Leading members of the Isle of Wight Council have addressed the tragic murder of Sir David Amess MP and urged councillors to be cautious about their own safety.
Using his address to the full Isle of Wight Council in Wednesday night’s meeting, chairman Councillor Geoff Brodie condemned online abuse members of the council received.
He said he quite often sees the vilification of councillors on social media and the unfair criticism they get when they offer their time to public service.
In his written message to full council, Cllr Brodie said:
“I increasingly feel the world we are living in is getting more dangerous — not just for MPs but elected councillors.
“Quite a number of you endure entirely unreasonable online abuse from anonymous contributors.
“I personally consider all anonymous abusers to be cowards and feel that the media in this country facilitates the increase in hatred against democratically-elected representatives just doing what they are elected to do.”
Last month, while holding his local surgery, Southend MP Sir David Amess was stabbed to death, with a 25-year-old man charged with his murder and preparing terrorist acts.
An emotional council leader Lora Peacey-Wilcox supported Cllr Brodie’s comments and said the incited hatred some councillors, and their families, faced was really sad. She said she knew other councillors endured so very much and councillors only put themselves up to help their communities.
Well maybe if the council listened to islanders and local businesses about what THEY NEED, not to the mafia of a tourist board, there wouldn’t be such acidic hatred aimed at them. I don’t condone violence, but, others will, if feeling hard pushed to make ends meet, retaliate. What have they got to lose if they have nothing and see councillors etc, creaming of money greedily.
against democratically-elected representatives just doing what they are elected to do.
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thats the problem brodie – you aren’t are you – the islanders do not want more houses built, wrecking our islands green status, adding to our problems of congestion and queues for Dr, dentist etc ..but you aren’t listening are you.
try listening brodie and do as you are instructed by those that put you where you are.
you either listen, or we get rid of you at the next election. If you don’t want people giving you a hard time, then listen instead of being an arrogant arse.
hardly surprising the councillors and mp’s get a hard time.
they spend weeks and weeks campaigning, telling us all what they will do, if we vote for them. They we vote them in and they don’t do as they said.
we then complain that we are not getting the service that we have voted for, because it isn’t being delivered by the councillor or mp that said they would, if we voted for them.
councillors and mp’s then get upset that we are having a go at them.
well…stop lying, stop finding ways of rinsing us for more money and stop spending our money on your expenses, wages, pensions and other slush funds. Then perhaps we will compliment you.
Not just coincidence where there are less certain types, then there is less risk of such happening.
The Brtish just moan, they don’t resort to barbarity when they can’t get their way.
Ever worked in a pub? At kicking out time the ‘British’ are very pleased to resort to barbarity.
Quite a number of you endure entirely unreasonable online abuse from anonymous contributors.
…
Quite a lot of it is entirely justified, when we see councillors snouts wedged in the money trough, whilst the rest of us are queued up in traffic for the morning commute, staring at more houses being built on more greenfields, with more cars about to join the queue of traffic, that just gets longer and longer.
It took over an hour to get from Ryde to Newport this morning -the first queue stretched from wootton cedars to fishbourne traffic lights and then the second from monkey world to coppins bridge. And you think it is ok to build more houses
If the Isle of wight councillors did what we pay them for and not what they think they can get away with and stop pissing us off with all the back handers and scheming they won’t get so much abuse once the island councillors did work for the people and the island they were respected but not anymore
When you have a broken electoral system that allows people into these roles with a minority vote what do you expect. And if we had a written constitution it would be hard for them to abuse their position.
Wouldn’t worry too much most of the boats seem to be heading for Dover