marker. Why wouldn't those with this knowledge call this out when it comes from the mouths of those in our government.

Source: www.theneweuropean.co.uk/alastair-campbells-diary-madeleine-albrights-warnings-about-fascism-were-spot-on/

Wyllow3

*Up for 3 hours. Marsh family on Gary Linekar et al. Enjoy!*

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4S8ctjt8Cc

Thank you. Brilliant.

I think most knowledgeable football fans find most of the punditry on MOTD and similar programmes on Sky and BT tedious, boring and mostly uninformative.

So the BBC pay £1.35M for Gary Lineker to front MOTD, no doubt Messrs Shearer and Wright are royally rewarded too.

Perhaps and it’s just a suggestion is that the BBC should take this opportunity to consider whether that’s value for money.

I’d rather see 90 mins of action, including post match interviews with the managers, goal scorers etc with no analysis. Many fans on Twitter say they record MOTD and FF through the pundits. I just go on Twitter to debate what I’ve seen rarely listen to what is

It is also interesting that pundits supporting Lineker by boycotting MOTD are being hailed as heroes, we’re talking millionaires here missing one pay day, whereas nurses and ambulance staff are being harangued for sticking together for a decent pay rise in line with inflation. 🤷‍♂️

Is this country broken beyond repair?

PS I’m looking forward to MOTD tonight

Just remind me when you were Director-General of the BBC Keeleklogger. When was it your CV came up to a standard that would tell us you were capable of making such decisions ad talented enough to know how to make such a complex organisation work?

Keeleklogger If you did know anything about it you wouldn’t be looking forward to a 20 minute MOTD tonight with no commentary whatsoever on the games, never mind any pundits. I hope you know enough to work out from their shirts who is scoring.

Jonathan Pie gets it right (as usual) www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXqVGtxFppQ

Freya5

Lineker has been openly political, full of his own self importance, for many years. He is not bigger than the company he works for, there will be rules about non politicisation, and impartiality, as pointed out by the BBC, and he's trod a fine line, this last rant, and dreadful language, may well be the straw that broke the camels back. Be good to see viewing figures up for Match of the Day, who needs pundits.

I haven’t read any dreadful language.

As expected MOTD is dreadful. I do know who is who, and I am the first to moan about some commentators talking too much, but this de-contextualised minimal highlights is a travesty.

Kudos to the BBC editors for their solidarity with their absent colleagues!

Glorianny

Jonathan Pie gets it right (as usual) www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXqVGtxFppQ

I will give you a clue the names are on the back of the shirts

Casdon

Keeleklogger If you did know anything about it you wouldn’t be looking forward to a 20 minute MOTD tonight with no commentary whatsoever on the games, never mind any pundits. I hope you know enough to work out from their shirts who is scoring.

Sorry wrong poster but there are so many ridiculous posts on here they all blend into one

I think there must be people who think they don't need to pay the licence fee, when, in fact, they do.

Everybody keeps going on about how they are paying for the BBC and its presenters. But indirectly people are paying for other channels too because the advertising on commercial channels costs an absolute fortune and that cost will be added to the price of whatever is being advertised. I find constant adverts really annoying and they spoil the continuity of films and drama series. Netflix, Sky and Disney are not cheap either. My son got me a subscription to Netflix and, whilst there are a few programmes that I have enjoyed, there are what I consider to be a lot of hastily made, badly acted, conveyer belt type films and series.

I'm very confused. I thought that Gary had overstepped the mark when he mentioned similarities between the government and 1930s Germany but that doesn't seem to be the issue at all. It's because the government really are using the language of 1930s Germany. Which is actually total rubbish.

I'm more than happy for him to tweet whatever he likes about this appalling government. I agree wholeheartedly. But for people to say he was telling the truth about 1930s Germany is pathetic.

This article is in the Mail, So this probably won't be read by many. It's written by Tom Bowyer. More bad news due to his reputation. However he's written, in simple terms, just what was going on in 1930s Germany. His family knew all about it. But what he says is the truth. There is no comparison whatsoever and it's hurtful to the Jewish population. But I know that some people here aren't overly keen. Jews have been persecuted for thousands of years. It's still not easy for us occasionally.

www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-11848987/TOM-BOWER-Nazi-thugs-beat-mother-know-real-language-used-1930s-Germany.html

Shalom shalom

Just watched MOTD. Brilliant! No annoying analysis and inane comments, e.g., ‘What do you think went wrong today?’ ‘It’s a game of two halves!’ 🙄🤔 I wish the same thing would happen to cricket commentators... 😡

TiggyW

Just watched MOTD. Brilliant! No annoying analysis and inane comments, e.g., ‘What do you think went wrong today?’ ‘It’s a game of two halves!’ 🙄🤔 I wish the same thing would happen to cricket commentators... 😡

Naturally some will prefer MOTD without the commentary and analysis, but others won't.

It will be interesting to see what the consensus of opinion is ultimately.

An interesting reaction from Andrew Neil, the former high-profile BBC presenter, who was asked by the BBC to comment on impartiality.

‘As a sports presenter, he is not subject to the same rules as I was or you are now or I was when I was at the BBC.

‘But he is still the face of the BBC. So I would suggest there has to be some rules.

‘What these rules should be, I would have thought, should be a matter of agreement between him and the BBC, but it should be sorted out.

‘It’s currently not working. He should know for his peace of mind what the parameters are and the BBC should know for its peace of mind what the parameters are as well.

‘And either that’s acceptable to Lineker, and he carries on within these new parameters, or he says, “No, I’m not accepting that, I want my free speech and I’ll leave the BBC”.

Quite tame for this unrelenting, hard-line, right-winger who, I note, made no comment on the actual content of GL's tweet.

I dont share his views on immigration. In fact I belong to an anti immigration party.

If he had expressed these views while in his role as a commentator if would have been completely inappropriate. However he has a right to voice his opinions outside the role.

I am increasingly dismayed at the censorship being imposed by the politically correct/lefty brigade.

What happeed to the good old British tradiion of "I dont agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it."