Labour sack candidate caught up in Twitter scandal

Ronnie

Oh for heaven's sake!

Michael Booth

well referring to elderly constituents as coffin dodgers shows a bit of contempt for the electorate, wouldn't you agree?

Austin Barry

This from Iain Dale's blog re MacLennan:

"And he also posted an outburst about veteran Labour MP Diane Abbot, describing her as "a f****** idiot."

Whatever else about Mr MacLennan his non-partisan, idiot identification and descriptive skills are impeccable.

Tiberius

He may have jumped in fact, James, but if he has there will no doubt have been a sharp finger in his back.

Ronnie

No more, Michael, than someone telling the entire country that he had eliminated boom and bust. Was he sacked?

The trivial has now become the imperative in our stupid world.

RKing

Well this old coffin dodger took the trouble to ensure that I wasn't a burden on the state when I retired and for this I get a tax bill every year. I also have to pay a hefty community tax bill and do NOT get any benefits whatsoever.

Is this what nuLab REALLY think of me?

Another Freudian slip?

"I saved the world!"

Thanks Gordon and co.

Dave

Fantastic news - Forsyth must be really proud that a few ill-avised tweets have ruined a guys career. Like others here I'm sure I canot stand Labour; this brand of partisan smearing is one of the reasons why.

Ghengis

I note that the candidate (who is so obviously not fit for purpose) attained a degree in political matters and our late deputy prime minister is listed amongst the fans lapping up his tweetings. This gang really are the bottom of the heap

Cuffleyburgers

Much as one admires the man's unwillingness to bow the knee at the altar of PC-ness, one must deplore his judgement, and for that alone he should go.

MaxSceptic

Live by the PC Sword, die by the PC Sword.

He's right, though, about fairtrade bananas being inferior....

The Preston Park Panther

And so we carry on, in the dictatorship of the humourless.

AndyinBrum

Sarah Brown followed him (according to Mr Guido) I'm surprised she didn't mention it before

addenough

Why just the banana in the previous post when there was so much more substantial evidence against this immature and unpleasant individual? I'm afraid you shot yourself in the foot, Mr. Forsyth, and attracted a lot of unnecessary flak.

oldtimer

Can I change my posting nom de plume from `oldtimer` to `coffindodger` (an even more apt description)? If so, how is it done?

Ronnie

Cuffleyburgers, he is, or was, a candidate. Let the voters in the cosntituency decide. Will his benighted replacement have any more chance of winning the seat than he did? Moray is a very strong SNP area.

djk

Pity Frankie Boyle can't suffer the same fate. He's an ugly little man with deep rooted problems and I for one will be switching over anytime I have the misfortune to see him.

Paddy

He tweeted with Sarah Brown and Ed Balls. Say no more.

Cuffleyburgers

Ronnie - there is nothing stopping him from standing as an independent, if he thinks he's got something useful to say.

As he is quite obviously an aspiring professional politician, and a git, that is unlikely to be the case.

Senor Frizby

He's how I would imagine Brown's alter-ego to speak. Which probably why on balance I can't understand why he's trying to be a senior politician.

Paddy

How much did Sarah Brown and Ed Balls know?

Frank P

Paddy

Well as slaves to Marxism, they can always apply for a job (with Miliband D), post election, on a banana plantation in the Caribbean. No doubt they'll be visiting there frequently to keep tabs on their money.

AngloWelshDragon

Firstly, I admit I laughed at the banana joke. In reality it is just the sort of thing anyone could have said while yapping to mates in the pub. Trouble is egomaniacs now insist on immortalising their every thought, no matter now lame, on Twitter and so should not be surprised when they get taken out of context.

Secondly, no conervative would get away with claiming it was a joke so why should the labour hypocrites?

Thirdly and in my opinion the biggest insult to voters, he is 24 years old and newly graduated in political science and he has the arrogance to stand for parliament? In what way is he remotely qualified to govern the country? Being deselected will give him the chance to go and do something useful and actually learn about real life before he starts pontificating to the rest of us

LEEROGER

It is nice to se the tables turned on the PC brigade for a change.Remember Dave said too many tweets make a twat

George Laird

Dear All

Politics is a dirty business especially when the Labour Party is involved.

So, it should come as no surprise that a Labour Party election candidate has had to apologise for cursing leading politicians.

Stuart MacLennan, the Labour Party's Moray candidate has admitted tweeting "silly" and "offensive" comments.

But he says he is "really sorry".

Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie, said;

"I am disgusted by this disgraceful behaviour from a Labour candidate”.

Me too, I am taking the moral high ground on this, this type of carry on is unacceptable unless I am doing it.

In a classic sack cloth and ashes statement MacLennan said;

"Some of the things I twittered before I became a candidate were very, very silly and I can see they are offensive. I have let myself and my friends down and am really sorry."

Boak!!!!!

The things you have to do in order to get £65K and expenses.

A Scottish Labour spokesperson said;

"Stuart is a young candidate and has been very foolish indeed”.

Hang him!

She added;

"He now understands that this is quite unacceptable and will not be doing this kind of thing again."

Unless he fails to get elected, this is a certainty, so he might revisit that position at a future date.

Opposition parties said he should not be allowed to stand which is a bit silly because they can use this to boot into him.

Let him stand and bring the family.

Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie, continued;

"If he has any shred of remorse or decency then he must stand down and if he does not go voluntarily, then Labour must sack him."

Will she be standing down for being a Tory?

Has she no remorse or decency left?

SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson, who is the SNP candidate in Moray commented;

"Stuart MacLennan is an adviser to the Labour Shadow Cabinet and Secretary of Young Scottish Labour. Labour needs to take decisive action to distance itself completely from these vile outbursts and opinions."

You tell him Angus!

Hurling abuse is a part of political life which all aspiring politicians must acceptable for sticking their head above the parapet.

It is water off a duck’s back.

But there are limits.

Now, where is my burning cross and bed sheets with the holes cut out to see?

Isn’t the Labour Party just so squalid?

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

JohnAnt

I read his comments: a series of suicide notes - ludicrous to make them public - but amusing nonetheless. He'd certainly not stand a chance as One of Dave's Slaves with that un-PC irony.
But look: he's a Labour candidate for an SNP seat (in which the Tories came second in 2005) the north of north north somewhere-east-of-east-of-Inverness, so WTF, really? The folk up there who turn out and interrupt their leisurely shopping and tea-and-cholesterol intake to vote for an MP must surely do it for a joke: for nothing in Westminster can possibly affect them.
Have you been up to Moray/Elgin? if you ever have been there and taken a look round, were you not tempted to take a fairly similar view?
As for 'calling Conservative Leader David Cameron "a twat" and the Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg "a bastard"...fairly accurate reporting, surely?
Which of us would cast the first stone?

Fergus Pickering

Ruined the guy's CAREER? He hasn't got a career. He might consider being a stand-up comic. He's better than that berk Boyle.