From Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

The Liberal Democrat leadership have sent Councillor Michael Tarling to an awareness course instead of suspending him.

Lib Dem councillor suggests he would gas anti-Ulez campaigners

Michael Tarling says he would ‘happily fill the room with carbon monoxide’ in response to post about meeting against new zone

By Patrick Sawer,  SENIOR NEWS REPORTER 29 July 2023 • 6:00pm

A Liberal Democrat councillor suggested that anti-Ulez campaigners should be gassed with carbon monoxide in a social media post denounced as offensive.

Michael Tarling, a councillor for Christchurch, in Dorset, said on Twitter that he would “happily fill the room with carbon monoxide” in response to a photograph showing a church hall where a meeting against an ultra-low emission zone charge being introduced in Edinburgh was to be held.

Mr Tarling, a chartered construction consultant who once appeared in pantomime, posted his reply on Friday morning.

The Lib Dem leadership has decided not to suspend him, preferring instead to send him on an awareness training course. A party spokesman said: “Michael has apologised for his comments and has agreed to take on the appropriate awareness training.”

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/07/29/lib-dem-suggests-he-would-gas-anti-ulez-campaigners/

My question – what level of outrageous behaviour does it take to get suspended from the Liberal Democrats? Do you actually have to commit mass murder to get kicked out, as opposed to publicly fantasising about mass murder?

Do not underestimate how damaging and dangerous this kind of speech can be. History is full of examples of people publicly fantasising about mass murder, then the situation escalating to actual genocide.