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Tag: David Silvester

All the latest breaking news on David Silvester. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of features and commentary on David Silvester.

  • PETER WHITTLE | I Have Never Come Across Homophobia In UKIP

    PETER WHITTLE | I Have Never Come Across Homophobia In UKIP

    London’s only gay mayoral candidate has said that he has never come across homophobic in his party, UKIP.

    CREDIT: LondonLive

    Openly gay London mayoral candidate Peter Whittle has told London Live that he’s never heard homophobia in UKIP – despite Councillor David Silvester infamously suggesting that bad weather in the UK was being caused by gay marriage and candidate for cabinet Alan Craig calling LGBT activists the ‘Gaystapo’.

    London Live, the capital’s TV channel, interviewed, Peter Whittle last night for its new weeknight London Mayoral election show, London Votes. Daisy McAndrew, spoke to the UKIP candidate for Mayor of London who suggested he had never heard any homophobia in UKIP.

    Peter also thinks that there is nothing homophobic about his party, even when presented with the controversial remarks from UKIP south west candidate for cabinet, Alan Craig.

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    Alan Craig referred to LGBT activists as the ‘Gaystapo’ in a blog post published in 2011. He said,

    Their gay-rights storm troopers take no prisoners as they annex our wider culture, and hotel owners (here) and (here), registrars (here), magistrates (here), doctors (here), counsellors (here) and (here), foster parents (here), grandparents (here), adoption agencies (here) and traditional street preachers (here) and (here) find themselves crushed under the pink jack-boot.

    CREDIT: LondonLive

    When asked to comment on Mr. Craig’s comments, Mr. Whittle denied that there was homophobia in UKIP saying and said that Mr. Craig was ‘entitled to his own view’.

     “It tends to prove that in fact there is nothing homophobic about my party. I am the only gay candidate standing for mayor.”

    “Ok, I have shared a platform with this guy. I don’t necessarily agree with his remarks, I for example believe in gay marriage. I’m fine with gay marriage. There are people in my party who are not.

    “I am the Mayoral candidate, I’m number one on the list, I have never come across homophobia in UKIP. There are lots of gay people in UKIP, we have our own LGBT section in UKIP.”

    “The guy is entitled to his view.”

    “The party absolutely accepts what the law is now, it’s not even an issue anymore – the reason for that opposition, was never against civil partnerships, ever. They were worried that basically the EU – remember my party  is based on an opposition to the EU, would force churches or what have you through the European Court of Justice to hold ceremonies, it’s actually something more to do with Europe.”

    London Votes, weeknights at 6pm – Freeview 8, YouView 8, Sky 117 and Virgin 159

     

  • INTERVIEW | Darren Pop – Organiser of Raining Men to Number 1

    Last week history was made when a Facebook campaign ensured that The Weather Girls’ classic It’s Raining Men stormed its way to Number 31 in the official UK singles Chart.

    We talk to the organiser of the Facebook campaign DJ Darren Pop

    When you first heard David Silvester’s comments what were your immediate thoughts?
    I just thought he was an old fool initially and didn’t pay much notice. It wasn’t until later when I thought about it again that it actually annoyed me at how idiotic and blatenty bigotted someone could still be in this country in 2014. His comments could have caused a lot of harm to any young person who is struggling to accept who they are and who thinks they are alone in this world because people like David Silvester keeps telling them that they are ‘wrong’ or ‘not normal’.

    When did it occur to you to try and get IRM to number 1?
    On the Sunday morning after the story had been reported, I was checking my Facebook newsfeed and saw 5 or 6 people post about it, but none of them were being angry as such, most of them were having a laugh, one person wrote one saying “Just out enjoying the gay weather” another said “I hope it rains men over David Silvester’s house tonight”. I thought, what is the best way to get a message out to everyone that bigotry doesn’t have a home in the UK, the whole ‘get a song to number 1’ thing has been done before and always managed to grab my attention and so it just kept growing in my head until i set up the page a few hours later.

    How did it feel when the Facebook like counter starting passing the 1000s / 10K marks?
    I was, and still am thinking “How the hell did that happen”. I expected at the most a couple of hundred people would like the page and maybe then download the song. It got to around 3000 likes in 24 hours, and then it was reported in The Sun. Every morning I woke up thinking, that’ll be it now, people will have forgotten about it, but it just kept jumping up. By the time it got to 10k I was adamant that it was going to go at least top 40.

    Have you heard from Martha Wash one of the original Weather Girls?
    Martha Wash from the Weather Girls contacted the page when it got to about 5000 likes and said that she totally supported the campaign and the song being used to send a message out. She was incredibly nice and was pushing the campaign from her own Facebook and twitter page too. It meant so much more than Martha was behind what we were trying to do.

    Do you think your campaign has given more attention to UKIP than it should have?
    I love to think about it as shining a spotlight on how awful they are to millions more people who may have otherwise voted for them had they not understood what a bunch of idiots they are. British people aren’t stupid and they are seeing straight through UKIP. I agree that you can turn bad publicity into good publicity with certain things. But as soon as you start being homophobic, racist, fascist, or whatever, forget it. You’re done. Every country has a political party who are a laughing stock because of their bizarre and ridiculous views. That party in the UK is UKIP.

    Do you think UKIP suspending David Silvester is enough?
    I don’t, no. But even worse than that is that David Silvester has never apologised for what he said, nor have UKIP. David Silvester should never be allowed to represent anyone, ever. Had his comments been aimed at any other social group, David Silvester would be a criminal. That’s why as long as their actions will keep being excused as ‘Freedom of speech’, we will continue to challenge them, shame them, and occasionally embarrass them with a well timed song related ‘pun’.

    What are your hopes with the Facebook page now?
    It would be a huge shame to just close it down, especially when it now has over 15,000 people on it who all have an opinion and are all united to in defiance to inequality. My favourite part of all this was a feeling of community. Thousands of people debating, supporting and encouraging each other. I don’t think i have ever come across any other page like it on Facebook. The page should now be used so that people never forget that they have got a voice, they can stand up and fight people like David Silvester. Hopefully i have now given them a platform to do that.

    Are you bit of an LGBT Activist at heart?
    It’s funny because i just see myself as a normal guy who thinks David Silvester is an idiot. But i guess the minute you stop fighting or trying to defend who you are to people like him then they win, if the way i chose to defend myself to what he said makes me an activist then i am happy with that.

    Which version is better the Geri Halliwell or The Weather Girls?
    Hands down, The Weather Girls. It is lots of fun and will forever be played in every DJ set I give. The song means so much to me now.

  • It’s Raining Men Enters Into Official UK Single’s Chart

    The Weather Girl’s camp classic, It’s Raining Men has entered the charts at number 31 after a Facebook campaign.

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  • OPINION | Don’t blame the gay weather man

    So as I woke today, head banging after too much wine last night, I opened my emails to the news that David Silvester, a UK Independence Party councillor had claimed yesterday that the UK’s recent bad weather has been caused by, no wait for it, the legalisation of same-sex marriage!

    After my initial shock and making sure I had actually woken up and wasn’t still dreaming, I actually couldn’t stop laughing and find this extremely amusing. I mean come on!

    Hold on to your hats people…. EXTREME WEATHER WARNING! Tonight for the first time, just about half past ten. For the first time in history it’s gonna start rainin’ men!

    The absurd claims this clown is making is that the country was suffering storms after David Cameron had ‘acted arrogantly against the gospel’. In a letter written to the Henley Standard, he stated ‘The scriptures make it abundantly clear that a Christian nation that abandons its faith and acts contrary to the Gospel will be beset by natural disasters such as storms, disease, pestilence and war.’ This looney who is the councillor of Henley-on-Thames also advised he had written to the prime minister in April 2012 to warn him this was going to happen.

    I hate to be the bearer of bad news and give this fool the rude awakening he needs but further bad weather has been predicted so it doesn’t look like the legalisation of same-sex marriage is going anywhere! The deluded councillor has also told BBC Radio Berkshire in an interview ‘…I believe as a Christian I should love gay people and indeed, I do. My prayer for them is they will be healed.’ He went on to say ‘It is a spiritual disease… it’s not what I say, it’s what the Bible says.’

    All I can say is, it is not us gays that need praying for you knob, it’s the poor people of your constituency.

    A spokesperson for the UK Independence Party said yesterday that the party did not share Mr Silvester’s views but defended his right to state them. They seemed to have changed their tune today as according to Sky News he has been suspended. Well, I hear the Westboro Baptist Church is currently recruiting.

    The stupidity of some people never fails to amaze me!

    You’re never going to get a rainbow, without a little rain!

     

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