Complaint to Sky Sports
The following complaint has been sent to Sky Sports regarding an advert for their Monday Night Football programme which mentions Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but not England.
Under the Race Relations Act 1976 it is unlawful to victimise or harass someone because of their race or nationality and English is recognised, for this purpose, as a race and/or nationality. Swansea University describes racial harassment as:
… any behaviour, deliberate or otherwise pertaining to race, colour, nationality – including citizenship, or ethnic or national origins, which is directed at an individual or group and which is found to be offensive or objectionable to recipients and which creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.
Sky’s behaviour is clearly deliberate, offensive and objectionable and therefore could be considered to be unlawful racial harassment.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have just seen the advert for your Monday Night Football programme for the second time – I had been waiting to see it again because I thought I must have been mistaken when I saw it for the first time.
The advert finishes by reciting country names – Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland. No mention of England, the only country in the British Isles with an international football title to its name and with a population 5 times that of the four countries you mention combined.
As a customer I am appalled and offended at what I can only assume is a deliberate snub to England, my home and country.
As a National Council Member of the Campaign for an English Parliament, I am asking you formally to explain why you have excluded England and whether you believe that in doing so you are fulfilling your obligations not to cause harassment or victimisation under the Race Relations Act 1976.
Stuart Parr
Campaign for an English Parliament
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Fair play! It’ll be interesting to see the response that you get – if indeed any considering they are mainly based in Scotland and employ the Scottish.
May 24th, 2010 at 8:50 pmInteresting. It is, of course, entirely plausible to suggest that this action is an over-compensation to include the other members of the UK to prevent accusations of a perceived ‘England bias’, but still. I was certain that equality actually meant equal treatment…
May 24th, 2010 at 8:56 pmPerhaps I am missing something here but are they not refering to the international sides that they show matches featuring? As I understand it Sky only have the rights to show Scotland, Wales, RoI and NI internationals. ITV have the rights to England internationals.
May 24th, 2010 at 9:44 pmIn the advert, they go from “World Cup Results” to the country names. That may well be their excuse but we don’t know unless we ask.
May 24th, 2010 at 10:05 pmInteresting,
May 25th, 2010 at 6:36 amI suggest that we all bombard the Sky Sports letters page on Sky text, just as soon as we see the advert, I’ve not yet seen it despite watching nearly every English match on there. I tend to make a coffee when the adverts come on.
what are they scared of…Just say the word England and just say the word English, we are people, we live, walk, talk, eat, sleep, cry, run, fart and smile what is it they are scard of, I mean really, what is it…
May 26th, 2010 at 3:21 pmHow exactly are we in England being victimised or harassed by this? Perhaps the Welsh should complain that it is the England and Wales cricket team, not just England or that Scotland should complain that Britain is just seen as another name for Greater England. Let’s stick with the main issues or we will face ridicule.
May 26th, 2010 at 4:14 pmIf you are English do you want to be treated equal or not?
May 27th, 2010 at 1:10 pmyou are taking the piss here
June 18th, 2010 at 11:01 pmScotland Ireland or Wales play an international, the programme starts 30 mins before kick-off.England play and it is at least an hour.Could that be considered as deliberate, offensive and objectionable.I await your measured and probably biased,racist reply.
June 18th, 2010 at 11:07 pmHe may not do it this year but it is only a matter of time until a Scotsman wins Wimbledon at the All England lawn tennis club.How does that make you feel?
June 18th, 2010 at 11:29 pmThis is a very childish argument. How about Sky’s treatment of domestic football in the UK? Sky has been pumping billions of pounds into the Premier League over the last few years which has made the Premier League the best football league in the world. However the SPL has recieved a comparitively small ammount which has widened the gap in class. Celtic and Rangers can no longer lure top players to the SPL on long term contracts as they cannot afford to pay the same high wages easily afforded by English clubs. BSkyB has cripples Scottish football and has made English football what it is!
June 20th, 2010 at 1:12 amSky dedicates hours of football coverage (live matches or repeats) and provides a high class coverage with top pundits and about 40 cameras at every live game. In Sky’s SPL coverage, we have Neil McCann and some blonde girl who struggles speak coherently on occassion. The coverage of Welsh and Northern Irish football is of an even lesser standard! (Does BSkyB cover Welsh league football?)
So next time you want to complain about a poxy TV advert think about the impact Sky has had on English football, even right through the Football League! I find this deliberate, offensive and objectionable.
P.S. What I also find deliberate, offensive and objectionable is the lack of Scottish representation in the European Parliament. Scotland has 5 MEPs. Were Scotland to be a Member State outright, the minimum number of MEPs would by law be limited to 6. So smaller EU Member States such as Malta and Luxumbourg have greater representation in Brussels and Strasbourg than Scotland. This is something which is dealt with in Whitehall as they decide the set-up of constituencies.
The reason there is no English Parliament is because you already have one! It may not be the English Parliament by name but The House of Commons serves all your needs. It is England who voted in the Conservatives which has a major impact in all of our lives. The Scottish Parliament was put in place to remove the threat a Conservative government posed to a mainly left wing Scotland and to protect our views which would otherwise be oppressed under an English Conservative government.