Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
"Don't trifle with me " says LibDem Councillor
From the Daily Telegraph:
" Councillor forced to apologise after calling woman colleague a trifle."
Cllr Brian Haley, Labour cabinet member for the environment on Haringey, north London, was told to apologise to Liberal Democrat Laura Edge after throwing the insult at her during a debate over bus tickets. Cllr Edge, Lib Dem ward member for Stroud Green, is the party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Finchley and Golders Green.
During the debate, Cllr Haley said: "This is another example of a not thought-through policy by the Lib Dems. "I'm concerned that you put things up without proper costings attached to them. "I do have to say, Cllr Edge, you're a bit like a trifle, very sweet and very lightweight."
Moments later he was forced to apologise after outraged Lib Dem councillor Monica Whyte said his attack was sexist. Cllr Edge, a housing solicitor, said: "I thought it was a sexist remark. "It wasn't the comment about him likening me to a trifle which angered me, it was all the sniggering and innuendo that followed. "It was like being in a school playground." She added: "It's unacceptable in this day and age for someone who is a member of a party which espouses equality to take such an attitude to women."
But Cllr Haley insisted after the incident: "You could equate a trifle with men and women. "I thought it was a fair comment for the political arena. I was shocked she ran out."
Did Haley get his just desserts, or was it a sense of humour failure over a mere ... well yes you guessed it :-)
" Councillor forced to apologise after calling woman colleague a trifle."
Cllr Brian Haley, Labour cabinet member for the environment on Haringey, north London, was told to apologise to Liberal Democrat Laura Edge after throwing the insult at her during a debate over bus tickets. Cllr Edge, Lib Dem ward member for Stroud Green, is the party's prospective parliamentary candidate for Finchley and Golders Green.
During the debate, Cllr Haley said: "This is another example of a not thought-through policy by the Lib Dems. "I'm concerned that you put things up without proper costings attached to them. "I do have to say, Cllr Edge, you're a bit like a trifle, very sweet and very lightweight."
Moments later he was forced to apologise after outraged Lib Dem councillor Monica Whyte said his attack was sexist. Cllr Edge, a housing solicitor, said: "I thought it was a sexist remark. "It wasn't the comment about him likening me to a trifle which angered me, it was all the sniggering and innuendo that followed. "It was like being in a school playground." She added: "It's unacceptable in this day and age for someone who is a member of a party which espouses equality to take such an attitude to women."
But Cllr Haley insisted after the incident: "You could equate a trifle with men and women. "I thought it was a fair comment for the political arena. I was shocked she ran out."
Did Haley get his just desserts, or was it a sense of humour failure over a mere ... well yes you guessed it :-)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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I'm thinking along those lines but have yet to come up with a killer line :)
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Turns out this was in The Thick Of It. In Episode 5, Roger Allam, playing Peter Mannion a Tory shadow minister, says: "It seems to me what I call a political meringue - sweet but lightweight and very little substance."
So, old Churchillian quote or not, Cllr Haley mangled it.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Liz's Twitter stream reports that this "trifle comment" made it on to Have I Got New for You this week.
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Permalink Reply by james walsh on
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Tonites HIGNFY mentioned it. Now thats irony for you.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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But they got it wrong - they said it was a LibDem councillor offended. :-)
" Have I got mistakes for you " :-)
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*cough* you mean they said Haley was a Lib Dem Cllr.
[mind you I would forgive Dominic West pretty much anything ;) ]
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The programme's here on iplayer - the reference is fleeting right at the end of the programme (the blacked out headlines bit.
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Person with sponge in one ear and jelly in the other says: " I'm a trifle deaf "
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