Tory councillor apologises for refugee 'joke'

[newspresenter]

A Conservative councillor who came under fire after posting a gag about refugees on an internet forum apologised today, saying it was "a simple joke".

Roger Walkden sparked a row after including a comment on the Dover Forum website in which a refugee is granted wishes of new teeth, a house and white skin by a fairy.

Mr Walkden, who represents the Maxton, Elms Vale and Priory ward of Dover District Council in Kent, said today: "I did not expect any offence to be caused because no offence was meant.

"I'm not a racist person, there is no racist bone in my body."

He added: "As soon as one complaint was made, I apologised unreservedly for any offence the joke had caused.

"Offence was not the reason for the posting, it was a simple joke."

Continued: http://www.24dash.com/news/Local_Governm....or-refugee-joke


Im confused.com, are the tory party the New Ugandan, Indian, African, French, Nigerian etc 'British traditional' party, or the old nasty party?

Does 'Dave' know?

[DTE]

link doesn't work. Gutted, because I wanted to know what the joke was, although reading a NP post, I feel like it is on me

[Jim Franklin]

So it's now an offence to tell a Joke. He should have apologised if it wasn't funny, but if it was humorous then it should be left there for the British Left to get their knickers in a twist about..that would be really funny.

[Opinionated]

here's a link to the full story if you really care.
Couldn't find the actual joke anywhere but I have to say unless it included the word "Bob" many times I can't see it would have raised a smile here.

[JacquesMagique]

So it's now an offence to tell a Joke. He should have apologised if it wasn't funny, but if it was humorous then it should be left there for the British Left to get their knickers in a twist about..that would be really funny.

Well it's not really an appropriate thing for an elected official to say is it. Bad P.R apart from anything else.

[Jim Franklin]

Well it's not really an appropriate thing for an elected official to say is it. Bad P.R apart from anything else.

Why...should our Politicians all be grey coloured, humourless clones of the boring politically correct fringe? I have not read the joke, it was removed, so it is a difficult one to comment on.

What if he had said "What do you call a fat, eyed Scotsman with bad breath, a sweat problem and no real friends?"

Answer "Gordon Brown"

Would that be acceptable??

[JacquesMagique]

Why...should our Politicians all be grey coloured, humourless clones of the boring politically correct fringe? I have not read the joke, it was removed, so it is a difficult one to comment on.

Well I can't imagine it was very pleasant then.

What if he had said "What do you call a fat, eyed Scotsman with bad breath, a sweat problem and no real friends?"

Answer "Gordon Brown"

Would that be acceptable??

Not really.

[Midas]

Well it's not really an appropriate thing for an elected official to say is it. Bad P.R apart from anything else.

Oh come on, politicians are (allegedly) normal people too, and the tell exactly the same sort of jokes that you or I do. Unless something's deliberately offensive or over the top, I for one don't think there's a problem in the slightest; as usual the problem is with the PC crowd who jump up and down at the slightest thing which might offend perhaps one person in a million!

[Opinionated]

OK, context is everything.
This is a Tory councillor from Dover which as you would expect is at the front line of issues with illegal (and legitimate) immigrants/ assylum seekers. As such he has a very visible position and should therefore be expected to toe the party line on such issues, lets not blow this out of proportion the man hasn't been made to resign from the Party or council, all that happened is some people took offense at a joke he made so he apologised. Big deal right? For anyone who really wants to judge the joke on the offense barometer I shall repeat it (I know, I'm a Kent lass, what I can say - down here a bad joke never dies).

An assylum seeker arrives at the white cliffs and is greeted by the New Labour fairy. The fairy says "welcome to our beautiful, plentiful country I will grant you three wishes". The assylum seeker says "Well I have seven children and a wife I haven't seen in a decade who have been forced to work breaking rocks for the nationalised railway company until their hands bled, I'd really appreciate it if we could be together, given health care and a house *poof* he finds himself in a simple yet adequate four bedroomed house. "What will your second wish be?" asks the fairy "I haven't seen a dentist in twenty years and the last time I was tortured my persecutors pulled out my molars with rusty pliars leaving huge absesses, I'd really appreciate having them fixed" *poof* the fairy grants the wish. After a while the assylum seeker looks around and notices that his fellow assylum seekers are not much liked by the indeginous population so after some consideration he makes his third wish "I would like it if all my family and myself were white" *poof* he finds himself homeless and unable to find a dentist.


ps. I PCed that up quite heavily (for my own amusement), but you get the idea. Interested to know if anyone here really finds that offensive.

[Midas]

OK, context is everything.
This is a Tory councillor from Dover which as you would expect is at the front line of issues with illegal (and legitimate) immigrants/ assylum seekers. As such he has a very visible position and should therefore be expected to toe the party line on such issues, lets not blow this out of proportion the man hasn't been made to resign from the Party or council, all that happened is some people took offense at a joke he made so he apologised. Big deal right? For anyone who really wants to judge the joke on the offense barometer I shall repeat it (I know I'm a Kent lass, what I can say - down here a bad joke never dies).

[ ... ]

...but you get the idea. Interested to know if anyone here really finds that offensive.

I don't find it offensive in the sightest, it's simply an expression of what most people are thinking. But I do agree that perhaps he should have been a bit more circumspect given that it might get reported.

[Jim Franklin]

I would agree that perhaps he should have given it more thought as it could be seen as "bad form" for it coming from a politician, however it is not racist and the only people who would be offended by it are the liberal left wingers as it highlights the failings of their policies and the way many people, rightly or wrongly, feel in this country. I find it more offensive that some tree hugging left winger feels they have the right to tell me how I can and cannot speak and think on a given subject. OK acting on those thoughts and words is a different matter and I agree on controls there, but thinking and speaking is FREEDOM.

Would the reaction been the same if Black or Asian politician had told the joke??

[Expounder]

Why...should our Politicians all be grey coloured, humourless clones of the boring politically correct fringe? I have not read the joke, it was removed, so it is a difficult one to comment on.

What if he had said "What do you call a fat, eyed Scotsman with bad breath, a sweat problem and no real friends?"

Answer "Gordon Brown Would that be acceptable??

Well done son, every time Brown gets personal abuse from cretins of the right from the Tories to the BNP more people will vote for him. The drop in Tory support has mirrored the amount of virtiol and personal attacks they have made on him. Keep up the good work.