A councillor at the centre of a row over race comments has been quietly reinstated by the Liberal Democrats, despite refusing to apologise. Reading councillor Warren Swaine suggested mixed-race Labour MP Chuka Umunna would claim “Is it because I is black?” as “defense [sic] for being a muppet”.
Lifting a five-month suspension from the party, Lib Dem officials have ordered Swaine to undergo “diversity training” before he can serve as an officer again on his local council group. But despite criticism from racial equality bodies Swaine has described the training as a “punishment” and is ignoring calls to apologise.
The party’s leader in Reading, Daisy Benson (pictured), has repeatedly stonewalled Scrapbook’s enquiries as to whether Swaine will demonstrate contrition for his remarks before he is welcomed back.
At the time, Swaine was fired from his role as executive member for the environment with the party claiming it had “a zero tolerance policy on racist comments and behaviour.” They now sneak the news of his return out at the beginning of silly season.
What is the point of “diversity training” for someone who refuses to say they’re sorry?
6 Comments
He’s up for election next year in Katesgrove and he only won by 30 votes in 2008. I don’t rate his chances.
what a vile person.
Perhaps she “stonewalled” you because it was merely a bad taste joke to which, shockingly, Political Scrapbook has exaggerated its effect. This is almost as embarrassing as your “classist” story against Meral Hece. Have you nothing better to do than bash Lib Dems?
I don’t get the joke. Can you explain it?
Following many months of a suspension, and a questionable disciplinary hearing, Cllr Swaine has finally today issued the following statement as an apology.
“I would like to take this opportunity apologise for making derogatory comments during the BBC Question Time programme on the 27th January especially those relating to Chuka Umunna MP. I made a lot of comments that were insulting that night and I regret that.
In respect of one particular tweet, no offense was meant but I absolutely acknowledge that it was recklessly worded and liable to an interpretation that was never intended. For that I would like to offer my sincere apologies to Mr Umunna and to anyone else for any offence caused.
I take the values of the Liberal Democrats very seriously and as someone of mixed heritage myself, I can fully understand why it has upset many people. For that I offer an unreserved apology”
I will at this stage pass no comment as to whether I believe that this apology is sincere, and I cannot locate where it has been published, but I can confirm from an irrefutable source within the Liberal Democrat Party, that the apology emanated from Cllr Swaine.
Much as I hate to defend a “Liberal” “Democrat”, that is probably not a racist tweet.
It is more likely to be a satirical attack on people in the Labour Party (and, to be fair, Lib Dems) who claim criticism of a non-white person is racism (not mentioning any Vaz names). That was the target of Sasha Baron-Cohen’s catch phrase, and of course is as often a tactic of white politicians as it is of the non-white person allegedly offended, so can hardly be a racist point (most obvious in the US at the moment, where any criticism of the President is said to be racist by certain unbiased reporters, some of whom do not work for the BBC).
If this is the case then it was very badly worded, probably written in haste; he should have written something like “I’m waiting for Mr Umunna to say “Is it because I is black” next time he is attacked for being a muppet”.
That would be unusual, eh, a Tweet sent in haste, badly worded?
A name is better the “the Labour guy”, although he appears to be tweeting about question time so party affiliation is more obvious than name. The respect of a title and a name would be a huge help, because racism, in fact all bigotry, is reliant on dehumanising the “other”. In the original tweet it looks like Mr Swaine might be saying Mr Umunna is a muppet because he is black; I don’t think that is the case. Given the source of the phrase (Ali G) and his use of it, I can only assume Mr Swaine was suggesting that Mr Umunna might respond witha race card, wrongly given that Mr Umunna was being attacked for being a muppet not for being black.
Mr Umunna is, of course, a Labour MP so almost certainly is a muppet. That he is a member of a racist party that works hard to keep non-white, non-British people isolated in their own groups, and therefore keep them from advancing is also deplorable, as is the fact he is willing to be associated with the party of Ed Balls and Gordon Brown. But some well-meaning folk get fooled into joining Labour, so that does not mean he is himself nasty.
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[...] him back to the fold last week, the party’s group on Reading Borough Council have been doing their best to bury the story of an offensive racial remark by their member Warren Swaine, who suggested MP Chuka Umunna would [...]
[...] Swaine incident at Reading Council has me very confused. yesterday Political Scrapbook posted this, where Swaine had made what is, in all honesty, a racist comment about mixed-race Labour MP Chuka [...]
[...] Warren Swaine after his membership was reinstated following a five-month suspension over a racially-offensive tweet, under his twitter name @waswasere, in [...]
[...] Warren Swaine tweeted that Labour MP Chuka Umunna would claim “is it because I is black” as “defense [...]