to think that the Cornwall Councillor who stated that "disabled children should be put down" should resign immediately?

[ScumBag]

Colin Brewer insists that he "didn't mean to cause offence", uses the fact that he had just come out of "a long meeting" to justify his remarks and is refusing to resign because he thinks he is doing "a good job".

Link to full story here:

m.thisiscornwall.co.uk/story.html?aid=18257973

I think he should resign with immediate effect and not be allowed to hold any sort of public office again.
Freedom of speech is only that if it hurts nobody else in the process of expression. He does not have the right to express this sort of thing under any circumstances.

It saddens me that stupid people can hold such office in the first place.

A moneny saving solution WOULD be to kill all people who don't contribute, or those who cost the taxpayer... it doesn't make it the right solution!

The Nazi's had a 'solution' after all. Not all solutions should ever be considered.

He shouldn't resign, he should be booted out.

He's not arguing for it though is he.

Don't remember Hitler saying sorry because he did actually want to wipe the Jews out.

"I used to be a salesman and I said it to provoke them into a discussion ? I expected them to parry it and talk to me."

Yes. He is clearly an arsehole of the highest order. Who on earth would want this person to represent them?

Horrible though his comments are, he's just some fat gobshite from Cornwall and no-one gives a crap what he thinks. What worries me more are these bizarrely popular figures like Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle et al who do, for reasons I cannot understand, have some influence, normalising abuse and bullying of people with disabilities.

He's just been on the news. He said he didn't know why he'd said it, and it wasn't "him" and apologised, I think sincerely, though it's probably more of a case of he's sorry this has all caught up with him and didn't just go away.

I think we've all said things after which we immediately think "Why the FUCK did you say that, you twat?"

However unfortunately for him he is a public servant in a local authority. He should resign immediately. Can you imagine having him on your council? How embarrassing. Elections are in May, people of Wadebridge.

Karlos, he's not fat, and I fail to see why the fact that he's from Cornwall makes it any less important, especially given that this is now all over the Internet. Cornwall is just about the largest unitary authority in the country.

Yes Karlos he is just the tip of the iceberg in that he has just one of a number of individuals who have made obnoxious utterances like these which have got into the public sphere...who have got away with it and even enhanced their popularity in certain quarters.

This is why I am unconvinced by the argument that allowing these people freedom to say such things keeps the evil out in the open and that people should therefore be free to express them so that we all get used to hearing them.....I fear that it just normalises such sentiments. Why should my DS hear & read things like this?

Frankie Boyle. While we're on the subject of putting down.....

When will people learn that with rights e.g. freedom of speech, there come responsibilities?

Jesus wept!

I don't even know where to start... but fucking hell, the least that should happen is that he is given the boot.

You are being very reasonable re. his resignation - if he does not he ought to be forced to go! I would also have thought it could count as disability hate crime? He certainly has broken Cornwall Council's Code of Conduct for Members of Council. Google it...

But, he is holding public office, and taking decisions on Council spending locally. I am terrified at the thought of someone who could say such a thing, publicly, being able to vote on, say, services for disabled children and those with special needs...

Having a bad day, my arse!

Replace the word disabled with "Jews, Blacks, Women"... how does its sound now...

Anyone in Wadebridge East - please force the man out!!!

"Has no one ever said "bloody cats/kids/neighbours need shooting" because I have and surprise.... I don't actually mean it!"

But presumably in the circumstances you mention, the specific cat, neighbour etc has actually done something detrimental to the person speaking.

If the councillor had been run over by a disabled carriage and said something like 'bloody people in motorised wheelchairs should be shot" it would be a very silly thing to say but similar to your examples.

The case here is entirely different.

If he genuinely thinks disabled people should be put down then he is unfit for public office, if he doesn't and was 'joking' then he clearly has no concept of how to speak to people in public and is incredibly stupid and therefore unfit for public office.

If he belongs to a political party they should withdraw the whip.

"I agree it's a stupid thing to say if you are a Councillor but a stand promoting disability should have said something to him there and then. So much for confronting disability issues head on. Get lots of publicity going to the papers more like."

Few problems there.

Minor thing first the stand wasn't promoting disability, it was promoting the help they give to disabled children. I'm sure that's what you meant, but semantics do matter.

Otherwise, why should they have to argue with him? They do something that isn't easy and takes a lot of heart/energy/emotional strength why should they waste their time on idiots?

As for "free publicity", should they have just let it slide? Shouldn't his constituents know what kind of man he is? Aside from that do you really begrudge a charity publicity??

It's a stupid/offensive thing to say full stop, and in a councillor it shows he does not deserve to hold his position.

The comments on Frankie Boyle and Jimmy Carr are irrelevant - they do not hold public office.

I think it was a shameful comment and if he had a shred of decency he would resign and then try to educate himself on disability issues perhaps by volunteering or fundraising for a charity.

Apparently, Cornwall Council say that they cannot suspend him:

"Following the Government?s abolition of Standards for England in 2012 and changes to the Code of Conduct regime the options available to the Council when a breach of the Code of Conduct is found have been limited. There is no longer the ability to suspend Councillors. The Council has never been able to disqualify Councillors in response to Code of Conduct complaints.

In this case the Monitoring Officer found that there had been a breach of the Code of Conduct and determined that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction he could impose was to require Councillor Brewer to issue a formal apology."

So if they can't, who can??

"Cornwall is just about the largest unitary authority in the country. "
Is it indeed? Still the arse end of nowhere and no-one in their right mind gives a fuck what a Cornish councillor thinks. It might be wrong that twats like Boyle have more influence on attitudes then elected representatives but the fact is they do. The willingness of TV schedulers and audiences to give them houseroom worries me, as the parent of a child with a disability, very deeply.

"Still the arse end of nowhere and no-one in their right mind gives a fuck what a Cornish councillor thinks. It might be wrong that twats like Boyle have more influence on attitudes then elected representatives but the fact is they do."

The problem is, as someone pointed out earlier, is that as a councillor he gets to make decisions on council spending, eg. on services for disabled children.

So in terms of public opinion, no he has little to no sway.

But he may well stop disabled children getting help/support.

Oh shut up. There's no point you being deliberately offensive as well.
The people of Cornwall care what their councillors think. And if someone in a position of power says such things nowadays they are splashed all over the internet, like in this case. Katie Price obviously cares what he thinks.

(that wasn't to you, MurderofGoths)

"I agree it's a stupid thing to say if you are a Councillor but a stand promoting disability should have said something to him there and then. So much for confronting disability issues head on. Get lots of publicity going to the papers more like."

Did they know he was a councillor? If I had been on that stand I would have assumed he was drunk who had wandered in off the street.

I am not so sure that Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle are irrelevant...not convinced there is no connection between their public sneering at disabled children and Colin Brewer saying he wants them dead. I am amazed that anyone thinks it appropriate for him to hold on to office. There again, considering the demeaning treatment so often meted out to the disabled, I suppose I shouldn't be

I bet Cornwall Council et al fell over themselves to make sure that what this despicable arsehole said didnt become wider public knowledge before the Paralympics!

I read the thread title as,"the Councillor should be put down immediately" and still thought YANBU. What an atrocious cunt he is. And if he can't even control his own gob then he isn't fit to represent the electorate.

He should resign. As a councillor he is a public servant and elected to represent the people of Wadebridge, his remarks are very offensive, stupid and shameful.