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Tweets from ex-Mayor of Lambeth mock ‘hairy arabs, Muslim women and big black men’

cuppa tee said:
...do you reckon he did this voluntarily or someone had a word in his ear.
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Got to have been pushed.
Have you seen how he responds to seemingly legitimate negative reviews of his shop on Google? Total arrogance. Doesn't strike me as someone who can admit responsibility for a failing unless its been scripted via the comms team.
 
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guy looks like a bit of a sad fker crying out for validation on tinterweb
no self awareness, no mute button, maybe that sort of edgelord stuff passed for humour amongst the potentially tens of followers he had on twitter at the time. Maybe he found validation by becoming a councillor and calmed it down a bit when he found a new audience, should he have beeen selected to stand, no, but maybe someone thought it wa a smart move politically.
 
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Assumedly by now all parties have vetting procedures ask about social media but that doesn't mean they would actually check it. Especially in a Labour situation where they nearly 60 councillors.
 
Does anyone else feel a bit ambivalent about this? Like, I don't know much about the guy's actual record as a politician, he seems like a dick and finding out that he's 39 definitely makes it worse, but at the same time, I feel a bit uneasy with stuff from like 2009-2010 being dug up as evidence? As with the recent thread bump on here, I suppose. Although admittedly, 2013/2014 is a fair bit more up to date.
Anyway, I suppose what I'm wondering about is whether there's anything to show him expressing the same or similar views within the last seven years or so, or if having been a shit at one point in your life (and not being smart enough to delete old posts) disqualifies you forever? If this was his career being ended by what he's actually been like as a politician I'd be fine with it, but that doesn't seem to be what's happening?
 
editor said:
82% one star reviews!
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He sold enough T-Shirts to raise £500,000 for HIV charities, and struggled to fulfil orders. Most of the bad reviews are from that period.

His tweets are pretty unforgiveable but for all the crowing from his enemies it's clear he's not as evil as they make out.
 
Part of it is that he is more online than most Lambeth councillors. Or maybe more on Twitter. So when all that stuff came out, people came out of the woodwork with attacks or comments he's made about them or their causes. Various Greens seem to really dislike him after the 2021 campaign at least. Whereas most councillors seem quite bland on their social media - "great reception on the doors" or opening something.
 
hitmouse said:
Does anyone else feel a bit ambivalent about this? Like, I don't know much about the guy's actual record as a politician, he seems like a dick and finding out that he's 39 definitely makes it worse, but at the same time, I feel a bit uneasy with stuff from like 2009-2010 being dug up as evidence? As with the recent thread bump on here, I suppose. Although admittedly, 2013/2014 is a fair bit more up to date.
Anyway, I suppose what I'm wondering about is whether there's anything to show him expressing the same or similar views within the last seven years or so, or if having been a shit at one point in your life (and not being smart enough to delete old posts) disqualifies you forever? If this was his career being ended by what he's actually been like as a politician I'd be fine with it, but that doesn't seem to be what's happening?
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Philip Normal made these comments as a grown man, and can't be any more excused for them than a Tory Scum (TM) person who had spoken similarly.

But more generally, so many young people make stupid comments, not realising that they are public and indelible. This history, trailing around after them, could blight their lives. I think it would be a good idea to adopt a generally-accepted societal guideline, that stupid online comments made under a certain age limit should be regarded as out of bounds and ignored. Perhaps the correct age limit should be 18, the usual age of majority ?
 
BusLanes said:
Part of it is that he is more online than most Lambeth councillors. Or maybe more on Twitter. So when all that stuff came out, people came out of the woodwork with attacks or comments he's made about them or their causes. Various Greens seem to really dislike him after the 2021 campaign at least. Whereas most councillors seem quite bland on their social media - "great reception on the doors" or opening something.
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This is what the Green GLA candidate has just said about Normal

 
I mean if I was a councillor in Lambeth I don't see that there would be any benefit personally to doing anything but bland posts - as anything more than that would just mean wasting time arguing with a small number of engaged people on Twitter.
 
BusLanes said:
I mean if I was a councillor in Lambeth I don't see that there would be any benefit personally to doing anything but bland posts - as anything more than that would just mean wasting time arguing with a small number of engaged people on Twitter.
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Tbf, wasting time arguing with a small number of engaged people is one sin where I don't think any of us here can really cast the first stone. Although at least I think we're all innocent of being Lambeth councillors?
 
hitmouse said:
Does anyone else feel a bit ambivalent about this? Like, I don't know much about the guy's actual record as a politician, he seems like a dick and finding out that he's 39 definitely makes it worse, but at the same time, I feel a bit uneasy with stuff from like 2009-2010 being dug up as evidence? As with the recent thread bump on here, I suppose. Although admittedly, 2013/2014 is a fair bit more up to date.
Anyway, I suppose what I'm wondering about is whether there's anything to show him expressing the same or similar views within the last seven years or so, or if having been a shit at one point in your life (and not being smart enough to delete old posts) disqualifies you forever? If this was his career being ended by what he's actually been like as a politician I'd be fine with it, but that doesn't seem to be what's happening?
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The man himself doesn't seem to share this view.

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Anyway he was a terrible, self serving, red Tory careerist councillor, and an utterly self serving tenant of BV who publicly supported Hondo and didn't once bother to use his platform to stick up for traditional traders. No great loss as a councillor. I'm sure his connections and his partners connections will ensure he's sorted anyway.
 
I kind of think he should go for incompetence if nothing else. If you're going to be in a high visibility position like the Mayor of Lambeth, and carry on using a personal twitter account that you've been posting on for years, you'd think you'd just go back and delete everything you wrote before a certain date. Even if it was just to get rid of stuff that could be misinterpreted.
 
hitmouse said:
Tbf, wasting time arguing with a small number of engaged people is one sin where I don't think any of us here can really cast the first stone. Although at least I think we're all innocent of being Lambeth councillors?
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Oh sure, glass houses and stones right here.

But as you say we are not councillors! We have to distract ourselves. That's the problem with Twitter and such, they are great ways to pass the time and argue with strangers, but if you are a councillor or cabinet member it just seems like you'd end up saying something stupid.
 
I just came across this, which is a bit of a shock, as Philip Normal is someone I used to bumped into at venues like the Retro Bar or the Vauxhall Tavern. Not a friend but an acquaintance and we'd often have a chat. Very camp, dressed outrageously but with great style, lots of of charm, funny and incredibly ambitions. He would look over your shoulder while talking to you, to see if someone more important has entered the room and then drop you like a hot potato but you could never be mad at him. I was pleased for him when his business took off, he worked hard and he is genuinely talented. I was very surprised when I learned that he went into politics but he seemed to be doing well.

Not that this excuses racism or islamophobia but at the time when Philip made these tweets, he would not have seen himself as someone of privilege or power who is kicking down. If you are a working class, somewhat dweeby looking and very camp gay kid who dresses flamboyantly, you are going to get a lot of shit. I'm sorry to say, that's especially the case in places which have large Muslim and black populations. That of course doesn't make it right to hit out at other communities as a response, especially so publicly and then it's more than dumb to leave all of that up when you go into politics. I bet he'd forgotten he ever tweeted that.

There are later tweets held up as "evidence" like the "TRANNY" one, where I know the person who he is addressing (#dawnrightnasty) and what the in-joke and context is and I know that's not him being transphobic. I'm afraid "tranny" is a term which was in use in much of the gay community till quite recently and could also refer to drag queens and transvestites, not just to transwomen. With the emergence of the transrights movement, it became an unacceptable term, as RuPaul found out quite publicly to his regret in 2014 (also around the time of Philip Normal's tweet). That led to a debate and the term mostly stopped being used within the LGBT+ community.

Trial by social media is never nuanced. A public person will always be judged on a few words dumb words they twittered years ago, when they weren't known and knew a lot less, even if they have grown into a wiser human being since then. Philip certainly shouldn't have written what he did, but I remember myself at that age. Being irreverent, outrageous and yes, tasteless can be a part of gay culture, just look at the career of John Waters. Sometimes that can go wrong, especially when you are young and you have to learn where to draw the line. I'm glad there wasn't Twitter when I was his age, I too might have disgraced myself after a drunken night out in a failed bid to be edgy, only for it to bite me in the arse years later.
 
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BusLanes said:
Assumedly by now all parties have vetting procedures ask about social media but that doesn't mean they would actually check it. Especially in a Labour situation where they nearly 60 councillors.
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Lambeth "vetting" procedures work when the Labour Group leadership want them.

They worked to stop people they didn't like get to be members of the Labour party. As Tricky Skills found out.

So when they want they can find the resources to vet people wanting to be members of party or Cllrs.

The question is what these vetting procedures are.

In case of the Lambeth Labour Group its about looking for social media that shows one has criticised this New Labour Council at some point.

They take it personally and Imo a lot of the vetting is quite vindictive.
 
BusLanes said:
Looks like Lambeth Labour's vetting procedures are a bit hit and miss

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Shows they are working in way Lambeth Labour Group intend.

The LCF Lambeth Campaign Forum was set up to ensure no potential Cllrs who don't support New Labour.

It stops the grass roots membership from having to much say.
 
hitmouse said:
Does anyone else feel a bit ambivalent about this? Like, I don't know much about the guy's actual record as a politician, he seems like a dick and finding out that he's 39 definitely makes it worse, but at the same time, I feel a bit uneasy with stuff from like 2009-2010 being dug up as evidence? As with the recent thread bump on here, I suppose. Although admittedly, 2013/2014 is a fair bit more up to date.
Anyway, I suppose what I'm wondering about is whether there's anything to show him expressing the same or similar views within the last seven years or so, or if having been a shit at one point in your life (and not being smart enough to delete old posts) disqualifies you forever? If this was his career being ended by what he's actually been like as a politician I'd be fine with it, but that doesn't seem to be what's happening?
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I don't think in Lambeth case its possible to separate the two. What he was like as a politician and his previous comments.

As a politician he went out of his way to wind up the left and the local community campaigners. He used his twitter account to try to smear the Nour campaign.

This really pissed people off. It was a deliberate provocation. That backfired on him. But showed what he was like as a politician.

He is a member of Progress. I checked and he has put it on the Lambeth website. So its no secret.

Lambeth is controlled by Progress wing of the party and makes sure the Cllrs either support this or keep quiet.

When my Cllr Rachel started to move away from this and began to speak up for her constituents they ( the right of party who run Lambeth ) destroyed her.

I knew her well and saw this. Being a hardworking Cllr for a working class ward was her life and they took it away from her.

Philip Normal is fully paid up member of the right of the party in Lambeth.

I'm not sorry to see his political career destroyed.

His lot did it to my Cllr. Who was well liked.

Thing about Cllr Normal is that he had active unpleasant presence on twitter. Looking at his twitter and he says stuff that I'm sure some of my other Cllrs think but they more wisely don't put online.

The nastiness is behind closed doors. My ex Cllr Rachel used to tell me she was regularly called in to see the Chief Whip / Leader over her support for local residents.

Cllr Normal isn't so much as trial by media as letting himself through his twitter become a symbol of all that is wrong in way Lambeth politics works.

So it isn't so much trial by media as he's a scapegoat.

I think he isn't that bright. Looking at his twitter and he went out of way to wind people up. Someone must have trawled through his twitter in response.

Being made Mayor in Lambeth is a sign. Its post for ultra loyalists who arent bright.
 
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