Why on earth did LAB select a candidate for the Stoke by-election without fully scrutinising his Twitter history?
Now LAB's Stoke byelection candidate gets into trouble for offensive tweets aimed at women. Good for LDs? https://t.co/9JBN21pP0x
— Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) February 14, 2017
Snell’s controversial Tweets won’t cause switching to UKIP but could depress turnout
In this day and age I had take it almost as read that before a candidate is selected for a high profile by-election defence then there is some serious examination of what he/she has published on social media to check wther there is anything that could prove problematical.
As the Guardian reports:-
“..Labour’s candidate in the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election has apologised for a series of offensive tweets aimed at women on TV programmes including BBC Question Time, Loose Women and The Apprentice.
In unguarded posts from several years ago, Gareth Snell called panellists on ITV’s Loose Women “squabbling sour-faced ladies”, described Janet Street-Porter as a “polished turd” and said a “speccy blonde girl” on BBC’s The Apprentice should “piss off”.
After Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, appeared on BBC’s Question Time, Snell tweeted: “Diane, you are great, then you say something incredibly arsingly stupid.”..
UKIP, which has had its own problems in the past of candidates saying sexist things, has been quick to go on the offensive. After the statements by its candidate, leader Paul Nuttall about things he’s done/not done UKIP was quick to seize on the Garth Snell Tweets.
This sort of thing can depress turnout. If any campaign will be helped by this it will be the LD one which has been running an extensive ground operation and its candidate, a cardiologist at the local hospital, has been a councillor in the area.