Brunei: Star Wars 2

The celebrity boycott of Dorchester hotels over anti-gay laws in Brunei will be ineffective and “most rewarding to the individuals taking part”, the charity Stonewall has claimed.

Stephen Fry, Richard Branson and several A-list US stars have forsaken the luxury chain over its ties to the Sultan of Brunei, who plans to make homosexuality punishable in his country with death by stoning.

But they will not be joined by Stonewall, the gay, lesbian and bisexual rights charity, because it risks “turning the issue into a battle between gay people and the Sultan”.

Writing in The Telegraph Ruth Hunt, the charity’s chief executive, described the Sultan’s plans to introduce a strict Sharia code in his country as “an abomination” but said the charity would “only implement actions that we can calculate will have an impact”.

She said: “We’re renowned for our pragmatism and our belief that talking is usually more effective than protests – however satisfying protests may be, in the short term they’re often most rewarding to the individuals taking part.

“The crucial questions for Stonewall are whether there is a mandate for the boycott and would such a boycott work? We believe the answer is no, on both counts.”

The Dorchester Collection is owned by the Brunei Investment Agency and comprises 10 properties including the Beverly Hills Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air, and The Dorchester in London.

But Ms Hunt questioned the logic of targeting the hotel group, saying it was doubtful what influence Christopher Cowdray, its “somewhat beleaguered” chief executive, could realistically have on Brunei’s legal system.

“By turning the issue into a battle between gay people and the Sultan… we limit the opportunity for dialogue and put the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people of Brunei at far greater risk,” she said.

Stonewall prefers to encourage change by working with groups such as the Dorchester Collection to ensure all their employees have fundamental rights at work, while supporting human rights groups with their work around the world, she added.

“The change we’ve seen here in the UK did not happen because of boycotts. It happened because a constellation of campaigners, individuals and companies committed changing the country.”

Daily Telegraph. 

Well said - couldn't have put it better my own fantastic self.

Though Scott Long has - here he is on how many have got it wrong about Brunei and boycotts. 

Now I'm not a professional psychic, but something tells Fagburn all Teh Gays who prefer knee-jerk self-serving posturing, media stunts and celebactivism to rational and effective campaigning won't like this one bit.

Maybe we should concentrate on things that might actually affect change, not just silly stuff that makes us feel good?

PS Admittedly, I'll look pretty silly if it turns out the Dorchester group are a major Stonewall donor. 

They're not are they...