Poultney confirms Hooters is "tacky"

Cllr Guy James Baiden Poultney (Lib Dem, guy.poultney@bristol.gov.uk) - to give him his full name - is, unfortunately, the chair of the licensing committee at Bristol City Council. And he was one of the three councillors on the all male licensing committee that voted in the license for Hooters: despite the much publicised and highly vocal complaints from residents, police, women's groups, feminists etc.

As we know, Cllr Poultney claimed Hooters offered the city "something different". Apparently, this has since been narrowed down to the lack of "vertical drinking" in the establishment. Which confused us somewhat, as there are MANY places in Bristol offering a lack of vertical drinking. They're called restaurants. Some of them are even near to Hooters. One is next door, The Living Room. Another is opposite. Pizza Express. You get the idea.

Last Thursday (the UN's End Violence to Women Day), Cllr Poultney, in his extraordinary capacity as a member of the Domestic Violence Forum at the council (!!!), chose to attend the photo opportunity at the council house, in order to promote the council's apparent involvement with an exhibition of art and writing by survivors of abuse. He struggled to understand why some of those present felt extremely angered and upset by his presence at such a sensitive event, or why we felt he was a hypocrite. But he's got a MSc - how can he be so blind as to understand such a simple connection?!

In a chatty aside, Cllr Poultney confirmed he had not been to Bristol's Hooters and had no intention of going. "Why not?" "It's tacky, it's not my kind of place," he explained. "So why did you vote it in?" Apparently he had no choice. Extraordinary.

I think he should be forced to go and gobble up a plate of the intensively-farmed, greasy chicken, while some chilly, half naked girls shiver as they bring yet more food to his masterly table and giggle at his every word. Obviously, he should pay the extrortionate bill from his own pocket. Then he'd realise exactly what kind of retro-sexist, misogynist hell he has inflicted on the unwilling victims, sorry, citizens of Bristol.

NB: A typically inaccurate account of the event can be read here.

UPDATE, Friday: See here for the latest rubbish printed by the misogynist Evening Post on this matter. Front page, no less! Absolute idiots.