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Sunday 24 October 2010

Conservative MP Philip Hammond insults mentally ill with flippant remarks on suicides

So yet again another Conservative MP hits the news for making flippant remarks.

Photo: Getty Images
This time it is Philip Hammond MP who during an interview, suggested that the train service he used from Surrey to London was:
"pretty reliable, unless somebody jumps off the platform at Wimbledon, which happens with monotonous regularity."
In the Daily Telegraph, Dr Peter Byrne, from The Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:
"There was very little mention of mental health in the Government spending review and it is a pity to hear these kinds of views come through in such ill-considered remarks.

"There is nothing inconsiderate or amusing about people taking their own lives."
I think the attack on Philip Hammond should actually come from closer to home though.

Only in June this year one of Philip Hammond's Conservative colleagues, David Ruffley MP jumped in front of a train at Victoria Station, thankfully he survived and is now back at work.

Thank goodness for Ruffley that he wasn't at Wimbledon Station otherwise he would not have got any sympathy from Hammond, just a whinge about the delay he had caused.

Seriously, MPs and others need to think clearly before they open their mouth and make flippant comments - or as my Mum used to say - engage brain before putting mouth into gear.

4 comments:

dougf said...

Oh please. Leave off banging on that pathetic Politically Correct drum set. What he said was hardly objectionable either on its face or after later review.

I'm pretty sure that the 'mentally ill' won't be jumping on the tracks because Mr Hammond made a 'flippant' remark. I'm pretty sure they don't give a rat's behind about it. Neither do I

Neither should anyone else.

Andrew Reeves said...

Doug - I massively disagree. I am the last person to jump on the PC bandwagon, trust me.

However, I was brought up to respect others and both my Mum and Grandma worked with mentally and physically handicapped people.

So, from being born to 18 I saw and met these people almost daily, who you claim don't give a rat's behind about it and believe me they do.

Flippant comments like that can send someone into a fast downward spiral of depression so please don't dismiss it quite so easily.

Brian Bouvier said...

...So just what was the allegedly "flippant" comment? Where and when was it made - and to whom?

If we are, as you put it, to "trust" you let's have the details.

Andrew Reeves said...

Brian - perhaps you should read the actual blog post. Your questions were answered within that.

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