Third time (un)lucky for Bob

After a week where he’s managed to offend people with mental health problems not just once, but twice, Harrow East Tory politician Bob Blackman has done it again.

According to the Harrow Times, Blackman, who hopes to take on incumbent Labour MP Tony McNulty, called his rival ‘mad’.

McNulty had been rather quick to criticise Blackman for his slips, telling Stanmore Politics yesterday that he should apologise.

But it seems clear that Blackman didn’t mean the remarks offensivly, he just needs to follow the maxim of ‘think before you speak’.

Stern talk necessary from Conservative HQ?

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Bad day for Blackman

It’s been a bad couple of days for Harrow East’s Conservative candidate.

Bob Blackman has come under fire from a mental health charity for using the term ‘basket case’ during a hustings event yesterday.

The BBC are reporting him saying:

 “Harrow Council was a basket case before the Tories took over. Now we are a three star council.”

However healthcare worker criticised him for use of the term, saying it was ‘hurtful to millions’. 

“This [prospective] MP is meant to represent us and to speak up for us but by using that term after saying all the wonderful things that he wants to campaign for mental health just shows what is in his heart and mind.”

She added: “I am wondering how much he would really champion mental illness.”

Labour incumbent Tony McNulty and Lib Dem candidate Nahid Boethe were among those criticising Blackman. To add insult to injury, the former Brent councillor made the comments at an event organised by Rethink, a mental illness charity.

Victoria Walsh,from Rethink, encouraged politicians to ‘think carefully about the type of language they use’.

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