Bob Piper has been a Labour Councillor for the Abbey
Ward in Sandwell, West Midlands, for nine years. He is a lifelong supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and a follower of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
The views expressed here are mine in a personal capacity, not those of the Labour Party, Sandwell MBC, Aston Villa or Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Get it! Mine... just mine!
For some reason this twerp appears to associate me with support for the St George's Day Parade in Sandwell. Where he has got my 'active support' for the event from, heaven only knows, but I don't suppose as a far right loony himself he really wants to let the truth get in the way of a good story.
For the record, I have never been to the St George's Day parade and I have only commented on it once. That was to say that some people on the Council thought it would grab the flag and the occasion back from the extreme right and other nationalist jugheads. I've always doubted that strategy because I think it gives the BNP a chance to express their views and spread their message of hate, and I have never voted to support the festival.
My personal opinion is that celebrating the life of some Lebanese geezer who never stepped foot on English soil is very multicultural, but I haven't got a flag and although the likes of Stuart Parr may wrap himself in a flag to try to hide the fact that he has had a personality transplant, I'll give it a miss..
I added your name Bob because your a visible, blogging member of the council who supported it. As I said in the post it was not a party political attack - I said it was supported by Tories as well - and now I know you did not vote for it I will make that clear, I’m sorry if you misinterpreted it.
But there is a serious issue highlighted here. If we must have a parade - and its more of a rally than a parade - why are the council/St Georges Day association allowing bigots to lead it?
I would have thought we could have put our differences aside to keep bigots off the streets of Sandwell?
I didn't 'misinterpret it'. You stated that I actively supported it, and that is a lie, plain and simple. The correction is welcome, but I would prefer it if you didn't lie in the first place.
I will check to see if the council invited this bunch of miscreants and I will be seeking an explanation for it. I can only just stomach Tories on the streets so I'm hardly likely to support this shower.
"I will check to see if the council invited this bunch of miscreants and I will be seeking an explanation for it". I can only just stomach Tories on the streets so I'm hardly likely to support this shower.
Thank you Bob. I wouldn't think anyone on the council, with the exception of the BNP, could support such an odious group.
If we do have a parade in Sandwell it would be much better IMHO to see something similar to the St Patricks Day parade in Birmingham - keep the crowds separated from the parade, that way Griffin and his fellow knuckle draggers cannot become part of the parade itself.
Gary Elsby said:
April 28, 2008 11:37 AM | permalink
It seems obvious to me that this is another hijacking. Fact is that throughout the last six months of local election campaigning, it has been left to labour to speak out against Nazi's.
Step aside from this uniformed march and hit it very hard.It's against the law to march in uniform for political purposes and pressure should be raised and applied.
April 26, 2008 1:35 PM | permalink
I added your name Bob because your a visible, blogging member of the council who supported it. As I said in the post it was not a party political attack - I said it was supported by Tories as well - and now I know you did not vote for it I will make that clear, I’m sorry if you misinterpreted it.
But there is a serious issue highlighted here. If we must have a parade - and its more of a rally than a parade - why are the council/St Georges Day association allowing bigots to lead it?
I would have thought we could have put our differences aside to keep bigots off the streets of Sandwell?