Tempers flared at an Isle of Wight Council meeting last night (Wednesday), after the leader was questioned about her alleged ownership of ‘racially offensive’ dolls.
Members of the public were kicked out of the meeting after councillors were called ‘disgusting’ and ‘racist’.
A picture posted by the Isle of Wight Council leader in November, on her private Facebook profile but now made public, supposedly showed a collection of controversial golly dolls in her house.
Councillor Peacey-Wilcox has denied having the dolls in her home, but the matter was raised at the full Isle of Wight Council meeting by the Conservative group leader, Counillor Joe Robertson. He said:
“[In your leader’s report] you did not say a single thing about ethnic diversity, racial equality and the importance of ethnic minorities to you, this Island, this council and the country.
“Yesterday a friend of yours put on Facebook you had a collection of golly dolls for ‘as long as they can remember’. As leader of the council, please explain whether those dolls were in your home in November … Silence is not an acceptable answer.”
Cllr Peacey-Wilcox declined to answer any questions posed to her about the subject as she had ‘no prior knowledge of them’ and the issue “was not a matter about budget, or policy, nor something for which this council has responsibility.”
Chair of the meeting, Councillor Geoff Brodie, said he entirely disagreed, adding the council’s equality and diversity policies were fundamental to what the authority does.
A motion was tabled by Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, calling for the meeting to be suspended as she was “witnessing harassment and bullying of a fellow member,” which was “disgraceful behaviour”. Cllr Jones-Evans said she would not stand for bullying and that ‘misogyny was a hate crime’. In response, Cllr Robertson called out “What about ethnic minorities?”.
Members of the public shouted from the gallery, which led to Cllr Brodie adjourning the meeting and repeatedly telling them to ‘shut up’. They were removed while the meeting was adjourned.
Other members of the Alliance Group left the chamber during the break, and while some returned, including Cllr Jones-Evans, 4 did not.
Speaking after the adjournment, Cllr Robertson said it was a racially offensive post by the council leader, with no explanation, nor apology, despite ample opportunity. Had Cllr Peacey-Wilcox been a leader of a London borough council, he said, she would have had to resign a long time ago.
He questioned whether the leader thought the ethnic minority population on the Island was too small for her ‘to be bothered’ about the matter.
Further questions were posed, with Councillor Suzie Ellis asking whether Cllr Peacey-Wilcox recognised the dolls were offensive and if she would apologise for causing offence; and Councillor Warren Drew asking for an account of what happened, so the council can maintain democracy.
Cllr Drew also stressed this was not about Cllr Peacey-Wilcox as an individual but about democracy and the representation of people and said every councillor on the Conservative side of the chamber did not think she was racist in any way.
Cllr Peacey-Wilcox agreed to send written responses to Cllrs Robertson, Ellis and Drew.
Councillor Andrew Garratt, an independent Liberal Democrat representative, said he was a person who believed in investigation, explanation, understanding, forgiveness (if necessary and appropriate) and redemption. He said it would be very interesting to hear the response sent to Cllr Robertson as the matter ‘does disturb him’.
Earlier in the meeting, Cllr Peacey-Wilcox had revealed she had a meeting with Hampshire Constabulary that day where she was given a personal alarm to use. She said she was concerned for her and her family’s wellbeing and said it was not a nice position to be in, one that nobody should be.
I remember having a golliwog as a child, it certainly did not make me a racist.
We still have one somewhere in the loft. It’s just a toy! It’s like a darker coloured clown really. Wound a black persona dressed as a clown cause such chaos!? No!
Yeah does having an inanimate stuffed toy make you racist, what a load of tosh. Robertson you should concentrate on more important things for people who live on this island. For Gods sake there’s people dying in a war in eastern Europe. and your worried about some kids toys in a glass case. Stop attention seeking.
None of this is a good use of any Councillor’s time – so please can we all move on.
NO ! You can not come out with statements like this and soil a good persons name by playing the race card.
This joke of a so called Tory needs to resign with immediate effect !
Cllr. JOE ROBERTSON. You are a disgrace to local democracy and a bully.
Why don’t YOU go and peddle your WOKE propaganda in one of the London Boroughs. You sir, are an idiot !
I think that I might attend the next council meeting ( for research reasons ).
Dear Dr Jollop. where do you live? Can you not see that now, our whole heritage , our forbears, are all racist, offensive, abusive. This is Woke World now, where the snowflakes scream about anything and everything. Tearing down statues and destroying our heritage. Its madness, but this is what we have allowed it to become. Sad , but there will be those who took offence that she had those dolls, and we can’t have that can we. not today.
Why only be Woke in London? What does woke even mean? Not being racist, homophobic or sexist – is that really such a bad thing to be woke? Better than being a gammon I suppose.
If I witnessed a gang of skin heads attacking a black/brown/gay person, I would (with hand on heart) rush over and try to physically protect the poor person and hopefully do a bit of damage to them in the process, even if I took a beating as well.
But if I ended up being a minority in my own country and not liking it.
Does that make me a rascist ?
Yes.
Yes it does acceptance is the key thing your lacking!
So by using the term “Gammon” you have just proved that you are a racist. ‘Gammon refers to a middle-aged white man of a certain political persuasion.
People have a right to collect anything,in doing so does not make them racist ,so if you have a collection of action man,Barbie’s,teddy bears,my little pony etc someone will twist things. I remember a badge with said doll and collecting tokens, I assure you my parents and myself are far from racist. Maybe council not good but unfair to twist things.
What was wrong with the Black and White Minstrel shows many years ago. Or the Robertsons Jam golliwog on the labels. Not racist at all as both were very well liked. Believe me there is more racism in countries like Pakistan and Africa than ever in the U.K. Wokism is it’s own enemy as it only creates racism.
Well actually they where racist underlines. Just people wasn’t enlightened enough to see it for what it was.
It would seem that English is not your first language.
But whilst working in the USA I was regularly called “a white Honky” by our black friends, yet that was acceptable as I just laughed it off. They were the first to complain if someone insulted them with a so called racist name. Perhaps they were the racists.
Councillor Joe Robertson could it have been one of your relations that put the golliwog on the jam jars in the first place
Could be one of yours Steve – its not the point thats up for discussion though bbz.
It is not illegal to collect this type of doll , but she was stupid posting a photograph on line with her included it was bound to cause trouble
I have a gollywog picture frame in my home does that make me a racist? I don’t think so and surely to god this council has better things to do than to worry about what a person has or has not in their own home it’s high time this council did something about the state of the Island………roll on our next Local Election
Yes babe.
Yesit does make you racist.
Are you for real. Suppose you’re a legend in your own mind but you are not just pathetic
Bit difficult really as I’m black
So called Racism works both ways. Perhaps you should travel the world to see what really goes on instead of just island village to village travel.
For God sake. I had a gollywog doll as a child. Robertson used to depict a gollywog on the labels if their jams and marmalade. Who is calling the leader of the council a racist? Bloody ridiculous. The people who are crying racist over some dolls, grow up, get over yourselves.
I have heard some excuses for not discussing the budget but this beats all of them what do this bunch of dimwits not want us to know and that so called councillor if he told me to shut up in his manner of voice he is likely to get punched
I watched the meeting. This was not an excuse for not discussing the budget. The budget discussion took place in good order, sensibly and rationally, and was concluded.
This question was posed as per the last item on the agenda, members questions. Councillors are able to ask questions on any topic, and they did, on some very interesting topics including one posed by the leader herself to the chair of the health sub-committee. .
do get your facts right before resorting to mudslinging.
so are you one of the dimwit Councillor ripping us off
This all just goes to show that the council is not fit for purpose. Such a ridiculous argument over nothing. Who cares what dolls someone might own? This modern so called political correctness makes me sick. What a pathetic country ours has become. You can shove political correctness up your backsides, it’s time we returned to free speech without fear of prosecution. Remember when being gay meant being happy?
Hope this doesn’t make the national news. Embarrassing on many levels.
Anybody who thinks a collection of old soft toys is racist or offensive needs to look in the mirror and question what is going on in their minds, maybe you are the ones with a problem..
I totally agree!!! Theses foul minded people are the ones with the problem! Why would you even think that! We all had them growing up, my mums still has one but it’s just sitting the old bedroom. What about Mr potato head and other toys?
The government are no better…. Find anything to do but not the job they’re supposed to be doing…. Let’s argue about a party before talking to putin….
Power goes to peoples heads
Money too
The world is what we’ve made it
with everything going on in the world UKRAINE, Energy Prices, Famine, etc etc why cant our council put things into perspective and accept someone can have a cloth doll with a different skin tone to “White” without being racist, Is a different skin tone Barbie or Ken Doll Racist, or maybe a purple smurf is racist to all skin colours, or politically incorrect to people with cyanosis. How long will it be before we cant call a blackbird a blackbird like blackboards having to be called chalk boards, my coloured friends are proud to be BLACK and dont mind the use of the term, there is more trouble about the tone of black/brown amongst themselves.
Black people don’t mind, I’ve had this conversation too. I’m not white either if you really look, sort of beige pink. I don’t mind being called white though. We’re not defined by colour, or shouldn’t be but our actions and demeanour. There’s racism in all colours and walks of life.
I’m at a loss to hear that people have attacked this woman and put her and her family’s safety at serious risk over a bloody doll!!
Small and vile minded bigots making something out of nothing to hide the fact that they’ve no brains tk talk about the things that really matter in the world at large!! i.e soaring energy costs and famine, floods and imminent WW3!! We all grew up with these toys. Right or wrong she shouldn’t be branded a racist!! Quite a proportion of the country still have one I bet, are they all racists? Focus on the real racists, peadofiles and rapists, murderers who hide behind shields of authority, we should feel safe with
Distraction tactics?
So what is hiding in the budget or policy that they don’t want us to know?
nope. please see my answer to dot, above.
Oh dear, here we go. Grow up the lot you. Sane ordinary folk are offended by this p.c woke nonsense! Why the hell dont we have the right to cancel, this rotten cancel culture? Divisive B.S
Just proves a point that bulling is within the employment of the Isle of Wight council especially when you here employees complain from team leaders
I am offended by the action of a Tory Councillor who has brought race into the IW Council chamber over a childhood doll. He does my party a discredit and not worthy
So I’m a bit confused. This lady is allowed to have any number of white rag dolls but a black one makes her a racist. I assumed that we kept dolls as children because we loved them. Nope, don’t get it!
Who really cares? Cant we all just hug and get along? No?
Dutch Dolls were very popular once upon a time. So did it offend people from the Netherlands? Stop being stupid and get on with the job of governing the Island properly – it needs it!
Let us have info on what the other council members have hidden in their houses — it would no doubt make interesting reading — or are they whiter than white, I think not ..
Do you think telling people to “shut up” is the correct response. No I don’t think it is and you should be ashamed of yourself when it come comes to a hate crime. myself being a victim of hate crime on the island and when we pay your overly inflated claims and you seem to forget your a civil servant. Therefore you work for us but you all seem to forget this and feel your voice is and when your asked a question you are reluctant to give a reply. When your in the public eye you should lead by example which Wilcox has failed to do. Therefore should be told to stand down and give a public apology to the constituents of the island.