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On Tuesday, Lineker tweeted in response to Donald Trump's now infamous suggestion that burning the American flag should be a crime punishable by jail or loss of citizenship, simply saying: "It's soooo cold, I could burn a flag." It is in this tweet – this smirking, sassy tweet – that his transformation is complete. No longer Gary Salt-n-Lineker, the footballer, pundit and brother of an Ibizan club-owner. Rise, Gary Lineker the iconoclast, the fierce defender of morals and vigilante voice of forgotten liberal ideals, stood aloft the Twittersphere, waving a burning flag sky-high, shouting as he goes: "We will not be silenced. We will fight for what is right. Don't forget, you'll have to wait until midnight on Monday before you can watch Match of the Day 2."Obviously we shouldn't really turn to television personalities for political guidance – America lol – but Gary's recent transition is more important than what might appear to be a bit of showboating – or "virtue signalling", as the alt-right kids are calling it these days. The conversational shift that has occurred across the past few years – but with alarming rapidity this year – has seen a redistribution of moral clout in steep favour of the right. Public figures are now far more reticent to express more centrist or liberal views, having been put off by the reception David Beckham's backing of Remain received, or the media attacks Lily Allen was subjected to after her visit to the Calais Jungle. In the new world order, if a celebrity speaks out in support of immigrants, or criticises Britain's decision to leave the EU, they are immediately branded out of touch and part of a super-rich metropolitan elite.READ: Why the Press Want to Stop Celebrities Like Me Talking About the Migrant Crisis
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