Readers divided by scandal hit MP

Conservative MP Ben Bradley has been in national news over the last two days.

One post made by Mr Bradley in 2012 slammed “unemployed wasters” and claimed benefit claimants should have vasectomies.

He said in the post which has been taken down: “Sorry but how many children you have is a choice; if you can’t afford them, stop having them! Vasectomies are free."

He has since apologised for the post.

READ IN FULL HEREHow our readers reacted to the ‘unemployed vasectomies’ blunder.

Rachel Ralph said: "Sometimes things from our past come and bite us in the bum. My 14 year is learning this. It happens. Ben did the right thing hes apologised, admitted it was perhaps immature to say what he felt quite so bluntly. He says it was wrong and that hes matured. Besides what he said is pretty much what a lot of people feel."

Lizzie Hanson said: "I agree why have children if you can't afford them."

Hester Theres said: "A cap on benefits to stop them being paid out to people with more than two or three kids so get your facts straight. And most of the benefits bill is paid to people who are working, to subsidise their low wages. The taxpayer is subsidising the wage bills of massive corporations so that they can keep more as profit. And then they avoid paying tax!"

Martin Farmilo said: "Here we go again - story taken out of context. He never suggested sterilising all the unemployed. He was referring to the small number of families who milk the system deliberately. Many of us have said the same things he said here - I've certainly heard people say it when you see the 10 to 15 kids families in the paper living off benefits."

Peter Cotton said: "Yes, taken out of context I feel. We have all thought the same about milking the benefit system. However the fact he has even made the comment shows a lack of social understanding and intelligence. Not qualities that Mansfield and Ashfield need in an MP."

Maria Fisher-Gibson said: "I agree with Ben some folk see children as currency. The more children the more benefits... we looking at 4th generation benefit families some see benefits as a divine rite... some have even described them as wages."

Kathy Spencer said: "No need for an apology Ben. You were only saying what everyone's thinking."

Celia Pogmore said: "Is this not old news . I do agree with the comments. It's now being used for political purposes Mansfield as always been Labour . Would they have called for their MP to resign if had said it don't think so."

June Johnson said: "We got horrid remarks because we had a large family ,even though we were married ,and he paid loads of tax being always at work , some seemed to think they were paying for our family ,when in fact he was paying for theirs , by the amount of tax he paid ,and still is. So even if you work people don't like you having children , but , no matter who their parents are ,children belong to all of us. They are the doctors , nurses , teachers , cleaners , soldiers , sailors , etc of the futures. In other words the tax payers , where else do the adults come from? Another planet ?"

In another post made by Mr Bradley in 2011 he accused public sector workers of being “lost in their own fantasy land.”

He also said that they should quit if they were unhappy with their pay.

In the post the 28-year-old who earns a basic salary of £74,962 said: “The same can be said for many of the unemployed. “‘Oh, I’ve got a masters degree, I’m not working in a shop’ – Well if a shop’s the only place that will have you then you’d better get yourself writing out some retail based CVs!”

These posts were published on his then personal blog Consbradders32.

READ IN FULL HEREThis is how our readers reacted to Mr Bradley's post;

Steve Milnes said: "But he's a public sector worker really. Maybe he should try the same salary as those he is talking about. Would soon shut his gob !"

Sarah-Jane England said: "Way to go Ben Bradley, well done on representing Mansfield."

Allison Hodgson said: "I get the point of not complaining about working in a shop if it’s the only job you can have... but what about nurses and doctors that are one wages that do not reflect the enormous job they have to do? Working 13 hour shifts, not getting home on time having constant pressures on them at work? They deserve a lot more. Maybe he should switch with them for a week and they can earn 70 grand a year cutting ribbons, posing for photos and giving obscene opinions about things they don’t understand!"

Enid Bloom said: "He needs to justify his salary. As he says, teachers, nurses etc work hard for their pay, not sure that the same applies to MP's."

When we asked our online readers if they would like MP Ben Bradley to resign they said;

Robert Howe said: "I would rather he offered a statement explaining why his comments were wrong and explaining if he believes that social issues can be solved through birth control and selective breeding. I fully appreciate that these are old comments so an explanation around why they are wrong would be the perfect response."

Michelle Burton said: "Yes he should resign. How can he help ordinary people, when he clearly hates us."

Celia Pogmore said: "No way . He should have put it different like asking the people concerned to thing before having a bigger family . It's the old case think before you speak for the opp will use it against you as they are doing this."

Kev Whittaker said: "He just said what many people are thinking but are afraid to say."

Kirsty Richardson said: "No! He said what alot are thinking but being an MP he should maybe have worded it better! Plus it was something he said five years ago before he was our MP!"

Carla Lambert said: "He just said in public what a lot of folk were thinking.. does it me that I’m out for nearly 12 hrs a day providing for my kid when there’s some having kids as a career choice.. “full time yummy mummy” how about get a full time paid job."

Colleen Harwood said: "Whilst I disagree with his blog and his comments, I find his voting record more distasteful."

Ray Garfoot said: "Yes he should. first it was a so called joke about watching porn, and he said sorry then. now he wants to castrate people on benefits so they can't have kids, and he has said sorry. whats next shoot all the homeless people? No more I am sorry from him because sorry is not good enough anymore."

Have your say - should Mr Bradley be in or out complete out poll here