58 views
A Britain We All Call Home > Published by Will Straw, November 20th 2009 at 6:07 pm

Racist Tory councillor attacks “foreign names”

Print Friendly

Orpington councillor Peter Hobbins has been exposed for making racist comments about candidates who do not have “normal” names.

The email to the Orpington Conservative Association said:

“I have been contacted by a Mr Dilon Gumraj and a Zerha Zaidi and others who are all on the approved Conservative Parliamentary Candidates list. Not one of them has a ‘normal’ English name.

“They want to be the PPCs for Orpington and asked me for my personal advice on how they would be the best candidates for the Orpington Constituency. My view? For hells sake. Why are the Candidates Department so keen on these foreign names?!!!!”

The email was sent by Cllr Hobbins to the Orpington Conservative Association

Labour’s prospect parliament candidate for Streatham, Chuka Umunna, said:

“The language used by Cllr Hobbins – shortlisted by David Cameron to run London – is offensive in the extreme and shows his party has not come to terms with modern Britain.

“We are told the Tory Taliban surge in Norfolk was an isolated incident – clearly there is a growing insurgency in the party given the latest revelations.

“We need political parties that look and sound like the people they seek to represent, if they are to deliver for the many and not the few – the Tories will continue to fail to do so unless they change these attitudes.”

Cllr Hobbins has been suspended by the Conservative party.

Hat-tip: Duncan Borrowman

  • Kris

    The appropriate response to Chuka Umunna’s comments is:

    ROFL

    He’s a complete stuck up prick and what kind of justification does he give when he says “clearly there is a growing insurgency in the party given the latest revelations.” – none- he’s talking nonsense.

    And I’m a Labour voter!

  • Grace G

    I should point out tat this story was originally broken by left-of-centre blogger duncan borrowman on duncanborrowman.blogspot.com

  • http://duncanborrowman.blogspot.com Duncan Borrowman

    Come on, if you are going to nick a graphic off my blog give me some credit rather than a Labour candidate from Streatham!

  • http://twitter.com/tonyincardiff/status/5903643196 Tony Brown

    RT @leftfootfwd: Racist councillor mocks "foreign names" in email to local Conservative Association http://bit.ly/5bHmcB

  • http://www.samedifference1.com sarah

    “Cllr Hobbins has been suspended by the Conservative party.”

    Good. Maybe he should join the BNP instead.

  • http://twitter.com/psbook/status/5947457088 Political Scrapbook

    RIP Cllr Peter Hobbins' career (the racist little sh**) –> http://bit.ly/5bHmcB (via @duncanborrowman and @leftfootfwd)

  • http://twitter.com/tchee/status/5947507553 Tracey Cheetham

    RT @psbook: RIP Cllr Peter Hobbins' career (the racist little sh**) –> http://bit.ly/5bHmcB (via @duncanborrowman and @leftfootfwd)

  • http://twitter.com/odbe34/status/5947530151 Owain Gardner

    RT @tchee: RT @psbook: RIP Cllr Peter Hobbins' career (the racist sh**) –> http://bit.ly/5bHmcB (via @duncanborrowman and @leftfootfwd)

  • Liz McShane

    What does he think of the Windsors then?

  • http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/5953462554 Shamik Das

    RT @psbook: RIP Cllr Peter Hobbins’s career (the racist little sh**) —> http://bit.ly/5bHmcB (via @duncanborrowman and @leftfootfwd)

  • http://twitter.com/greengull/status/5953799065 Kristofer Keane

    RT @psbook: RIP Cllr Peter Hobbins’s career (the racist little sh**) -> http://bit.ly/5bHmcB (via @duncanborrowman @leftfootfwd &@msgracefh)

  • http://twitter.com/stoptheright/status/5983731848 StopTheRight

    #DontVoteTory Racist Tory councillor attacks “foreign names” http://alturl.com/4jn7

  • http://leftfootforward Jim Jarratt

    SARAH.
    WHY should he be suspended by the Tory party? The man is expressing his viewpoint – just as you do – and his words chime with most people. This country is being taken away from us by this crap government and their mass immigration policy. JUST WHY do people like you take offence when others speak the truth about the effects of such policies?

  • http://twitter.com/tomcallow/status/6013183426 Tom Callow

    Think the Tory Party is welcoming, tolerant and open-minded? Think again! http://bit.ly/5bHmcB (via @leftfootfwd)

  • http://www.samedifference1.com sarah

    Jim- Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion on immigration. But this man is a public figure who risks offending many people- myself included, as you may call me an ‘immigrant’, though I have grown up in England and am now paying tax- if he releases his opinion on this very sensitive issue. For this reason, he should have kept his opinion to himself.

    By the way, are you a BNP member, or have you ever considered becoming one?

  • willstraw

    Well said, Sarah.

  • Daniel Zeichner

    Nothing new from the Tories – when I was a Parliamentary candidate in Norfolk, the local Tories went around saying ‘don’t vote for the German.’ I was born in Beckenham and my grandad was a Cambridgeshire agricultural worker called Joe Mead – but hey, never let the truth get in the way of a good smear!

  • http://geraldsblog.dateredheadz.com/ Noxoscini

    Excuse me for commenting OFF TOPIC … what wordpress template are you using? Looks cool!