Douche of the Day

Lord Dixon-Smith, the 73 year-old Tory spokesman for communities and local government, referred to concerns about government housing legislation as the “nigger in the woodpile”.

(FYI: The phrase described fugitive slaves who hid in piles of firewood as they fled persecution in the American Deep South in the mid-19th century.)

Lord Dixon-Smith’s remark was made during a debate on the Housing and Regeneration Bill. Lord Dixon-Smith was outlining his objections to the new agency in the debate, and was agreeing with the objections of Baroness Hamwee, the Liberal Democrat planning expert. Here’s the full run down:

He said: “The Homes and Communities Agency is not a body to which we object in principle. As the minister has explained, it is an amalgamation of the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships. Of course, the nigger in the woodpile, as the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, has already pointed out, is that it still incorporates what I call the hangover of the new towns legislation. If it were not for that, we would have little difficulty with the foundation of this agency.”

Another Tory peer, Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, intervened after Lord Dixon-Smith had finished and suggested that he reconsider his choice of words. “My Lords, before my noble friend sits down, he used a phrase about a woodpile,” Lord Brooke said. “If your Lordships’ House were happy, I think it would perhaps be helpful if the wording of the phrase were revised.”

Lord Dixon-Smith replied: “I apologise, my Lords. I left my brains behind. I apologise to the House.”

Yes you did.

He later told The Times that the remark had “slipped out without my thinking. It was common parlance when I was younger, put it that way.”

Yeah well you’re not young anymore you racist cracker. Kidding!

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