Top Tory sacked over Army race row
8th March 2007
Patrick Mercer (above) was sacked today. Party leader David Cameron said his comments were "completely unacceptable"
A Tory frontbencher has been forced to stand down after suggesting being called a "black b******" was part and parcel of Army life for ethnic minority soldiers.
Homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer, a former colonel in the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, also said he had known many soldiers from ethnic minority backgrounds who used racism as an excuse for poor performance.
"I came across a lot of ethnic minority soldiers who were idle and useless, but who used racism as cover for their misdemeanours," he said in an interview.
"I remember one guy from St Anne's (Nottingham) who was constantly absent and who had a lot of girlfriends.
"When he came back one day I asked him why, and he would say: 'I was racially abused'. And we'd say: 'No you weren't, you were off with your girlfriends again'."
Party leader David Cameron said the remarks by Homeland Security spokesman Patrick Mercer were "completely unacceptable".
Mr Cameron said in a statement: "I was completely shocked. The comments made by Patrick Mercer are completely unacceptable and I regret that they were made.
"We should not tolerate racism in the Army or in any walk of life. Patrick Mercer is no longer a shadow minister."
Mr Mercer said it was commonplace for troops to be given a hard time over their ethnicity, the colour of their hair, or because they were overweight.
"I had five company sergeant majors who were all black. They were without exception UK-born, Nottingham-born men who were English - as English as you and me," he said.
"They prospered inside my regiment, but if you'd said to them: 'Have you ever been called a n*****?' they would have said: 'Yes'.
"But equally, a chap with red hair, for example, would also get a hard time - a far harder time than a black man, in fact.
"But that's the way it is in the Army. If someone is slow on the assault course, you'd get people shouting: 'Come on you fat b******, come on you ginger b******, come on you black b******'."
Mr Mercer's comments followed a report yesterday that soldiers from the Commonwealth were forming their own trade union because of the abuse and racism which they were subjected to.
The MP dismissed the complaints as "absolute nonsense, complete and utter rot".
He added: "In my experience, when you put on the uniform then all differences disappear. If you are a good soldier, you will do well. If you are a bad soldier, you will leave prematurely. There is a degree of colour-blindness among the vast majority of soldiers.
"I never came across a piece of nastiness inside the battalion that was based exclusively on racism." He told the Times Online.
Milena Buyum, of the National Assembly Against Racism, said Mr Mercer's comments were "shocking".
"These comments are made as a response to the minority officers coming together to challenge racism in the Army, including the terrifying experience for one of them being attacked by a fellow officer dressed as a member of the KKK, and they are wholly inappropriate and wrong," she said.
"We would expect the Conservative party to totally reject these views rather than appear to be endorsing them."
Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram condemned Mr Mercer's comments as "shocking and completely unacceptable".
"Racist abuse can have no place in any walk of life, and it is appalling and inappropriate for any politician, never mind a senior Tory MP like Patrick Mercer, to suggest that 'this is just the way it is in the Army'," he said.
"Our troops and our officers are 21st century people who recognise that there is no place for prejudice in the modern world - this just shows how out of touch the Conservatives are.
"Patrick Mercer may have a military background but he no longer speaks for the armed forces.
"It is an insult to the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces with great distinction, and it does not represent a true picture of today's Army which goes to great lengths to ensure that all those who serve, irrespective of their race or ethnic origin, are given the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell's chief of staff Edward Davey said it was "staggering" that a Tory frontbench spokesman should make such remarks.
"Comments like this undermine all those in the Army who have gone to great lengths to ensure that every soldier is treated fairly," he said.
"Despite David Cameron's desperate attempts to portray his party as moderate and modern, the reality is that the heart and soul of the Conservative Party still holds deeply unpleasant views."
In a statement, Mr Mercer said he "deeply regretted" the offence his comments had caused.
"The offence I have obviously caused is deeply regretted," he said.
"I had the privilege to command soldiers from across the East Midlands, of whom many came from racial minorities.
"It was a matter of great pride to me that racial minorities prospered inside the unit, and, indeed at one stage all of my company sergeant majors were black.
"What I have said is clearly misjudged and I can only apologise if I have embarrassed in any way those fine men whom I commanded.
"I have no hesitation in resigning my front-bench appointment."
Labour MP Shahid Malik said the row showed that the Tories remained the "nasty party" and had not changed under Mr Cameron's leadership.
"It doesn't matter what they tell you, they still are the nasty, racist, sexist, homophobic party they have been for many, many, many years," he told Sky News.
"It is going to take a long time to actually weed out the inherent racism that actually exists in that particular party."
He expressed dismay that a Conservative Party spokesman was initially quoted as saying that Mr Mercer's comments were a "private matter".
"If Cameron was even 10 per cent of the man that he purports to be, he would have sacked this individual on the spot and not allowed him to resign and not to say that this was a private matter," he said.
Ms Buyum welcomed Mr Mercer's dismissal by Mr Cameron but suggested that the comments were indicative of a wider "culture" in the party.
"I think that this front bench spokesman was feeling quite confident in making such comments indicates that people are comfortable with making such comments," she said.
"Presumably he didn't expect the reaction he got from the leader.
"That raises questions about the Conservative Party but obviously it is good that he has gone."
Deepcut father Geoff Gray, who has campaigned against bullying in the army, said he did not think racist insults were common in the army.
"I don't think it is common, it is very misguided to say that," he said.
Michelynn Lafleche, chair of the Runnymede Trust, described the comments as "shocking".
"This is entirely the sort of thing that we have laws in place to deal with," she said.
"Racial discrimination and racial harassment are against the law no matter who you are, and that means the armed forces as well."
dailymail.co.uk
8th March 2007
Patrick Mercer (above) was sacked today. Party leader David Cameron said his comments were "completely unacceptable"
A Tory frontbencher has been forced to stand down after suggesting being called a "black b******" was part and parcel of Army life for ethnic minority soldiers.
Homeland security spokesman Patrick Mercer, a former colonel in the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters, also said he had known many soldiers from ethnic minority backgrounds who used racism as an excuse for poor performance.
"I came across a lot of ethnic minority soldiers who were idle and useless, but who used racism as cover for their misdemeanours," he said in an interview.
"I remember one guy from St Anne's (Nottingham) who was constantly absent and who had a lot of girlfriends.
"When he came back one day I asked him why, and he would say: 'I was racially abused'. And we'd say: 'No you weren't, you were off with your girlfriends again'."
Party leader David Cameron said the remarks by Homeland Security spokesman Patrick Mercer were "completely unacceptable".
Mr Cameron said in a statement: "I was completely shocked. The comments made by Patrick Mercer are completely unacceptable and I regret that they were made.
"We should not tolerate racism in the Army or in any walk of life. Patrick Mercer is no longer a shadow minister."
Mr Mercer said it was commonplace for troops to be given a hard time over their ethnicity, the colour of their hair, or because they were overweight.
"I had five company sergeant majors who were all black. They were without exception UK-born, Nottingham-born men who were English - as English as you and me," he said.
"They prospered inside my regiment, but if you'd said to them: 'Have you ever been called a n*****?' they would have said: 'Yes'.
"But equally, a chap with red hair, for example, would also get a hard time - a far harder time than a black man, in fact.
"But that's the way it is in the Army. If someone is slow on the assault course, you'd get people shouting: 'Come on you fat b******, come on you ginger b******, come on you black b******'."
Mr Mercer's comments followed a report yesterday that soldiers from the Commonwealth were forming their own trade union because of the abuse and racism which they were subjected to.
The MP dismissed the complaints as "absolute nonsense, complete and utter rot".
He added: "In my experience, when you put on the uniform then all differences disappear. If you are a good soldier, you will do well. If you are a bad soldier, you will leave prematurely. There is a degree of colour-blindness among the vast majority of soldiers.
"I never came across a piece of nastiness inside the battalion that was based exclusively on racism." He told the Times Online.
Milena Buyum, of the National Assembly Against Racism, said Mr Mercer's comments were "shocking".
"These comments are made as a response to the minority officers coming together to challenge racism in the Army, including the terrifying experience for one of them being attacked by a fellow officer dressed as a member of the KKK, and they are wholly inappropriate and wrong," she said.
"We would expect the Conservative party to totally reject these views rather than appear to be endorsing them."
Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram condemned Mr Mercer's comments as "shocking and completely unacceptable".
"Racist abuse can have no place in any walk of life, and it is appalling and inappropriate for any politician, never mind a senior Tory MP like Patrick Mercer, to suggest that 'this is just the way it is in the Army'," he said.
"Our troops and our officers are 21st century people who recognise that there is no place for prejudice in the modern world - this just shows how out of touch the Conservatives are.
"Patrick Mercer may have a military background but he no longer speaks for the armed forces.
"It is an insult to the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces with great distinction, and it does not represent a true picture of today's Army which goes to great lengths to ensure that all those who serve, irrespective of their race or ethnic origin, are given the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell's chief of staff Edward Davey said it was "staggering" that a Tory frontbench spokesman should make such remarks.
"Comments like this undermine all those in the Army who have gone to great lengths to ensure that every soldier is treated fairly," he said.
"Despite David Cameron's desperate attempts to portray his party as moderate and modern, the reality is that the heart and soul of the Conservative Party still holds deeply unpleasant views."
In a statement, Mr Mercer said he "deeply regretted" the offence his comments had caused.
"The offence I have obviously caused is deeply regretted," he said.
"I had the privilege to command soldiers from across the East Midlands, of whom many came from racial minorities.
"It was a matter of great pride to me that racial minorities prospered inside the unit, and, indeed at one stage all of my company sergeant majors were black.
"What I have said is clearly misjudged and I can only apologise if I have embarrassed in any way those fine men whom I commanded.
"I have no hesitation in resigning my front-bench appointment."
Labour MP Shahid Malik said the row showed that the Tories remained the "nasty party" and had not changed under Mr Cameron's leadership.
"It doesn't matter what they tell you, they still are the nasty, racist, sexist, homophobic party they have been for many, many, many years," he told Sky News.
"It is going to take a long time to actually weed out the inherent racism that actually exists in that particular party."
He expressed dismay that a Conservative Party spokesman was initially quoted as saying that Mr Mercer's comments were a "private matter".
"If Cameron was even 10 per cent of the man that he purports to be, he would have sacked this individual on the spot and not allowed him to resign and not to say that this was a private matter," he said.
Ms Buyum welcomed Mr Mercer's dismissal by Mr Cameron but suggested that the comments were indicative of a wider "culture" in the party.
"I think that this front bench spokesman was feeling quite confident in making such comments indicates that people are comfortable with making such comments," she said.
"Presumably he didn't expect the reaction he got from the leader.
"That raises questions about the Conservative Party but obviously it is good that he has gone."
Deepcut father Geoff Gray, who has campaigned against bullying in the army, said he did not think racist insults were common in the army.
"I don't think it is common, it is very misguided to say that," he said.
Michelynn Lafleche, chair of the Runnymede Trust, described the comments as "shocking".
"This is entirely the sort of thing that we have laws in place to deal with," she said.
"Racial discrimination and racial harassment are against the law no matter who you are, and that means the armed forces as well."
dailymail.co.uk