From MCN's website :   "A Labour MP has urged people to tell their male loved-ones not to ride motorcycles.Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman called motorcyclists “widow makers and orphan makers” who were “disgraceful in a civilised society”.   He said: “If you have a husband, boyfriend or son who wants to get a motorbike, please try and persuade them to get something with four wheels instead.” The senior backbencher, who claimed £8,613 expenses from the taxpayer for car use in a year, also made claims about the number of motorcyclists killed. He said: “Around 650 people on motorbikes die each year, which is an astonishing figure. In two years nearly as many people are killed in motorbike crashes as British soldiers killed in combat in the last 40 years. “The number of men in their 30s, 40s and 50s who die in motorbike accidents is rising.” Latest Government figures show there were actually 493 motorcyclist fatalities in 2008. Sheerman’s comments, printed in a local newspaper, came days after he told the House of Commons: “I checked the figures recently: in two years, deaths among motorcyclists equal the number lost in our armed services on active service in 40 years. The widow-makers and orphan-makers are the people who drive such vehicles and are killed. That is disgraceful in a civilised society.” In the debate on transport on March 18 he told transport minister Paul Clark we were “perhaps becoming a little complacent about the number of deaths on two-wheeled vehicles”.       Sheerman was not immediately available for comment."       Wonder who all you Huddersfield residents will be voting for, in just a few weeks time.                                                                                                                                                                             

  If Mr Sheerman bothered to read all the literature re the statistics of motorbike accidents he'd know that it's been reported that almost all such accidents were, and are, caused by vehicle (mainly CARS) drivers not looking and not seeing bike riders.   He's also very ignorant of the fact that there are thousands of FEMALE bikers riding on the roads so his warning should have included them.   When Mr Sheerman finally leaves his dinosaur planet and joins us here on Earth maybe he'll be better placed to get his facts straight.   As for who Huddersfield residents will be voting for, well this resident won't be voting Labour in my life time.                                                                                                                                                                                    

what a muppet !!!!                                                                                                                                                                             

 Typical crap from a bloody thief who is supposed to know what they are talking about,should be stuffed with the blunt end of a ragmans trumpet,several times.                                                                                                                                                                             

Living in this country is too dangerous .. On the pocket .. It`s just another pathetic excuse to rise the taxes on motorcycling .. They keep going on about climate change and global warming .. but it`s ok for these lying, cheating scumbags that run our country to claim expenses for second houses and the like , But only do a few miles in chauffer driven gas guzzling cars .. As motorbikes are miles more environmentally friendly than the gas guzzlers the MP`s use .. Hypocrites the lot of em .. Everybody should be made to ride a bike before passing a car test and let loose on our roads .. if they did that .. there would be less accidents as car drivers would be more aware of us bikers                                                                                                                                                                             

  should be stuffed with the blunt end of a ragmans trumpet,several times.   Altho I've no idea what  a ragman is, apart from the Steptoe kind, PML @ Foxy's comment     Why the BLUNT end? Let him have it all!!                                                                                                                                                                               

Here here Kwak                                                                                                                                                                              

Sorry Kwak,your quite right,he should it all.                                                                                                                                                                             

Was he just woken up from cryogenic freezing ???                                                                                                                                                                             

Forget arguing about which end of a ragman's trumpet you use....just do it sideways                                                                                                                                                                             

Even better,... use half a dozen,... sideways!!                                                                                                                                                                             

Im sorry but bikers are one of the only civilised groups who make up our society !!                                                                                                                                                                              

why is it such a surprise, we all know that government and ministers no matter who they are will manipulate the information to suit their own agenda....its been a long time since we had an honest politican, one that represents his constituents....all they do is dance to tune of the party whip to stay in favour for their own political enhancement.....by the time they become an MP they have already been corrupted...   ................Remember power corrupts, absolute power (MP's) corrupts absolutely......                                                                                                                                                                             

The problem is that it's impossible to argue with his logic.   If m/c's were banned tomorrow, road fatalities would fall. From his point of view, job done.   Presumably he'll then move on to banning any form of transport that'll manage anything more than walking pace. More lives saved. The stats look good. One happy politician.   Might even save the tax payer all those travelling expenses he manages to claim                                                                                                                                                                             

perhaps we should start a campaign to ban cars this would save a lot more lives, maybe even some of ours.

i know daft, but no more so than the idiot MP.
                                                                                                                                                                             

More concerned that an MP in this day and age refers only to Men and Boys! (As Kwak pointed out).... the Ladies and Girls obviously dont count - although I would like to see my family try and stop me from riding my bike!   I actually sold my car because i couldn't afford to run that and the bike....and chose bike over car. Life is different, we walk places when it's the three of us, and Mum even bought a second hand push bike lol! Ban cars is a good idea!                                                                                                                                                                             

What a pathetic old man!

To only include males when so many women ride is apauling, as for bikers not being civilised, let's see 10000 car drivers drive through Whootten Basset in support of out troops ... Let's see 5500 car drivers get together to drive enmass to deliver Easter eggs and Xmas gifts to kiddies stuck in hospital. Not bloomin likely!

You want to cut down deaths... Teach car drivers to open thier eyes , make a car driver jump through the hoops bike riders have to jump through in order to get a licence, make it so you have to have a CBT before driving a car so you know what it is like for a bike rider, don't promote ignorance by banning, educate by teaching!!

LOL - no chance of that with this government.   Fines and bans for non conformers is all they understand                                                                                                                                                                             

Reading this and the 'Banning smoking in cars' thread (and others).... does it make you wonder why we stay here? I am the most patriotic person, I love my country....but sometimes just feel so sad and disillusioned with it all.....yet my ties and feelings for this country always win through.   Is it because we are always hopeful? Or optimistic that one day the Government will wake up to how the people really feel?   Bit heavy for a holiday Monday...hhmmmmmmm                                                                                                                                                                              

We live in hope that one day our government will grow some b***s and tell Europe to sod off!