council leader suspended for dressing up as Hitler.

Macro · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:18

LOAM said:
Well what are you suggesting he is doing ? Promoting him ?

Let me ask you this, what reaction do you think you'd get if you dressed as Hitler and marched up and down outside pubs and clubs in Harrogate giving the Nazi salute at 11:00pm on a saturday night?

Funny?

There's a time and a place and frankly as a Council leader he should know better.

Craterloads · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:19

Was it funny when this guy dressed up as a suicide bomber?

JBuk · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:20

Athanor said:
Let me ask you this, what reaction do you think you'd get if you dressed as Hitler and marched up and down outside pubs and clubs in Harrogate giving the Nazi salute at 11:00pm on a saturday night?

Funny?

There's a time and a place and frankly as a Council leader he should know better.

YES council leaders are not allowed fun , its the law!

oli356 · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:21

Craterloads said:
Was it funny when this guy dressed up as a suicide bomber?

No.

JBuk · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:21

Craterloads said:
Was it funny when this guy dressed up as a suicide bomber?

yes lol

Macro · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:23

SMN said:
Alas, satire is dead. Its not OK to have a fancy dress with someone dressed as Hitler, yet we have dictators on t-shirts, a terrorist in Che Guevera on multiple items, etc? People need to realise dressing as Hitler does not mean you are innately advocating the persecution of a religious group /rant

"Just" a religous group? How about the hundreds if not thousands of familys in Harrogate (the people he is supposed to represent) that lost family members defending the right to elect numptys like him?

A drunk student at a fancy dress is one thing, the leader of the council is something else. There is good judgement and responsibility that comes with public office.

Steve2000 · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:23

A short talking-down to would have sufficed.

LOAM · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:23

Athanor said:
Let me ask you this, what reaction do you think you'd get if you dressed as Hitler and marched up and down outside pubs and clubs in Harrogate giving the Nazi salute at 11:00pm on a saturday night?

Funny?

There's a time and a place and frankly as a Council leader he should know better.

Total straw man argument, he's not marching up and down outside pubs, he's at a party, he's not on the street.

Macro · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:24

JBuk said:
YES council leaders are not allowed fun , its the law!

Well thought out, thanks for that contribution...

Macro · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:27

LOAM said:
Total straw man argument, he's not marching up and down outside pubs, he's at a party, he's not on the street.

So what? If you don't think it's acceptable to the people you supposedly represent then perhaps you should question your good judgement.

Talk about straw man arguments, let's just completely ignore the context of who and what he is. Honestly, just how long do you think David Cameron or Ed Milliband would survive in politics if it was them?

MofoKilla · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:28

Good old uk politics strikes again, whos really gives a monkeys if hes dressed a hitler

Nodiggidy123 · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:28

wasnt prince harry spotted at a fancy dress party dressed as a nazi?

why is it ok for him to have a career as a apache pilot with the RAF but a councilperson loses his job?

Macro · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:29

MofoKilla said:
Good old uk politics strikes again, whos really gives a monkeys if hes dressed a hitler

The people who he's supposed to represent obviously...

TheCenturion · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:29

Nodiggidy123 said:
wasnt prince harry spotted at a fancy dress party dressed as a nazi?

why is it ok for him to have a career as a apache pilot but a counciller loses his job?

Harry was under fierce publi scrutiny for a time after that incicent I thought :confused:

Nodiggidy123 · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:30

TheCenturion said:
Harry was under fierce publi scrutiny for a time after that incicent I thought

he was but did he lose his job over it?

perhaps he should have lost his prince hood?

Macro · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:31

Nodiggidy123 said:
wasnt prince harry spotted at a fancy dress party dressed as a nazi?

why is it ok for him to have a career as a apache pilot

...because Harry isn't an elected official subject to the support of his political party and the people he's supposed to represent? If he was a milkman it wouldn't have made the news or effected his job. Given his position it's about good judgement and respect for the views of the people you represent. It's politics and by definition goes with the job.

TheCenturion · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:32

Nodiggidy123 said:
he was but did he lose his job over it?

perhaps he should lose his prince hood?

I think that in general what people have been debating in this thread is not whether the leader should have lost his job, but whether it was kosher for him to do it in the first place.

Tute · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:36

I don't really see the problem; it's fancy dress! It's not like he dressed up purely to spout racist bile or promote the Nazi party.

Nodiggidy123 · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:36

TheCenturion said:
I think that in general what people have been debating in this thread is not whether the leader should have lost his job, but whether it was kosher for him to do it in the first place.

like ive said in my first post, it was bad taste but tbh at a private party i dont see a problem.

political correctness gone mad imo.

semi-pro waster · 23 Oct 2010 at 22:39

Greenlizard0 said:
Agreed, people are too sensitive these days. I wasn't around back then, and even before my time Hitler and the Nazis were being satirised on television with barely a whisper about the content. For example 'Allo 'Allo, Dad's Army.

If those very much more likely to have been in WWII didn't really have a problem with it, then I don't see why there is an issue these days.

You've hit on an important point there when you say satirised - as far as I can see Mr Gardner wasn't poking fun at Hitler, he was dressing up as him which can (obviously) be interpreted rather differently. Making fun of despots, dictators and general bad eggs is something that has been done for years (probably millenia) and it's that process that makes it acceptable to most, when something is a subject of ridicule it is then less of a problem, when you merely ape it then you leave yourself open to interpretations of your motives as rather more dubious.

For what it is worth I'm not sure that he needs to lose his position within the party over this but it is pretty poor judgement demonstrated, especially if he paid any attention to the furore that followed Prince Harry's dressing up. Whatever you think of it figures who are in the limelight (even a limelight as comparatively small as a councillor) tend to have a higher duty imposed on them regarding how they present themselves.