COUNCILLOR Simon Killane is in danger of destroying his own political career by rising to the taunts of his critics.

His latest blunder was to compare a Facebook group to a terror organisation – this is the type of comment which would see him forced to resign if he was an MP.

A video defending himself may have been a reasonable response, but his likening of Keeping Malmesbury Great to a terror organisation was certainly not.

His comments are all the more insensitive and ridiculous given the recent terrorist attacks in Copenhagen and Paris.

If Cllr Killane wants to be taken seriously as a candidate for north Wiltshire in May's parliamentary election, he would do well to distance himself from the  squabbles he has been embroiled in with a small minority of Malmesbury's residents.

The whole situation just makes him, and those on the other side, look petty.

Voters don't want a councillor or MP who spends his or her time bickering with rivals, they want someone who focuses on improving their area.

And nobody can deny that Cllr Killane has worked tirelessly to help make Malmesbury a better place. He played a huge role in shaping the Neighbourhood Plan which will protect the town from unwanted housing development, for example.

But he must learn to accept criticism with some grace – it is part of politics.