Britain's incoming home secretary says ban on Michael Savages' travel to be lifted

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

WASHINGTON – Radio talker Michael Savage told WND he was "stunned" by the quick decision by incoming United Kingdom Home Secretary Alan Johnson to scrap his predecessor's list of people banned from Britain – a list that included Savage along with Islamic hate preachers and terrorists.

Savage had sued outgoing Home Secretary Jacqui Smith for libel for listing him, along with 15 others, as "least wanted" visitors in the country. Meanwhile, Smith's successor, Alan Johnson, called the move a terrible blunder and told the London Daily Mail he would scrap the policy of maintaining such enemies lists.

"I am stunned by this sudden sign of sanity in the U.K. government," Savage told WND. "But I won't believe it until they send a letter to me confirming it."

Savage said he also demands an apology from Smith.

Johnson said Smith had no right to put Savage, the third highest rated radio talker in America, on the same list as a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard, a skinhead gang leader and a Hezbollah militant.

Last week, Jacqui Smith admitted she was not up to being home secretary, saying she should have been given some training for the job before being named.

"When I became home secretary I'd never run a major organization," she told Total Politics magazine. "I hope I did a good job but if I did it was more by luck than by any kind of development of skills. I think we should have been better trained. I think there should have been more induction."

Last month, Smith resigned her position in the wake of scandal over personal use of taxpayer funds and her controversial ban of Savage.

Savage took the offensive against her by appearing on a BBC radio program and filing his lawsuit.

Smith contended upon announcing the ban of Savage May 5 that the talk host was "someone who has fallen into the category of fomenting hatred, of such extreme views and expressing them in such a way that it is actually likely to cause inter-community tension or even violence if that person were allowed into the country."

Savage also has sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asking that she call on the British government to withdraw the ban.

The complaint against Smith notes the home secretary's office said in a press release that the "controversial daily radio host" is "considered to be engaging in unacceptable behavior by seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence."

The allegations are "entirely false," the complaint asserts.

"At no time has our client provoked or sought to provoke others to commit crimes or serious criminal acts."

Savage hosts the nation's third most popular radio talk show in the U.S., with an estimated 8 million listeners a week on about 400 stations, according to his syndicator, the Talk Radio Network.

Savage told WND after the ban was announced last month that his message for Smith and the people of the U.K. was, "Shame on you. Shame that you've fallen to such a low level."

"It's interesting to me that here I am a talk show host, who does not advocate violence, who advocates patriotic traditional values – borders, language, culture – who is now on a list banned in England," Savage said. "What does that say about the government of England? It says more about them than it says about me."

The U.K. list also includes Hamas leader Yunis Al-Astal, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Stephen Donald Black, neo-Nazi Erich Gliebe and radical American pastor Fred Phelps, known for his virulent anti-gay protests at funerals. Phelps' daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper also is on the list.

On his website, Savage appealed to his listeners to contribute his legal fund, which he has used for various efforts, including a lawsuit last year against the Council on American-Islamic Relations for waging a boycott using excerpts of his copyrighted remarks. In the case of Savage's U.K. ban, however, CAIR has sided with Savage, arguing "freedom of speech is a two-way street."

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=104396

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The stupid thing about all this is that it gave attention to Savage (which he milked to no end) who has no influence in the UK whatsoever.

[luckytxn 2,263]

Cool. Savage can now take that long dreamed of vacation to the UK. :rolleyes:

[mawilson 2,133]

Cool. Savage can now take that long dreamed of vacation to the UK. :rolleyes:

[_Simpson_ 250]

The stupid thing about all this is that it gave attention to Savage (which he milked to no end) who has no influence in the UK whatsoever.

I totally disagree Pike, where stupid took its crown was when they TRIED to shut Savage up.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The stupid thing about all this is that it gave attention to Savage (which he milked to no end) who has no influence in the UK whatsoever.

I totally disagree Pike, where stupid took its crown was when they TRIED to shut Savage up.

No they didn't.

The Home Office for reasons of its down decided to let out that Savage was on a secret list of people who would not be allowed into the country.

They didn't try to shut him up.

[_Simpson_ 250]

Why would they not let him in, were they were afraid he was packin? What do you think think there reasons are? Lets be real here, I hardly doubt there reasons were justifiable and there for not allowing him in triumphs the attention he has received as far as King Stupid is concerned. I think what it comes down too is they dont like his message.

Edited July 19, 2009 by looking_up

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Why would they not let him in, were they were afraid he was packin? What do you think think there reasons are? Lets be real here, I hardly doubt there reasons were justifiable and there for not allowing him in triumphs the attention he has received as far as King Stupid is concerned. I think what it comes down too is they dont like his message.

The office of the Home Secretary has broad powers to do these (and other) things - and with anti-terror and anti-hate laws these days there doesn't need to be much justification for it. Like it or not its the world we live in.

To be honest - I doubt that the then Home Secretary really listened to his "message" (just like the politicans who go off about violent movies and video games rarely take the time to experience the object of their criticism first hand), certainly not if the implication here is that a US radio personality who has no audience in the UK should be somehow be influencing the people.

None of that of course changes the fact that the UK Govt does not have the power to silence Michael Savage - and if this list were never made public, noone would have been any the wiser.

Edited July 19, 2009 by Private Pike

[_Simpson_ 250]

They have the power to keep him out and you eluded to that it might have to do with the anti-hate laws, which tells me that they have a idea of what his "message" is, regardless to their reasons I think that the fact they tried to keep him out triumphs any other reason as far as stupid is concerned. I cant stand the attention he is getting either, I dont like the guy but it was very stupid of the home office to try and keep him out, they shot themselves in the foot.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

They have the power to keep him out and you eluded to that it might have to do with the anti-hate laws, which tells me that they have a idea of what his "message" is, regardless to their reasons I think that the fact they tried to keep him out triumphs any other reason as far as stupid is concerned. I cant stand the attention he is getting either, I dont like the guy but it was very stupid of the home office to try and keep him out, they shot themselves in the foot.

Yes they did.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Maybe he'll go on a book tour in the UK. He's written 25 books and has a Ph.D From UC Berkeley in Nutritional Ethnomedicine.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Savage probably would go to the UK just to assert his right to do so. Wouldn't be surprised if he did do some sort of book tour, though whether his fame has really increased over this spat with the Home Office is open to question. I kind of doubt it though.

[HAL 9000 96]

Savage probably would go to the UK just to assert his right to do so. Wouldn't be surprised if he did do some sort of book tour, though whether his fame has really increased over this spat with the Home Office is open to question. I kind of doubt it though.

You mean there's enough racists in Britain to want to buy his racist hysterics? Hey... it is their right to be jerks.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Savage probably would go to the UK just to assert his right to do so. Wouldn't be surprised if he did do some sort of book tour, though whether his fame has really increased over this spat with the Home Office is open to question. I kind of doubt it though.

You mean there's enough racists in Britain to want to buy his racist hysterics? Hey... it is their right to be jerks.

There are plenty of Daily Mail readers

Savage isn't very well known in the UK, I'm not sure if they even syndicate his radio show over there.

[HAL 9000 96]

Savage probably would go to the UK just to assert his right to do so. Wouldn't be surprised if he did do some sort of book tour, though whether his fame has really increased over this spat with the Home Office is open to question. I kind of doubt it though.

You mean there's enough racists in Britain to want to buy his racist hysterics? Hey... it is their right to be jerks.

There are plenty of Daily Mail readers

Savage isn't very well known in the UK, I'm not sure if they even syndicate his radio show over there.

Never too late to spread more hatred- specially when the attention these idiots receive gets them paid.