'Blackpool or Birmingham or somewhere godawful'

I don't like the use of words like "godawful" or "godforsaken at the best of times. Was it meant about the appearance of those towns or the people or what?

I suppose he is from Hampstead or Chelsea or somewhere ghastly.

It was a minister, Heather Wheeler, MP for South Derbyshire

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61767856

South Derbyshire must be about as average a constituency as you could represent, which makes her remark all the more baffling. I bet her constituents are thrilled.

She's apologised and said it doesn't reflect her actual view. ?

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/heather-wheeler-birmingham-blackpool-godawful-b2098701.html

Tactless in the extreme, but having been born and bred and spent more than half of my life in the Black Country, I am entitled to think that parts of Birmingham are. Can't speak for Blackpool.

There are plenty of us think London is “godawful” and plenty of places in the South East are down at heel and need a lot more TLC than they are getting.
Many of our city’s further north have been transformed in recent years, more needs to be done and is being done.

You couldn’t’ t make it up. ‘Godawful’ people running the country

I don't even understand in what context she would accidentally say it, especially if it wasn't her views

Wheeler is deeply unpleasant and has been in trouble before with comments about people who are homeless.

www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/20/homelessness-minister-accused-of-racist-remarks-in-email

Note she has:

consistently voted for a reduction in housing benefits,
consistently voted for a reduction in spending on welfare,
consistently voted against improved benefits for people who are ill of disabled,
consistently voted against raising welfare benefits at least in line with prices

In March 2018, following her promotion to a Government position with responsibility for homelessness, Wheeler said she did not know why the number of rough sleepers had increased in recent years. Wheeler rejected the suggestion that welfare reforms and council cuts relating to her Government had contributed to the rise. Earlier in the same month, Wheeler promised to resign if the number of people rough sleeping got worse while she was in office. They did and she remained in office. In 2018/19 (her period in that particular job), nearly £1 billion less was spent on support services for single homeless people than was spent in 2008/09.

I can't speak to Birmingham but live about five miles along the coast from Blackpool. If my supported living accommodation had a branch in Blackpool, I'd be there like a shot.

There are undoubtedly seedy bits.
The Kiss Me Quick bits are undoubtedly not to everyone's taste.
However, Blackpool is also full of good and kindly people trying to do the best for their town.

The apology doesn't cut it. Why make such a cheap and thoughtless comment in public at all? Despicable.

They say these unguarded things because that is what they believe.

They mostly keep it successfully to themselves.

DiamondLily

She's apologised and said it doesn't reflect her actual view. ?

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/heather-wheeler-birmingham-blackpool-godawful-b2098701.html

Too damn late.
Actually she is wrong anyway, I love Birmingham for its Botanic Gardens and parks, some very fine buildings, Symphony Hall, the orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet, the friendliness - where do I stop? I don’t know Blackpool but the warmth of the people in the NW is second to none in the U.K.
She needs more than a good talking to, patronising b***h

This is my MP. I now understand why she ‘disagrees with her constituents who question the PM’s integrity’. It’s because she too suffers from integrity bypass syndrome.

Why/how do you say that and then say it doesn’t reflect your view? So do we take everything she says as not reflecting her view really ?

Such ignorance. I haven't been to Blackpool for years so I can't say. All towns and cities have nice and not so nice areas.
I am Birmingham born and bred. It's a lovely city nowadays. People who have never been here think of it as dark, dreary and industrial. Such an old fashioned view.

Birmingham again.

Another Tory 'apology'. They don't appear to be able to engage brain before commenting. I will not be voting for the Tories ever again. This comment and the party fiasco just shows what they think of us all.

I think these off-the-cuff comments tell us more about what MP's really think about polittical matters than all their carefully crafted speeches.

They only apologise when these remarks hit the headlines, so we can assume this particular MP has made many more 'off-the-cuff' comments like this, and of a similar nature, but those who heard them probably agreed them, so they went no further.

Sorry not sorry should be the Tory party’s slogan from now on.
They are NOT sorry - if they were they would endeavour to put things right and not make such a horlicks of things again
?????

Absolutely agree M0nica - the only thing they are ever sorry for is being found out.

The trouble with a lot of the seaside towns and I've visited plenty they have attracted the unemployed and undesirables because b and b owners and some smaller rundown hotels have hit hard times they have let out their rooms to these people on a permanent basis and people flock there because accommodation is cheaper.

Somehow you just know that it is her actual view

Of course it's my view I've visited these places personally not just googled about them like some.