Twitter row Newcastle councillorJames Bannister also swore at Labour MP
A NEWCASTLE councillor was caught up in a Twitter row yesterday after posting pictures of a starving child on the internet and swearing at an MP.
Conservative councillor James Bannister, who represents May Bank on Newcastle Borough Council, took offence at a tweet from Labour MP Karl Turner.
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Cllr James Bannister officially opening the pond at Brampton Park, Newcastle earlier this year.
The late night debate, as reported yesterday on This is Staffordshire, started after the MP, who represents East Hull, wrote: “What an absolute disgrace, starving people referred by Job Centres to food banks.”
To which the Newcastle councillor replied with the skeletal figure of a starving child and the message: “You said ‘starving’. Are they starving? Do you know the meaning of the word? here’s a clue *******.”
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As the debate continued, Mr Bannister added: “It doesn't take long in one single day to come across people in the Job Centre who are a) on drugs b) in there for drug money.”
The councillor defended his comments and said: “For a Labour MP to state that people are walking into job centres ‘starving’ is a despicable misuse of the word starving. I replied to the MP with a photograph of the reality of starvation and was angry that he could put people who use the Job Centre in the same category as children suffering and dying from famine.”
Comments
by Robnoxious
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 4:42PM
“There seems to be 2 issues here. 1- The use of the photograph, the word, starving and using the word moron. A word often used by some people on this site. 2- People being told at the Job Center to go to the Food Bank because they are starving, whilst at the same time people are there so to speak to claim, what ever benefit they may be entitled to,for booze and drugs and you have only got to be at these places to see them. 1- Lets start with the word moron, i think he will know that he can't defend that, as of under the Codes of Practice they are bound by, which is why S-O-T City Council have recently issued guidelines on internet use to avoid things such as this. The photograph, personally i don't see it as an issue in the context of the word , starving. Starving, by the word in dictionary terms is, to die or suffer from lack of food. Hungry was possibly a more suitable word the Labour M.P. Should have used, hence why that photo was used. Which in turn you can see why he might be a bit irate, and calling him moron.2- People that use to Job Center by their own admittance see these people loitering inside and outside the buildings,drinking and popping.As someone said, Why do you think they have bouncers down there? With the additional comment, We get interrogated to get something,they get everything to get rid of them. With a quote from this Labour M.P. Karl Turner when he was asked this on Radio Stoke today, regarding the booze and drug taking and using their benefits money for that. That he has represented these type of people,that was or still is his job, legal,and in his experience these people will only steal to feed their habit when they have no money. What world is he living in. So these people get their money and they make sensible and responsible decisions. I am an addict, let me see, feed it or not to feed it. Labour M.P. it must be inherent in them, siege the opportunity which i believe he has done, by putting in a complaint about the councillor. Here we are Labour Party Conference week. He must be points scoring to impress, like other people. How low do people go to point score?”