I don’t know if you’ve been following this particular story or not. I’ve only really just picked up to it so am coming to the party quite late. The story is that Nigel Farage, former leader of UKIP and prominent Brexit campaigner had his account with Coutts banks shut down. The bank claimed that this was due to him not meeting their commercial threshold for an account. Leaked documents, however, suggest that it was, as Farage has claimed due to his political views on Brexit, immigration and links to Donald Trump.
There are a number of things going on here and we would do well to tease them out carefully. First of all, there is the issue of whether or not a private organisation is involved in censorship and denying free speech by refusing Farage an account because of his views. This has bene picked up on by Christian campaigners who have identified a risk here. If Coutts can discriminate against Farage because of his views on immigration and Europe, could they also choose to exclude other people who don’t align with their values. What if Christian or Muslim religious beliefs are considered out of line with their values?
On one level, we might want to consider that private businesses, like private individuals should be free to do business with and relate to whoever they wish. In fact, it was not to long back that Christians were arguing from this perspective. However, it is now legally recognised that you cannot discriminate against others on the basis of race gender or sexuality and those legal requirements overrule any private rights. That is different though to discriminating on the basis of opinions and views where the individual has a bit more choice. Indeed, it works both ways. We choose not to do business with particular organisations because of their ethical position and actions.
The concern though is more that specific, essential services are being denied to someone because of their reputation. In todays’ cashless society, access to banking services is increasingly seen as a basic human right up there with water and housing. It would be difficult for most of us to function in society without a bank account and debit card. So, would I want The Bank of Birmingham to get someone t go through all my blog articles and Facebook posts before letting me open an account with them? Probably not! However, nor would I expect it to be a matter of public knowledge or interest that I was banking with them.
The situation with Coutts is I think a little bit different. The bank has a reputation meaning that having an account with them is seen as a matter of prestige. You certainly would sit up and take notice if you found out I had a Coutts cheque book. So, it seems to be about more than just banking transactions and as much about membership of a fairly exclusive club that is at stake.
Furthermore, a bank is not just acting as a holding vault for your money, especially at this kind of level. Rather, it is providing a service by investing that money in order to deliver maximum returns. If Farage is using those investments to fund his campaigning then Coutts may feel that indirectly by managing his investments, they are supporting his campaigns.
What all of this means is that I think we should be cautious about rushing to conclusions about who is right and wrong here. We certainly shouldn’t be hasty in taking a side either out of dislike for Farage’s views or fears that our own views might be regarded in a similar way.
Faithroots 