The readers' comments section of Britain's vilest rag, The Daily Heil, always gives an interesting indication of what the barking mad and hateful hotchpotch of the country (and its various enclaves in Expatland) is thinking. Two similar stories this week gave a fascinating insight into what is the Rubicon for 'Typical Mailman'.
Exhibit 1
Calls for Tory councillor to resign after he suggests parents on benefits should be sterilised after one child
A Tory councillor has claimed that there should be compulsory sterilisation for parents on benefits.
John Ward prompted comparisons with Adolf Hitler and calls for his resignation after attacking "professional spongers" who he claims "breed for greed".
He has removed the original comments from his website blog and said he was sorry if he caused any problems.
But Mr Ward, a 58-year- old bachelor, has since published a defiant claim that he was "exposing easily demonstrable truths".
He added that "a pushy cold caller at the door got me so irate and upset that I didn't finish what I was doing correctly".
The row erupted with an entry on his Internet blog after Shannon Matthews was recently found alive in a relative's home after being missing for 24 days.
Mr Ward, who has sat on Medway Council in Kent for eight years, focused on how the nine-year-old's mother Karen has seven children by five fathers.
He wrote: "This is yet another example of 'Breakdown Britain', much of which stems from the Government-encouraged change away from the hard-working and decent family structure to an increasingly self-indulgent immoral and state-funded lazy lifestyle.
"Children become just a means toward that end, and are of themselves of little if any further significance in this new society.
"I think there is an increasingly strong case for compulsory sterilisation of all those who have had a second (or third, or whatever) child while living off state handouts.
"It would clearly take a lot of social pressures off all concerned, thus protecting the youngsters themselves to some degree, and remove the incentive to 'breed for greed' - i.e. for more public subsidy of their lifestyle (a well-known dodge, worth ever greater amounts to countless thousands of professional spongers).
"With over-population being the root cause of so much that negatively impacts Planet Earth, the very last thing the world needs is to encourage excessive breeding."
At the weekend, Mr Ward, a retired supermarket worker, had at first tried to play down the row.
He said: "The whole idea was to get people to think about issues.
"Also, I'm half-blind and missed out a word, I should have written 'consideration'. I'm sorry if it has caused any problems."
Then his defiant new entry followed in which he said he will "weather the storm ahead" and continue "exposing easily-demonstrable truths".
But Medway Labour deputy leader Glyn Griffiths said: "If the Conservatives care about their image they should expel him immediately. There is no place for this in mainstream politics."
Labour councillor Bill Esterson added: "It's the sort of thing Nazis did in Germany."
Medway Liberal Democrat leader Geoff Juby said: "He is on a different planet. He should move to China where they have a one-child policy."
Local trade union leader Brian Kelly added: "He makes a strong case for someone to politically sterilise him."
A spokesman for Medway Conservatives said Mr Ward was simply voicing his own opinions.
Last night, a spokesman for Conservative Central Office said: "These remarks are abhorrent and the Conservative Party disassociates itself from them."
Eventually the Councillor was forced to resign. However, he seems to have quite a few admirers:
I fail to see the problem with his comments. You are living off the taxpayer's money. It is NOT A God-given right to mass produce children.- Richard, Durham, NC USA
Are you glad you've got that off your chest, Richard? If you are so into medical experiments I suggest you take 2 large bricks and make a Waldorf salad out of those two, unnecessary sacs between your legs. Have a nice day!
What a brilliant idea, make this man Prime Minister immediately!- Maisie, London, UK
This kind of mouse-brain also tends to write the same comments on Littlejohn's column. Maisie, make yourself a nice cup of cocoa, put on your Wagner, and dream of the good old days of the Fatherland.
I totally agree with him. These selfish, irresponsible, uneducated individuals should be sterilised after one child as long as they continue to sponge off the government. They are bringing children into this world for whom they are completely incapable of providing a secure future and who will likely grow up to become next generation of ASBO recipients.- Dominic, Croydon, Surrey
I went to Croydon once; it was full of loud-mouthed, uneducated filth like Dominic. Not that we should ever generalise!
Mr. Ward resign! Never, he should be given a medal, stopping the benefits would do the trick.- Jimpy, Lincs
The Iron cross is making a comeback, I hear, Jimpy lad! Nice use of English grammar.
People that are part of the 'PC' brigade think that they are always right and hold the moral high ground. By so doing they try to tell us how to think and attempt to destroy those who do not conform to their brainwashing. Isn't it interesting to note that as I read the comments at 11 p.m. there is not one single person out of this country's populous of approximately 60 million that has condemned this councillor's comments. I think that speaks volumes!- David Kempton, Gloucester
When I get my badge and blazer back from my local PC Brigade, I'll be able to think I am right in suggesting that the boy David is a bit deluded if he thinks that these comments are not moderated in such a way to allow dickheads like him to post ad infinitum whilst refusing to allow any dissenting comments. I'm tempted to believe that this is a wind-up but with this paper, there's no way of knowing. Neil Sears, you must be very proud of your work, and the fact that your employer is prepared to let its deranged bigots represent its core values.
I couldn't agree more sterilise them or they lose their benefits.- Skippy, England
What's that Skip? There's someone using your name to write shit? Maybe we should let them rot down the old mineshaft.
There are other comments which are just as disturbing as they claim to be from the more reasonable people - sort of Sturmabteilung Lite or I Can't Believe It's Not Aryan - the type of person who starts a right-wing tirade of prejudice with the compulsory 'I'm Not A Racist But...' - the IMNARBs:
Compulsory sterilisation is going too far, after all, the person in question might not be on benefits forever.What we need are compulsory abortions of under-18's and people on the dole. Simple really. These people are too stupid to think for themselves so they need to be helped.- Chris, Sydney
The sad thing is that Chris thinks he is being sensitive and realistic. Twat!
But wait! Mr Ward and his ilk are in good company. Sir Keith Joseph, father of Thatcherism raised the spectre of this in 1974 in a speech in Birmingham. As with Powell, some years earlier (again in Brum), he did not directly encourage this policy, but the room for interpretation was left unlocked, "The balance of our population, our human stock, is threatened," he said. "A rising population of children are being born to mothers least fitted to bring children into the world. It would be disingenuous of me to suggest that he advocated eugenics; his Jewish upbringing surely precluding this, but turning to the Mail commenters, we need to visit a more extreme room: Block 10 at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
An account of the experiments conducted by the Nazis at Auschwitz as a possible solution to the 'Jewish problem' is contained in Laurence Rees book on the subject, where a Slovakian woman coerced into acting as a nurse explains,
"X-rays were used either as an attempt to sterilize on their own or to check the progress of chemicals injected into the womb. The women were put on the table in the gynaecological postition. as their legs were spread open the doctor opened their wombs and injected the substance..........and I used to expose the X-rays after every examination to see whether the woman was sterilized and her ovary finally stuck together..."
Exhibit 2
Outrage as 'joking' Tory councillor calls for children in care to be euthanised
A councillor who called for the legalisation of euthanasia to cut the number of children in care is being pressured to resign.
Tory Hugh Jackson made the remark during a council meeting about the number of vulnerable youngsters being looked after by the local authority.
Now calls are being made for him to resign after he suggested euthanasia as a solution during the meeting of North Tyneside Council's finance sub committee.
He was responding to information that 43 youngsters in North Tyneside are cared for in other local authority areas, putting a financial strain on the council to the tune of £3.4 million a year.
Mr Jackson, who represents Monkseaton North ward, said today he regretted making the comment but refused to resign.
He added: "It was misplaced humour, one of those things I wish I had not said.
"As soon as I said it I wished I hadn't, it should never have been said.
"We were discussing some of the expensive bits of the budget and one of those is children looked after out of the borough.
"I said have we looked at other policies and said something along the lines of 'have we thought about euthanasia?'
"The chief executive of the council was there and said I should apologise and I was happy to do so because I should never have said it in the first place."
Mr Jackson and his colleagues were discussing the recently announced budget at a meeting last week.
It emerged North Tyneside Council is paying £3.4m a year to other councils to house the looked-after children.
Children who come into that category include those with issues at home and youngsters with special needs.
Despite the councillor's apology, North Tyneside's Labour Mayor, John Harrison, today called for him to resign.
He said: "It is disturbing that Councillor Jackson felt he could make this type of disgraceful comment.
"His solution to the issue about looked-after children with complex needs shows a complete lack of humanity.
"Councillor Jackson may have apologised but I believe he should take an honourable course of action and resign now.
"If he refuses to do the decent thing and go then it is up to his party to sack him."
But Mr Jackson said: "I'm not going to resign, I think it's out of order to say I should.
"I work on a project which visits care homes making sure they are working properly so it's something I care about."
Chair of the finance sub committee, Tory councillor Michael Mcintyre, said the comment was meant as a joke.
He said: "It was an off-the-cuff remark intended to be humorous but unfortunately it was interpreted in the wrong way by some people present.
"He has apologised and this is a storm in a teacup."
It comes just one day after a Tory councillor resigned after suggesting parents on benefits should be sterilised.
John Ward was suspended from the Conservative group on Medway Council in Kent over the comments made on his personal website.
Mr Ward, 58, admitted his comments had been "unfortunately" worded.
A North Tyneside Council spokesman said: "As a council we're committed to work to reduce disadvantages, discrimination, and inequalities of opportunity, and to promote diversity in terms of the people we serve, our workforce, the partners we work with and the services we deliver.
"A comment has been reported to the chief executive and is subject to an internal investigation with a view to being referred to the Standards Board For England."
Frank Lott, Labour group leader, said: "Councillor Jackson's reference to euthanasia is despicable.
"Some have tried to pass this off as an off-the-cuff, humorous remark. If so, this is particularly sick humour and has no place in the council. And neither, for that matter, does councillor Jackson."
Comments:
He sounds like Hitler. Disgraceful.- May, UK
Dear Sir,No remarks about euthanasia are jokes.Either this despicable man should resign or he should be fired and those who defend his comments should also be dismissed with him.The Nazi policy which led to genocide began with involuntary euthanasia of the sick, the elderly and the young who were disabled. Hitler also supported abortion.These all part of what is known as 'the culture of death'.- Brian Gregory, Choppington
People who joke about killing children are unfit to represent the public. David Cameron must make sure this man is expelled from the Tory party.- Albert Lampwick, UK
So there we have it Herrn und Damen, a bridge too far for even the bigots of Mail Stadt. Unless, of course, some comments have been excluded. Whither Jimpy et al? And on that bouncing bombshell.........
[ Quit the lame WW2 references and puns - Ed ]