Apology needed???

Words slip out all the time. We've all had the awkward "no, no, I didn't mean it like that..." defence when we accidentally let a few insulting sentences tumble forth. For most, a simple apology or explanation solves the problem, and conversation continues. If you're a Celebrity or Politician, however, things can get a little bit more awkward, and in some cases can turn the media against you.

Ian Davidson, a Labour MP and chairperson of the Scottish Affairs Committee, allegedly said "You're gonna get a doing" to Dr Eilidh Whiteford of the SNP if details of a private discussion were leaked to the media.

Mr Davidson

Dr Whiteford took this into a Sexual threat, and has left the committee until there is a new chair elected. Mr Davidson has not stood down, and has apologised to Dr Whiteford.

The word that springs to mind when first reading this story is: "Really?". Accusations of sexual threats, bullying and sexism are an indiscrete attempt by Dr Whiteford to gain media attention, and a bit of classic anti-opposition smearing.

There is not a single part of me that believes that the comments were in anyway malicious or threatening, and that in no way should Mr Davidson be held responsible. It was a mistake... Surely??



Dr Whiteford



We step once more into the muddied pool of rumour, where nothing is quite clear, and there are countless channels of Truth and Lies which we could easily follow. In politics, surely you've got to have a hard skin; afterall we all do love hating our Political Representatives! Should this story be getting just as much coverage as it is getting? Is this a little splash, blown totally out of proportion to Tsunamic Sizes?? Or should our Politicians be setting a good example to our already sexist, racist, homophobic society?

Let's strip Dr Whiteford and Mr Davidson of their MP titles, and we have a totally different story. A man tells a woman he will "give her a doing" if she does something, then tells her he didn't mean it in a Sexual way. In my opinion, the story would be forgotten and their two lives would continue un-changed. If we add a bit of Political bias, and the whole of the British Media World, we are left with a totally different story.

This offers the notion that either Dr Whiteford has no backbone,can't bring herself to cope with a teeny insult and shouldn't be an MP, Or Dr Whiteford has made this a Political stunt, isn't acutally insulted, and shouldn't be an MP. Either way = The Same Result.

People elected by us should not think that they are more important than us. They shouldn't have more of a right to be in a harmless bubble of safety, protected from the storm of insults and abuse that we all risk facing every day.

If we peer back a few months, we will discover that this story, isn't the only case of supposed Sexism by our Political pals.

David Cameron, the Prime Minister himself, was forced to apologise for comments aimed at women.

"Calm down dear!" he told MP Angela Eagle during PMQs, in the style of Michael Winner. Instantly Cameron was branded a "Sexist", until it no longer hit the headlines, when everyone forgot about it.

A perhaps more serious case of sexism by Politicians is that of Tory Candidate Payam Tamiz and Social Networking site Facebook,  which hit the news last year.

"Girls in THANET ... you are all slags, hoes, brasses and bheads." he posted on Facebook "Girls who comment under facebook pics boasting to their slutty friends about guys they've f***** and had one-night stands with are as low as they come!"

He consequently resigned from the Conservative party.

If we head back to the, in comparison, rather tame case of Whiteford and Davidson, I can't help but feel that this is only an effort for Media attention and votes by Dr Eilidh.

Now get off my headlines, and let's read about actual Life-Changing stories.