By Steven Smith
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have an eclectic circle of friends. They come from different backgrounds, hold different political opinions and make very different choices in life. And do you know what? That’s precisely how I like it.
Friendship, in my opinion, should never depend on agreeing about everything.
Recently, one of my dearest friends and I found ourselves debating the suitability of a certain gentleman to become Prime Minister. I made my feelings perfectly clear. Every time I see or hear him, I think of slime, accompanied by a rather unfortunate vision of Albert Steptoe dressed as Hitler!
My friend, being considerably younger( cough ) , had absolutely no idea who Albert Steptoe was, but she certainly got the gist.
She, on the other hand, adores this politician. So much so that she nearly accepted a position in his press office.
Did we fall out? Absolutely not. We laughed, moved on to another subject and arranged to see each other the following week. No tantrums, no cancelling friendships and certainly no personal attacks.
However, there is one thing I will never tolerate: bullying.
Which brings me to GB News presenter Nana Akua and her recent confrontation with Andy Twelves.
Whether you agree with Nana’s politics or rate her broadcasting style is entirely irrelevant. She is a human being who deserves courtesy and respect.
Nana presents a programme that combines lively debate, entertainment and information. Her guests should be free to challenge her opinions, but disagreement should never become an excuse for intimidation.
Watching the confrontation, I felt Twelves behaved like a twelve-year-old schoolboy pulling a girl’s pigtails simply to provoke a reaction.
Call me old-fashioned, but even in an age of equal rights, I still find the sight of a man bullying a woman utterly disgusting or any bullying . Equality should never mean abandoning basic decency, courtesy or respect.
That isn’t intelligent debate. It’s playground behaviour.
We desperately need more tolerance, more humour and considerably less hostility in public life.
Disagree passionately, argue intelligently, but never confuse bullying with bravery.
https://www.gbnews.com/…/citizenship-row-gb-news-host…
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