Tuesday, April 02, 2019
Welsh UKIP Leader to become second of his party's AMs to be excluded from Assembly
The BBC reports that UKIP's assembly leader is facing exclusion from the Senedd for a week after he superimposed a female Labour AM's head on to a woman in a low cut top.
The ban is being recommended to the Assembly's Plenary session on Wednesday after South Wales Central AM Gareth Bennett used photoshop to mock Labour's Joyce Watson in the YouTube clip. The assembly's standards committee said Mr Bennett's video fell below the standards expected of AMs. He will not receive pay during the exclusion:
Mr Bennett published the clip on YouTube last May in response to Ms Watson referring to UKIP AMs as "rabid dogs" in a debate.In the since deleted video, he made derogatory comments about her, saying Ms Watson used to run a pub but "you wouldn't guess that from looking at her".
Following an investigation, the former standards commissioner for the Northern Ireland Assembly, Douglas Bain, found material in the video was demeaning.
He described it as "gratuitous personal abuse".
Ms Watson told Mr Bain that part of the video - which featured her head on the body of a barmaid in Bavarian-style dress - had caused considerable distress to her and her family.
A report revealed Mr Bennett walked out of an interview with Mr Bain, with the AM warned that failing to attend a newly-scheduled date would constitute a criminal offence.
That repeat visit Mr Bain had to make cost the investigation an additional £500, which the standards committee wants Mr Bennett to repay.
The AM is also set to be stripped of his position on the standards committee.
Mr Bennett will be the second UKIP AM to be excluded, after now-former party AM Michelle Brown was sanctioned last year. Mr. Bennett has not apologised for the video and possibly exacerbated the situation in the way he treated the investigation.
The BBC journalist, David Deans has tweeted extracts from the acting Standards Commissioner's report underlining how Mr. Bennett failed to take the investigation seriously, and led to him being threatened with criminal sanctions if he failed to cooperate.
It is little wonder that AMs on the Standards Committee seem determined to impose such a harsh punishment on the Welsh UKIP leader.
The ban is being recommended to the Assembly's Plenary session on Wednesday after South Wales Central AM Gareth Bennett used photoshop to mock Labour's Joyce Watson in the YouTube clip. The assembly's standards committee said Mr Bennett's video fell below the standards expected of AMs. He will not receive pay during the exclusion:
Mr Bennett published the clip on YouTube last May in response to Ms Watson referring to UKIP AMs as "rabid dogs" in a debate.In the since deleted video, he made derogatory comments about her, saying Ms Watson used to run a pub but "you wouldn't guess that from looking at her".
Following an investigation, the former standards commissioner for the Northern Ireland Assembly, Douglas Bain, found material in the video was demeaning.
He described it as "gratuitous personal abuse".
Ms Watson told Mr Bain that part of the video - which featured her head on the body of a barmaid in Bavarian-style dress - had caused considerable distress to her and her family.
A report revealed Mr Bennett walked out of an interview with Mr Bain, with the AM warned that failing to attend a newly-scheduled date would constitute a criminal offence.
That repeat visit Mr Bain had to make cost the investigation an additional £500, which the standards committee wants Mr Bennett to repay.
The AM is also set to be stripped of his position on the standards committee.
Mr Bennett will be the second UKIP AM to be excluded, after now-former party AM Michelle Brown was sanctioned last year. Mr. Bennett has not apologised for the video and possibly exacerbated the situation in the way he treated the investigation.
The BBC journalist, David Deans has tweeted extracts from the acting Standards Commissioner's report underlining how Mr. Bennett failed to take the investigation seriously, and led to him being threatened with criminal sanctions if he failed to cooperate.
It is little wonder that AMs on the Standards Committee seem determined to impose such a harsh punishment on the Welsh UKIP leader.
Comments:
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Sadly typical of UKIP members.
However Peter, from the other viewpoint, do you know if any action was taken against Ms Watson for her referring to UKIP AMs as Rabid Dogs in a debate?
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However Peter, from the other viewpoint, do you know if any action was taken against Ms Watson for her referring to UKIP AMs as Rabid Dogs in a debate?
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