Jewish leaders turn down meeting with Conservative council candidate jailed for antisemitism. Should previously jailed offenders, whilst still facing ongoing legal restrictions, be allowed to select

Thanks. WWM2

Mollygo

Whitewavemark2

Someone asked the question

“Will KB, who is keen to give people second chances, now argue that Shemima Begum be allowed to return home?”

That’s suitable vague.
Which someone?

Mary Hutty

MrsSquirrel

I keep thinking, is this really the best the Conservatives can do? Aren't there other party members without criminal convictions willing to be councillors?

I wonder increasingly, whether the people with talent, who would in previous decades have gone into Politics, are swerving that career altogether.
And who can blame them?

Whitewavemark2

Someone asked the question

“Will KB, who is keen to give people second chances, now argue that Shemima Begum be allowed to return home?”

That’s suitable vague.
Which someone?

Someone asked the question

“Will KB, who is keen to give people second chances, now argue that Shemima Begum be allowed to return home?”

Badenoch's judgement still be questioned by media outlets.

This man was jailed for a variety of reasons, twice. He harassed a female jewish MP. He currently uses AI to create satirical posts to ridicule labour MPs- that does not appear to concern Badenoch. He has tried hard to reinvent himself. He has got into the good books of Kemi Badenoch somehow so is most likely persuasive.

The difficulty I have is if he was not appropriate to be a Conservative Party candidate why is he now appropriate to be a Conservative Party advisor?

Kemi Badenoch has publicly stated made he has personal rehabilitation Home Office certification However this has been fact checked by the media. The Home Office has responded this is not factually true the Home Office has clarified it does not in fact issue such personal certification.

Bedenoch makes this embellished, false claim at the same time a Cambridge professor is facing intense media scrutiny for making false, embellished claims- not a good look and poor timing.

The Reform party leader, Farage is also facing adverse media scrutiny re claims he has made- a time for Bedenoch to double down and show her party to be stable but she’s doing the opposite and bringing her own judgment into question.

Badenoch has made public statements about the prisoner early release scheme stating we should focus on the victims not the prisoners and that they should not be released early. However Bonehill-Paine did not serve his whole sentence so does she believe in rehabilitation or only when it suits her? She brought victims into her media appearance to speak- but she made no mention of and neither did she approach any of Bonehill Paine’s victims when she considered his candidacy application, the party advisor role or when this story first hit the press.

Its parliamentary recess, a new Labour Party PM and her judgement is being questioned. I would also question her timing- simply not reading the room.

I agree Tuliptree.

He wants to "help prevent others becoming antisemitic and having extreme beliefs (possibly including misogyny)"? More appropriate to do that by offering offer his 'expertise' and experience to the police and criminal justice service. where safeguards are in place.

If that is his true motivation of course.

I keep thinking, is this really the best the Conservatives can do? Aren't there other party members without criminal convictions willing to be councillors?

Wheniwasyourage

I understand that he is going to be involved in some form of working to prevent others becoming antisemitic and having extreme beliefs (possibly including misogyny). If he can prove through that work that he has indeed reformed and become a useful member of society, then might be the time for him to seek election. Up until then, I agree with others that it is too early for him to be considered, and that Kemi Badenoch has not thought things through properly.

I think that type of work is too important to be left to a supposedly reformed/rehabilitated neo nazi anti-Semite I wouldn’t want a convicted rehabilitated rapist advising on the meaning of consent either.

I understand that he is going to be involved in some form of working to prevent others becoming antisemitic and having extreme beliefs (possibly including misogyny). If he can prove through that work that he has indeed reformed and become a useful member of society, then might be the time for him to seek election. Up until then, I agree with others that it is too early for him to be considered, and that Kemi Badenoch has not thought things through properly.

politics is the art of the possible

Fat fingers again.

I support rehabilitation and second chances but politics us the possible. Badenoch has not read the room on this case. She is right to defend rehab in general but if large numbers of people don't like the optics in this case she's got it wrong politically. Bonehill-Paine in standing down is a better judge of the optics.

Oreo

Am all for second chances where appropriate, and it just wasn’t appropriate in this guy’s case.He doesn’t need to hold any kind of public office to lead a good life.
KB has made a bad judgement.

He doesn’t need to hold any kind of public office to lead a good life.

Good point Oreo.

Am all for second chances where appropriate, and it just wasn’t appropriate in this guy’s case.He doesn’t need to hold any kind of public office to lead a good life.
KB has made a bad judgement.

Tuliptree- I agree he's not an idiot. I am mindful he may have disruptive motivations. I am more concerned about Badenoch.

Dickens 08.33 I agree.

WWM2- he served a first prison sentence and didn't change his spots as he continued to reoffend- so it is harder to believe he has changed his spots I agree.

I do support the principle that offenders can rehabilitate. However if so I wouldn't expect them to be posting "satirical" videos of the nature, style and the overt political target Bonehill- Paine chooses. It begs the question what does Kemi Badenoch think about his video posts which are ongoing? If she is supportive that lowers my opinion of her values and judgement.

Having a social media presence of those who enjoy Bonehill- Paine's style and content builds a platform of a certain group of people. Then if Bonehill- Paine oscillates back to his original extreme far right, misoginisitic, offending persona, with a solid social media influence and mainstream party support from Conservative party leader makes him potentially a dangerous man.

I would appreciate Badenoch being open about such evident risks, transparent about how she views his on line videos and sets out what mitigations she plans to put in place to keep his online behaviour within resettable boundaries. Then rehabilitation might be more credible.

The UK has a well regarded Probation Service in place to support offenders released from prison. Political parties are not usually the playground for repeat past offenders of crimes of this nature. If Badenoch wants to support Bonehill-Paine and capitalise on his expertise and what he has learned about his offending behaviour as a Party Advisor- she needs to put guard rails in place. Not least to protect herself and her party. .

I think he’s not an idiot. There’s nothing idiotic about his behaviour. Of course he should have the chance to earn a living - as what is the real question. KB is playing with fire and will only have herself to blame if she gets burned.

It would very naive to think that this idiot has changed his spots.

Yes he’s served his term and yes one should give him a second chance, but not where he can do any damage with his political dogma, which I very much doubt has fundamentally changed regardless of his denial.

LemonJam

His political stature videos attack the Labour Party solely and support Conservative and Reform UK.

His 'satirical' videos are anything but subtle. The cameo of Ricky Gervais v Andy Burnham in a crotch-thrusting competition is over-emphatic - I found it quite revolting. I also think there's a theme of gay-stereotypes running through his videos.

That he himself states his politics views oscillate is somewhat a red flag. Potentially he may oscillate further on the spectrum from his oscillating Reform UK/Conservative politcal beliefs to more extreme far right and find himself back where he started?

Yes, I thought the same. His 'targets' might be different next time but - and this is purely conjecture on my part - I'm not convinced his mindset has changed.

I know he's now withdrawn his candidacy, however I'm a tad surprised at Kemi Badenoch's willingness to support him. I think it was a mistake. Although I'm not a Tory voter I'd begun to think she was a credible leader for a strong Opposition who could've gradually lead the Party back from the wilderness.

I was relieved he withdrew his candidacy. I am surprised at this foolish misjudgement on Kemi Badenoch’s part. I’m no Conservative (no surprises there) but I believed KB was becoming a better leader of her party. Her support for this man has imo, undermined her in the eyes of the general public.
I’m a supporter of strong alternatives to prison and in rehabilitation. The length of hmp this man was sentenced to reflects the seriousness of his offending. There’s no place for him in public office. His arrogance and KBs inability to face reality here won’t be forgotten

Surely the number of convictions, the reasons for those convictions and sentences served should render him ineligible to stand for public office?

This is a massive misjudgement on the part of the candidate, and Ms Badenoch.
Shoplifters might, indeed, benefit from a second chance. The crimes for which this man was convicted are not that.

Heavens the Tories are truly scraping the bottom of the barrel.

ReturningFromExile

He runs some nasty AI-generated satirical political videos called the Crewkerne Gazette.

That's interesting to know. That make sense as they are all aimed at Labour and Reform, not the Conservative's.

He has provided plenty of ammunition for the opposition to throw at him; foolish to attempt to stand. Two convictions are two too many. Louise Haigh will be tagged with 'convicted fraudster' for the rest of her political career.