Very serious stuff here from the British Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, which just published a five-month-long investigation into their CEO's following (YES, FOLLOWING) of "right-wing activist" Tommy Robinson on X.
No, I'm not kidding. RCSLT's CEO Steve Jamieson was following a British activist on X who doesn't like mass migration into his homeland, and they investigated this for five months!
To give you an idea of how "far-right" this Tommy Robinson guy is, I'll show you his pinned X post of a documentary he made. Do with it as you will, but try not to be indoctrinated into thinking for yourself. You might end up like RCSLT's CEO and have an entire investigation into your X follows!
Seriously, this is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of. Lucky for us, the RCSLT published this report and now we get to laugh at it.
Let's dive in:
I write to our RCSLT community today regarding the serious issue that occurred in Summer 2024, and the distress it has caused.
On 5 August, during a period of heightened racial tension and violence in the UK, it came to light that our Chief Executive's X (formerly Twitter) personal account was following far - right activist Tommy Robinson.
A little context on the "racial tension" we're talking about here:
Back to the uber-serious report:
Our initial response to this situation fell short of the standards and values we set as an organisation. This resulted in hurt, anger, and disappointment, particularly among members and staff who look to us for leadership and support.
Our public responses should have been swifter, transparent, and more empathetic - actions that would have better reflected the core values of both our membership and the organisation.
When members and stakeholders expressed their concerns in an open letter, the board of trustees established a sub-committee to conduct a formal investigation. We recognise this process should have begun earlier and with greater urgency, recognising the impact this would have on members.
Looking back, we understand our response at the time may have made many of you feel dismissed or unheard. This is additionally significant considering our profession's commitment to giving voice to others. We are determined to do better - with concrete meaningful actions that reflect our commitment to equity, diversity, and belonging for all.
They are taking this WAAAY too seriously!
The board of trustees established a sub-committee comprising of four board members, all independent from the RCSLT executive team and CEO, to investigate. After an initial evidence-gathering and fact-finding phase, the sub-committee appointed a barrister, Charlene Ashiru at Littleton Chambers, as an independent investigator. This appointment reflected both the gravity of the situation and our commitment to being an inclusive organisation where all voices deserve to be heard.
In summary, the external investigator's scope examined two key areas:
1. A factual examination of the CEO's follow on X and his subsequent public responses; and
2. An assessment of RCSLT's organisational actions and responses.
The investigation evaluated whether the conduct met the standards of behaviour reasonably expected of RCSLT as a public body; and if they were in line with the RCSLT values.
They haven't even gotten to their findings yet!
1. The CEO's personal account was following Tommy Robinson on X. With the information and data available, it was not technically possible to determine exactly how, why, or when the follow occurred, but on the balance of probabilities it was deemed that this was an accidental follow (as opposed to a hack) of which the CEO was unaware.
2. Our response to the incident was slower than it should have been, both in initiating an investigation and communicating with members, staff, and the public.
3. We should have immediately initiated and followed our member complaints procedure following receipt of the Anti-Racism Action Collective's letter.
4. Our responses to the incident lacked objectivity, empathy, and compassion, and failed to align with the values of the organisation.
An "accidental follow."
This led to Jamieson's apology:
Dear members and colleagues,
In August 2024 of this year, I was alerted to the fact that my personal X (formerly Twitter) account was following Tommy Robinson. I am deeply sorry for the hurt, upset, distress, fear and anger that this caused members, colleagues and staff. For members to see this, at a time of racial hatred and riots, must have been deeply shocking.
I was not aware of the follow and it certainly was not something I had done intentionally. Nevertheless, my response did not reflect the impact on others and only reflected on my own shock and concern on how this had occurred and my assumption that my account was hacked. My own personal concern prevailed and my response as the CEO of RCSLT lacked compassion and empathy for our members, staff and other RCSLT stakeholders.
Whilst I cannot turn back the clock, I have learnt from this and want members, staff and other RCSLT stakeholders to know that I recognise I have let you down and I am truly sorry.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing, in real time, the downfall of the West. These professional therapists used five months of their time to investigate their CEO for following an account on X, and now he's apologized.
FOR FOLLOWING AN ACCOUNT ON X!
You could follow all sorts of people with crazy views and no one would blink an eye, but if one of your follows is vaguely conservative or nationalist or even remotely non-liberal, you get destroyed.
Clown World 101 right here!
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