Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has said she does not plan “to charge out on a culture war battle”, as she criticised left-wing activists who have “hijacked” social media. However a deleted tweet from Dorries would indicate she is a fully paid-up. member of the culture war
The politician, who went from a working-class background in Liverpool to become a bestselling author and Cabinet minister, also described negative reaction to her new role as “quite misogynistic”.
In her first TV interview since taking the job, she told the BBC: “Sometimes I think we just need to tone down the condemnation and the judgment, and evaluate and engage a little bit more than we do. I think social media probably contributes a lot to this.
“People are afraid because of the amplification in the echo chambers of social media.”
Ms Dorries’ previous comments on the arts were revisited when she was given the culture brief during the reshuffle in September, particularly her 2017 lament at what she perceived as the impact of “left-wing snowflakes” on culture.
She tweeted: “Left wing snowflakes are killing comedy, tearing down historic statues, removing books from universities, dumbing down panto, removing Christ from Christmas and suppressing free speech. Sadly, it must be true, history does repeat itself. It will be music next.”
Last year she turned her attention to the BBC, describing it as favouring “strident, very left wing, often hypocritical and frequently patronising views that turn people away”.
She told BBC News that any such strident posts on social media are aimed at campaigners “on the left who have hijacked that space” rather than people who “do want to talk about these issues seriously”.
James O’Brien
An old deleted tweet from Dorries about LBC presenter James O’Brien has seemingly cancelled out her culture war claims.
He wrote: “Bloody hell. Even I’m shocked. Nadine Dorries did this to me. Deleted very quickly but how could any vaguely respectable politician have retweeted this unhinged bile about anyone? Let alone a politician now complaining about online abuse?”
In the deleted tweet, from over three years ago, she R/T this “RT @kinglami1: I believe James O Brien of LBC fame is a Hate preacher, a liar, a misogynist, a UK hater & an apologist for Islamist atrocities. I also believe he is a bully who hides behind the Global/LBC name who condone his behaviour. I also believe he should be sacked. Plz R/T if you agree.”
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