Cllr Brown, who is Bristol City Council’s first black Lib Dem councillor, denies the remarks were meant as a racist slur and says they were taken out of context.Ummm.....
She said: ”I’m not aware my comments were interpreted as a racist remark. How can I be a racist when I’m black?
Perhaps she needs a racial awareness course?
The remarks? Oh, they were to an Asian Tory councillor who had pooh-poohed Cllr Brown’s idea (in the teeth of a deepening recession) to spend £750,000 for a project on the slave trade:
...a furious Mrs Brown stood up and stunned the meeting with her outburst.Which we all know is a remark intended to imply that the person being so described is ‘white on the inside’. I wonder who the 'we' was meant to refer to...?
She said: ”In our culture we have a word for you and before I go into what I want to say and my statement, is that we have a word for you and, which many in this city would understand, is a coconut...”
She desperately tried to defend her words by claiming to have been talking about ‘throwing away coconut water’ instead (Nope, me neither...), and then when that didn’t work, fell back on the ‘Is it ‘cos I is black?’ defence:
“At the end of the day there are 70 councillors in that council yet I’m always the one being picked on. If everyone was so offended why did no one say anything at the time?”Too flabbergasted, I’d say.
Nice people the Limp Dumbs recruit these days, eh?
Update: Old Holborn's blog has the video!
The grammar in the offending statement isn't up to much either...
ReplyDelete"Perhaps she needs a racial awareness course?"
ReplyDeleteThat was probably where she learnt the "blacks can't be racist" idea. Gell she probably teaches the course.
"in our culture....." Isn't she supposded to be British? Or is she from Mogadishu like most ethnic minority Bristolians?
ReplyDelete"The grammar in the offending statement isn't up to much either..."
ReplyDeleteFrom the video over at Old Holborn's site, she's not exactly the most articulate public speaker. She must have been taken on for something else...
"..she probably teaches the course."
You're probably right!
"Isn't she supposded to be British?"
Good point!
To be fair, 'coconut' is a standard term of abuse for one The Brothers Or Sisters who have Sold Out to The White Man, it is not in itself racist.
ReplyDeleteI remember the expression being used on Brookside a decade ago (black wife called her black husband a coconut).
Perhaps the councillor took the rules of Victimhood Poker too literally, that says that Black always trumps Asian.
It's difficult to pin down the most absurd aspect of this. Is it her indignation over the suggestion that the grant for being black might be cut? The slur itself? Her appalling English? Her grievance-mongering? The fact that so many cheered her? Or her laughable follow-up comments?
ReplyDeleteAs I can't decide, I'll go instead for the easy option: her appearance. That is some bad dental work. The close up inset picture of her face reminded me of Tonga, the Cayman Islander with a blowpipe in the Jeremy Brett version of the Sign of Four.
Nice people the Limp Dumbs recruit these days, eh?
ReplyDeleteWell to underline that, in Lewisham recently Duwayne Brookes has just been elected as a local councillor for them.
The things that chap has done (of course he has suffered terribly too) but these have been buried by the Met's collective guilt about Stephen Lawrence.
Although amongst other failings The charges against the original two suspects were dropped before the trial due to lack of evidence, and the three remaining suspects were acquitted at trial when the judge ruled that the identification evidence given by Duwayne Brooks was inadmissible. (Because he refused to do the procedure properly).
Since then, he has been awarded £100,000 compensation for the way HE was treated. But for a long time was put up in police funded accommodation and given a series of rental cars for his use - which he repeatedly 'barrelled' and then tried to get arrested for sus theft by police. When he did arrested and charged (depsite police officers being warned what he was up to and NOT to arrest him) he was acquitted with every defence bringing the Lawrence business into play.
Also charged with Rape which was also dropped. Cut n paste this link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2000/mar/22/lawrence.ukcrime1
Nice people indeed - a man with a 64lb bag of McCain's finest ovens on BOTH shoulders. Dangerous too.
"If everyone was so offended why did no one say anything at the time?”.
ReplyDeleteI suppose she'll be supporting Carol Thatcher over that golliwog remark, then?
Think Huhne
ReplyDeleteThen you have the Lib Dums
When I lived with west indians they always referred to people of indian decent as coolies,to their face too.Wonder ifcanvas will keep demandinganapology,i doubt it.
ReplyDelete