Young Tory re-elected after wishing GG dead

[faceless]

Tory re-elected despite ‘offensive’ remarks
Sep 29 2010
Martin Shipton,
Western Mail

A CONSERVATIVE official, who posted a message on Facebook saying he wished George Galloway was dead, has been re- elected as the top young Tory in Wales only two months after being forced to quit in disgrace. Grant Tucker, who this week started a new job in London with Tory blogger Iain Dale, resigned as chairman of the Welsh branch of Conservative Future in July after the former Respect MP called for a police inquiry into his comment. The group is for Tories under the age of 30.

Mr Tucker said “I really would like to see George Galloway dead” in response to the release of a video showing Mr Galloway’s TV appearances. A spokeswoman for the Welsh Conservatives said at the time that Mr Tucker, then a student at Coleg Gwent, had intended his comment as a “flippant remark” but recognised it was also “deeply offensive”. The video of Mr Galloway included clips of the pro- Palestinian campaigner hailing Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and praising Venezuelan left- wing President Hugo Chavez.

Mr Galloway, who lost his seat in May after more than 20 years in Parliament representing Glasgow Kelvin for Labour and Bethnal Green and Bow for the Respect Party, has always said he opposed Saddam’s regime but was addressing the Iraqi people in the video.

Conservative Future – formerly the Young Conservatives – describes itself as the largest youth political organisation in the UK. It has more than 15,000 members. Mr Tucker, who declares himself a fan of British history on his Facebook page, has been an active Conservative in Newport and was a co-ordinator for the Parliamentary campaigns of Newport West Tory candidate Matthew Williams and Newport East candidate Dawn Parry. On his Facebook page, he posts photographs of himself with leading lights in the Conservative Party including Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan and Foreign Secretary William Hague.

On Monday it was announced that he had again been elected as chairman of Conservative Future in Wales. Labour councillor Armand Watts, who represents Chepstow on Monmouthshire County Council, said: “I’m extremely surprised that Grant Tucker has been elected as Conservative Future Wales regional chairman just months after he resigned for saying he wished George Galloway was dead. These kind of poisonous comments do not belong in mainstream politics. By letting him stand again for the youth wing of the party, it shows that the Welsh Conservatives have not learnt the lessons of the past. It is only two years since Alun Cairns was reinstated as a Conservative parliamentary candidate despite making deeply offensive comments about the Italians. It seems the Tories are happy to brush incidents like this under the carpet and hope the Welsh public forget their actions.”

Mr Galloway could not be contacted for comment and Mr Tucker did not respond to an e-mail message we sent him. Welsh Conservative Assembly leader Nick Bourne said: “I had no involvement in Grant Tucker’s re-election. He put himself forward and members of Conservative Future have duly elected him as Wales regional chairman. This process is not a matter for the Welsh Conservatives in the Assembly. Grant Tucker is aware his distasteful personal comment on Facebook was immature and inappropriate. He apologised for the remark and rightly withdrew it.”

Iain Dale put a message on his blog on Monday stating: “A few weeks ago I advertised that I needed an executive assistant to help me in my work now that I have permanent slot on LBC. I had a huge amount of applications, and I am delighted to announce that Grant Tucker is my new executive assistant. Grant is a highly articulate and knowledgeable young man; he has been involved with the Conservative Party for several years in South Wales and has now made the move to London.”

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A hugely articulate young man? He really sounds it, the little tory twat.

[Colston]

What comes around goes aorund...