I was deeply disappointed to read in the national press yesterday that a senior Newcastle Liberal Democrat has been posting lewd and offensive comments about other politicians on the internet under a fake name. 

Greg Stone – who is a councillor in North Heaton as well as Newcastle Lib Dems’ choice to stand for Parliament in Newcastle East — was revealed to have been writing the abusive comments for over a year. He attacked politicians from both the Labour Party and the Conservatives, and singled out female MPs for particularly harsh treatment. I don’t want to repeat any of the things he wrote, but you can read some of the more printable ones in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph and today’sJournal.

This sort of vicious and personal attack has no place in Newcastle politics. Quite apart from the sexist and personal abuse that Cllr. Stone’s comments contain, this is exactly the sort of thing which turns people off politics today. At the end of a year in which British politics has been brought to a particularly low ebb, politicians of all parties should be working hard to restore people’s faith in our political system and the good that it can achieve.

That’s why I have written to the Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Newcastle North asking him to condemn his colleague’s behaviour. I’ve also asked him to tell the people of Newcastle whether he thinks Cllr. Stone is still fit to represent local people in the Civic Centre — let alone, as he hopes, in Parliament. You can read my letter here, and I’ll be sure to let you know what reply I get.

Stephen Parkinson

Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Newcastle North

For more information, see news story here.