Robert Kenyon, Reform's candidate for Makerfield. Would you let him in your house?

Then is spirit of consistency- let's imagine every single politician in recent history as a university student.

Thats a student tweeted a comment along the lines of "I'd happily throw X under a train" ( that is what he actually tweeted" in response to a journalist writing a bigoted, untrue, homophobic or misogynistic article about their death that was repugnant.

Now are you more incensed about the student who apologised or the more mature bigoted, homophobic newspaper reporter?

Should that university student in those circumstances be excluded on vetting from entering politics? Should that reported be chastised and told to apologise and not repeat writing bigoted, untrue homophobic articles?

What should society tolerate and what are the rules?

Wherever you land with that- Kenyon's repeated racist and misogynistic comments falls far below such standards.

LemonJam

Kenyon's online comments are multiple and highlight his racist and misogynistic beliefs. He has made no public apology as far as I'm aware or said that his belief and values system has changed in any way.

His Reform UK colleagues seem to be dismissive about it.

Right wing newspapers, such as the Telegraph dig up any historical comments like Streeting's one tweet in 2009, as some kind of comparison to deflect and minimise the comments made by Kenyon and Reform UK colleagues. There's little comparison....

I agree LemonJam.

Yet we have posters on this thread minimising Kenyon’s vile comments via comparison & equivalence - posters who claim to uphold the rights of women🤷‍♀️

Directed to Galaxy.

Yes it would be good to have some level of consistency.

It's interesting that you state misogyny is OK if there was an apology and it's a long while ago. But you say nothing about the circumstances of Streeting's tweet being triggered by Moir's bigoted, homophobic and inaccurate article about a fellow gay man. What are the rules for Moir?

She repeated and exacerbates her position- Jan Moir- Daily Mail, 13 June 2024 "Wes Streeting, his threat to throw me under the train- and his pompous, self serving non- apology'

Did Moir apologise for her bigoted, homophobic article in 2009? Did she apologise to Stephen Gately's grieving family as she published her article before his funeral actually took place? Has he ever apologised since? Does she take any accountability whatsoever? Should she apologise. Do apologies count for anything?

Or does Moir continually deflect from her own shortcomings and deflect to Streeting's shortcomings instead- because he's a Labour MP? He was wrong. He hasn't shied away from it. He leaves it on his wikipedia page for the world to know. Nobody is saying it's OK.

Posters can come to their own conclusions on Moir's extent of pomposity and absence of apology 15 years later.

Then in our quest for consistency and fairness- how does Streeting's 2009 tweet about Moir compare to Kenyon's multiple vile on line comments and lack of apology?

JenniferEccles

Wes Streeting once said he would like to push the Mail columnist Jan Moir under a train.

Just demonstrates the calibre of a lot of politicians these days.

Not all though. For instance, I certainly can’t imagine Theresa May or Rishi Sunak stooping so low.

Not all though. For instance, I certainly can’t imagine Theresa May or Rishi Sunak stooping so low

Me neither. And I'm a leftie, woke, snowflake (according to some anyway).

Nor can I envisage Starmer, for all his faults, making such a comment... and I'm really not a fan of his.

I also remember 30p-Lee Anderson telling a group of women to "stay out of 'big boy politics' " (whatever they are). I think Margaret Thatcher might have curated a suitable reply to 30p - and I was no fan of hers, either.

Across the board, an oaf in a suit is an oaf in a suit. Unfortunately, Reform appears to have attracted more than their fair share.

I really believe that women should consider how Reform intends to formulate its policies around women - some of them sound distinctly Trumpian. Will women ultimately end up being criminalised for seeking an abortion or even experiencing a miscarriage?

PS. I don't like what the woman wrote about gays.

Galaxy

So the misogyny is ok if there is an apology and it was a while ago. Oh and if we don't like the woman concerned. It is quite hard to keep up with the rules these days.
I actually as I have said before have a bit of a soft spot for Streeting, I just think it might be useful to have some level of consistency.

No problem with consistency! Hope you will remember that.

Rosie51

twaddle

Galaxy

But there was zero uproar when Streetings tweets came out, and zero concern about whether the labour party supported misogyny by appointing him to a cabinet role.

Distraction from the issue.

You've confirmed that you support misogyny.

You have to be joking, and it's a very poor one! Galaxy is absolutely no supporter of misogyny, and will call it out whenever and wherever she sees it. Her disdain for the reaction, or lack thereof, to Streeting's tweet "confirms her misogyny" is an outrageous slur.

No, I'm not joking. Anybody who dismisses the insult aimed at Carol Vorderman and the England Ladies Rugby players is no supporter of women's issues.

I assume you know why Streeting reacted as he did to Jan Moir's outrageously homophobic rant about Stephen Gately's death. I'm not a Streeting fan and he was unprofessional to react as he did, but the article she wrote was so disgusting that it made a lot of people very angry. If you follow the same logic as used by people who support Robert Kenyon and the man who heckled Rachel Reeves, it would appear it's acceptable now to use threatening language in public.

So the misogyny is ok if there is an apology and it was a while ago. Oh and if we don't like the woman concerned. It is quite hard to keep up with the rules these days.
I actually as I have said before have a bit of a soft spot for Streeting, I just think it might be useful to have some level of consistency.

Rosie51

twaddle

Galaxy

But there was zero uproar when Streetings tweets came out, and zero concern about whether the labour party supported misogyny by appointing him to a cabinet role.

Distraction from the issue.

You've confirmed that you support misogyny.

You have to be joking, and it's a very poor one! Galaxy is absolutely no supporter of misogyny, and will call it out whenever and wherever she sees it. Her disdain for the reaction, or lack thereof, to Streeting's tweet "confirms her misogyny" is an outrageous slur.

Moir's Daily Mail bigoted, and homophobic ( just shy of unlawful) article - was the issue that caused the uproar at the time from many. It was reported to the Press Complaints Commission- oh - leads by Paul Dacre- editor of the Daily Mail. Mmmmm

Streeting's comment about Moir ( i.e. that he would happily throw her under a train for her bigoted, homophobic comments about Stephen Gately, that had no evidential basis as detailed in the corners report), was triggered by her article. Streeting's comment didn't cause the uproar that Kenyon's multiple comments are making currently. Posters can come to their own conclusions why not.....

I don't want or need to read disgusting remarks made by Kenyon to know I'd not vote for him in a million years. I also will not be putting any plumbing work his way, which I doubt will cause him one moment's concern.

Thank you for your research, Graphite and twaddle. I have only had time to dip in and out on here today, so appreciate your finding out these things.

Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice said.

twaddle

Galaxy

But there was zero uproar when Streetings tweets came out, and zero concern about whether the labour party supported misogyny by appointing him to a cabinet role.

Distraction from the issue.

You've confirmed that you support misogyny.

You have to be joking, and it's a very poor one! Galaxy is absolutely no supporter of misogyny, and will call it out whenever and wherever she sees it. Her disdain for the reaction, or lack thereof, to Streeting's tweet "confirms her misogyny" is an outrageous slur.

I've seen that now on MyBuilder, twaddle.

The reviews go back to November 2025 so that could/would be when he went out on his own. If he worked for BG for five years that goes back to say November 2020.

During the 2024 GE campaign he said he had worked for the NHS as a specialist technican for six years including all through the pandemic. Centrica do big contract work for the NHS on heating systems so it could be that.

There's still a gap though between 2010 when he said he had a business that failed and when he worked for NHS/(Centrica)/BG whichever it was so perhaps he had another employer before that.

While I loathe his social media behaviour I can't help thinking that he's being set up and used by Farage as part of his "man of the people" act. I feel sorry for his wife and family having his tawdry behaviour out there for all to see.

From what I have heard and seen, were he to win, I can't see him thriving or even surviving Westminster. He'd be another James McMurdock, just tagging along with the big names and completely out of his depth, as we are seeing with so many of the new councillors. Some people can blag their way through; Lee Anderson has for over six years, but they are only ever making up the numbers and add little to the serious work of Parliament.

foxie48

Kenyon has also said that women make up allegations of rape so that they can get an abortion! Really, he really thinks that???

Kenyon wants to ban abortions apparently. Abhorrent.

I absolutely agree Cossy then all is transparent. Investigated and published.

Streeting's tweet about Jan Moir is included in Wikipedia- he's never sought to hide it.

Kenyon does not yet have a Wikipedia page and has deleted his and gone quiet. Kenyon's X account has been suspended though his "crime" is not known. Bearing in mind Musk if right wing it must be something egregious. Reform UK is also fairly silent on the matter, whatever vetting was or was not completed.

Would that politicians, even when students, were whiter than white- I doubt that will ever happen. But at least we would get to see the history- any pattern of repetition, type and extent of pejorative comments.

Kenyon has also said that women make up allegations of rape so that they can get an abortion! Really, he really thinks that???

I think ANYONE, and everyone working in any capacity should have their social media investigated before they are appointed, put forward or elected.

It doesn’t matter which political party, it doesn’t matter whether it was before or after or during a political career.

They are there to serve the public. They should strive to be as whiter than white as they can possibly be.

Each vile and awful tweet, Facebook or Instagram post should be scrutinised and publicised and the person responsible given the opportunity to “make their explanations”

This has gone on for far too long and gone too far.

Kenyon's online comments are multiple and highlight his racist and misogynistic beliefs. He has made no public apology as far as I'm aware or said that his belief and values system has changed in any way.

His Reform UK colleagues seem to be dismissive about it.

Right wing newspapers, such as the Telegraph dig up any historical comments like Streeting's one tweet in 2009, as some kind of comparison to deflect and minimise the comments made by Kenyon and Reform UK colleagues. There's little comparison....

I wouldn’t let him near me road! He’s disgusting and vile!

Kenyon's recent and not so recent on line comments, that have come to light are just vile. Simply vile. No I would not want him in my house- I would feel very uncomfortable.

Galaxy

Streeting has some lovely tweets about pushing women under trains.

Streeting tweeted a comment that he would like to push Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir under a bust in response to her article she published:

Wikipedia extract for Jan Moir:
"In October 2009, Moir wrote an article about Boyzone singer Stephen Gately's death, arguing that his death was not of natural causes, despite this being the conclusion of the coroner's report, and linking his death to his sexuality and same-sex civil partnership. The article was published in the Daily Mail six days after the singer's death, before his funeral. The article provoked much criticism,[6] with Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker, for example, describing her article as "a gratuitous piece of gay-bashing" and urging readers to contact the Press Complaints Commission.[7] After receiving a record number of complaints, the PCC announced that it would investigate.[8][9] On 6 November 2009, Moir was awarded the Stonewall Bigot of the Year Award jointly with Father John Owen.[10]

On 17 February 2010, the Press Complaints Commission, whose chairman at the time was Paul Dacre, the editor of the Daily Mail, confirmed that although it was "uncomfortable with the tenor of the columnist's remarks", it would not uphold the complaints made. The Crown Prosecution Service also concluded that there was insufficient evidence that the article had breached the law.[11] In an interview on the BBC Radio's Today programme, PCC chairwoman Baroness Buscombe said the commission found the article "in many areas extremely distasteful" but that the Daily Mail had escaped censure because it "just failed to cross the line".[12]"

In 2009 Streeting was not in politics and was president of the National Union of students. He apologised for the tweet- and his sounding off about Moir's bigoted article.

MaizieD

Nandalot

On Facebook, I saw a post commenting on Kenyon. The tirade of abusive comments about her that followed the post was unbelievable. I hope they were bots because I would not like to think there are that many vile people. There was very, very few supportive posts.

Of course, there is a possibility that the abusive posts came from a bot farm. It's very common on social media. The leader of Reform has plenty of money with which to pay for bot posts....

I don't think so. I've seen the originals on Wayback Machine and they don't look like bot comments. You can usually tell because there's no real interaction with other posters on the thread.

PS. Actually I'm a bit confused about the abusive posts Nandalot is referring to.

None of this changes the vile comments.

Nandalot

On Facebook, I saw a post commenting on Kenyon. The tirade of abusive comments about her that followed the post was unbelievable. I hope they were bots because I would not like to think there are that many vile people. There was very, very few supportive posts.

Of course, there is a possibility that the abusive posts came from a bot farm. It's very common on social media. The leader of Reform has plenty of money with which to pay for bot posts....