"A foul mouth says a lot about you:" Doncaster MP hits back at critics over shed demolition campaign

Don Valley Conservative MP Nick Fletcher was subjected to a number of X-rated ferocious attacks after he launched a campaign to knock down the cabin which is covered in Sheffield Wednesday Football Club graffiti and which he says gives a bad first impression of visitors to the town.

And he has urged those who waged war on his campaign to remove the cabin to instead rally behind his call to clean up Doncaster.

He said: “I want people to come and see Doncaster, invest in it, and love it as I do – but most of all I want its community, you, to love it.

“If you have ever posted something negative about our town, ask yourself does it help? Will it encourage investment and jobs? Will it encourage your council to do good work?

“Will your comment brighten someone’s day?

If not, it’s probably best not to post and if you really feel compelled to tell someone then do so in a proactive and positive way. Write an email or a letter, ask nicely and who knows you might actually achieve something.

“A foul mouth on social media says a lot about you as a person. It usually gets you blocked (especially by me) but far worse it will almost always get you ignored.

“Let’s clean up our town and our social media too. Let’s reject the victim mentality and let’s forge forward to what will be a very exciting future.”

Mr Fletcher says the ‘eyesore’ cabin sends out the wrong signals and added he had been surprised at the furore around the issue.

“It caused quite a lot of noise and I have to say some negative,” he said. “Some were inventive and put Compo and Nora Batty living in the cabin.

“Comments such as, “if he thinks that’s the worst problem with Doncaster” and “what about all the rubbish in the streets and the down and outs”, were aplenty.

“But my reasoning was simple.

“First impressions last and what starts in life as a poor attitude usually continues.

“I’ll explain both. If you were going for a job interview or going on a date, would you a) look your best or b) turn up scruffy.

“I’m pretty sure we all would say a). So, what does the cabin say to all our visitors when they first arrive. Not very much I would think.

“Now would you expect to get the job or have a second date? Would you expect people to buy into you? No and neither would I. So why should an investor or visitor buy into our town?

“I know there are many further issues in the town centre but Doncaster Central is not my constituency. I was there to meet a Rail Minister whom I had invited. Obviously, my Don Valley constituents do use Doncaster and will benefit. So that is why I called it out.

“Secondly, I believe, the first bit of rubbish in your car or the first weed in your front garden is symptomatic of what is to follow. A filthy car and an overgrown garden.

“Neglect starts with a poor attitude and usually continues.

“The cabin may not be the first piece of rubbish in Doncaster, the first neglected building, but you get my meaning.

“So we do need the cabin to go, we need the run-down buildings in Edlington and Thorne to be dealt with. We need the beggars to be dealt with (by the way they are, slowly but progress is been made). The streets to be clean and the shops full of people.

“The list goes on but at least a list has been started.

“The cabin has been there for over 25 years. Ask yourself why it has never been mentioned before?

“The answer is not good to hear. Until now no one seems to have been bothered, no one seems to have cared.

“If you know of a building that’s an eyesore let me know. It is important.”