Tory ‘youth tsar’ pours cold water on his career with cannon comment
Ben Bradley: Last week it was “Vasectomies for wasters”, this week it’s “Splat the chavs”. What pearl of wisdom will we have from him next week? [Image: Getty.]
When he was appointed as Tory Party vice-chairman with responsibility for revitalising the party’s appeal to young people, This Site (and others) pointed out that his voting record showed that he had supported policies that harm the nation’s youth.
Since then, we have been treated to glimpses of his wisdom – such as it is – in the form of unwise blog posts and tweets published a few years ago. Here’s an example, from the Daily Mirror:
Theresa May was urged to sack her youth tsar tonight after he admitted he wanted police to play “splat the chav” during the London riots.
Tory MP Ben Bradley unleashed a storm of criticism in the last week after a series of offensive blog posts he wrote surfaced for the first time – including saying the jobless should get vasectomies.
Now it’s emerged in a tweet in 2011, unearthed by BuzzFeed News, he posted a pictured of water cannon with the message: “The water cannons are coming.
“I’ll be in front of the news tonight watching police play ‘Splat the Chav’.”
SNP MP Neil Gray told the Mirror Mr Bradley’s “appalling” comments “make him unfit for office” and demanded Mrs May axe him.
“The Tories rightly called for Labour MP Jared O’Mara to be suspended over his offensive blog posts. They complained his suspension took too long to happen, and questioned how he had been selected in the first place. It would be hypocrisy of the highest order if they now fail to act themselves.”
On the subject of that offensive blog post about vasectomising poor people, here’s the other deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, James Cleverly, digging a hole for himself:
📺 Watch: @JamesCleverly defends his colleague @bbradleymp
and tells @BBCNickRobinson that the broad point was "absolutely spot on". pic.twitter.com/LSSVC4tcYa— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) January 19, 2018
And here’s an opinion of those comments that seems entirely accurate:
https://twitter.com/MattTurner4L/status/954483169964654592
As for Jared O’Mara – Mr Turner makes a very pointed observation about Mr Bradley’s resemblance to the disgraced Labour MP:
https://twitter.com/MattTurner4L/status/954369976047153152
Fair comment.
And of course, informing all this discussion is Mr Bradley’s brief to restore the youth membership of the Conservative Party – on which subject, the following may also be considered fair comment:
Ben Bradley is apparently trying to construct an equivalent of the Nazi Hitler Youth Movement. Meanwhile the government cut youth work provision massively, as Conservative governments always do
— Revolution Breeze (@SueJonesSays) January 19, 2018
Tories are never going to get a better "youth leader" than Ben Bradley. Every Tory has stuff like that in their history because it's what they believe. They just learn to lie.
— Tweets by Sue (@marthasydenham) January 19, 2018
But let’s bear in mind: Just because he’s doomed to failure, that doesn’t mean we should be lenient on this bigoted, entitled brat.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
From what I have heard it is a lot of work bringing up children to be decent human beings, but unfortunately love just isn’t enough. How are children of working parent going to come unscathed from a chilhood of being deprived of food and outside intersts such as youth clubs, because to Tories are shutting them all down.
As you have said many times before Mike, society is going to need the children for the future!! Isn’t it time the Tories started respecting the children and the parents choice, starting with more than the Living Wage!!!
This isn’t about children so much – it’s about young people, those who are mature enough to be able to form political points of view.
But surely you have to start with the children, Mike?
After all, it’s our children who are growing up into the youths that are wanting to give their time and energy to poitics?
I remember listening to the adults around me as a child, and asking questions when they became passionate about certain events in their political lives and, athough, even at that young an age, I didn’t entirely understand the thoughts behind it all, it did leave a lasting impression on me, and formed the basis of my own political thinking :)
You would run the risk of being accused of indoctrination.
i think the people of Mansfield must have had a brain malfunction when they voted this tw*t into office i never thought i would live to the see the day when the town had a vile tory mp get rid of this piece of garbage a.s.a.p.
If the Tories spent more and provided more resources for the education of children and young people in deprived areas that would be a huge help. I still believe in Education, Education, Education.