Why I’m calling for the mayor to resign
My attention has been drawn to the social media profiles of the Mayor of Wokingham, Peter (Martin) Lucey.
Mr Lucey’s profiles includes the following page ‘likes’ on Facebook:
Tommy Robinson, the racist leader of the racist English Defence League;
Patriot Promotional Page: Patriots voice, run by UK Pegida. Pegida is a far right Islamophobic group;
Generation Identitaire, a paramilitary Islamophobic organisation;
An Inquiry into Islam, an Islamophobic Facebook page;
Jihad Watch, an Islamophobic Facebook page;
Geert Wilders Supporters, an Islamophobic Facebook page;
Pegida Canada, Pegida is a far right Islamophobic group;
Infidels of Britain, a far right racist group;
We Need to Talk About Islam, an Islamophobic Facebook page;
Mark Steyn, a far-right Islamophobic page
Pamela Gellar, a far-right Islamophobic page
On Twitter Mr Lucey follows
London-Infidel (formerly EDL), a far right, racist account
Noisykafir, a racist account
EDL Northwest, a racist account belong to the English Defence League
Ingrid Carlqvist, a culture wars journalist
Barenakedislam, an Islamophobic and otherwise discriminatory account
CreepingSharia, an Islamophobic account
Mr Lucey’s Twitter profile sports a photo of Mr Lucey and Mark Steyn, and elsewhere he encourages readers to buy Mark Steyn’s books.
Steyn is an extreme right wing commentator who subscribes to a ‘culture wars’ interpretation of Islam.
On Facebook, Mr Lucey has also shared links to at least two Islamophobic articles while Mayor:
“Is the United Kingdom an Islamist Colony” on GatesstoneInstitute.org
“We Are the Bollards” on Steynonline.com
Both the articles and websites contain Islamophobic and racist tropes commonly use by extremist and racist organisations on the far right of politics.
Mr Lucey repeated one of these tropes on the Facebook page of The
Wokingham Paper and deleted it when challenged.
Mr Lucey clearly has an unhealthy interest in parts of the political spectrum which disgust and repulse fair minded people.
A person with these views should not be representing our town and should not be visiting schools or charities and should never, ever, have been selected as town mayor.
That he has become mayor is a source of deep and abiding shame for all who love Wokingham and all who oppose any form of discrimination and prejudice.
Mr Lucey must resign as Mayor, immediately.
Mr Lucey must resign as Town Councillor, immediately.
The Conservative Group on Wokingham Town Council must investigate how such a person was ever considered and selected as Mayor and ensure this never happens again.
Wokingham Conservative Association must examine if
Mr Lucey’s views are compatible with being attached to the Conservative Party. Cllr Andy Croy, Labour, Bulmershe and Whitegates Ward
Pay rises and refusals
The Liberal Democrats are claiming in their local election material that they “refused” a pay rise but then admit that, like the Tories, they voted in favour of it. Saying that they have all given the extra to charity is unverifiable and irrelevant.
They have taken local tax payers’ money at a time of continuing austerity – imposed by a Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition. Local services are still being cut and many workers, especially public employees, have had below inflation pay rises for eight years.
I give a certain amount to charity each month but I have not “refused” an increase in my income.
The LibDem councillors have not published what charities they have given to or whether these are for local causes. What will they do with the money next year? In any case the electorate have no choice of where this amount goes.
Their only choice is to vote for the one party that voted against the rise - Labour.
As for the increased parking allowance. That is a fiasco caused by a Tory administration that voted in evening charges, voted themselves the extra allowance and then voted to scrap the charges! Tim Lloyd, Labour Party Candidate Hillside Ward
My views on Wokingham
Wokingham is the petrol capital of the UK with all the pollution.
I’m very cross about what has been done in Elms Field to cut down those mature trees.
Margaret Smith, Wokingham
Fact or fiction?
Next Thursday is Wokingham’s day of reckoning as 18 of its 54 seats are up for grabs.
No matter how Wokingham’s residents vote the Conservative will continue in power for the foreseeable future but it’s still an opportunity for residents to show their disgust at how the Conservatives have treated residents and opposition politicians alike.
It’s nice to see three Independent Candidates this time. One in Norreys, another in Shinfield and myself in Arborfield.
The Daily Mail’s letters page yesterday (Wednesday) had an interesting letter from a resident in Essex.
Fred Nicholson wrote, and I quote, “The local elections are imminent and I have been inundated with letters and leaflets from councillors of every party as they try to convince me of their undying devotion to the job while implying they are saints.
“This is in sharp contrast with the opinion of local people, who are fed up with incompetence, profligacy, cronyism and old school tie deals.
“Sick of cosy back room deals I have decided to vote for an independent candidate. It may not resolve all the problems, but it is a step in the right direction”.
A cross in any box that sends a clear message to those who have run our Council for nearly 20 odd years that enough is enough would be a big step in the right direction.
Wokingham deserves much more than the bland indifference on offer for so long.
Please get out and vote next Thursday. It’s your democratic right.
Meanwhile, the Conservative Manifesto (sorry advertisement feature) in last Thursday’s Wokingham
Paper made very interesting reading. Starting with one bit of fiction “Pool in Arborfield “(when?) so how much more