• Home
• UK Politics
• World Politics
• Policy
• Media
• Lifestyle
• Sport
• Contributors
• Topics

Lyn Brown, Scottish Labour And Sniggering Labour MPs Are A Disgrace To Their Party

Ben Austwick isn't impressed with the behaviour of Labour MP Lyn Brown. But she's not the only target for him.

By Ben Austwick

19 Jul 2011, 16:00

The Labour Party love to take pride in their commitment to helping the disadvantaged, so it’s rather unusual when stories come out showing members or sections of their party doing their best to destroy this very image. However, in the last six months three stories have come out that would make even the most partisan Labour supporters’ stomachs turn with disgust.

According to the Daily Mail and peculiarly not mentioned in any other paper (or the BBC), Labour whip Lyn Brown was storming along a Commons corridor and barged into Talksport’s political editor Sean Dilley, together with his guide dog. Instead of apologising and carrying on she launched into a vile and abusive rant towards Mr Dilley and upon being asked for her name she refused and stormed off. The Commons security team were less than impressed by her antics and police were involved, resulting in.... a forced apology. Apparently if you’re an MP and you go out of your way to rudely harass a blind man for walking into your path, you’ll be fine if you say you’re sorry and promise to never do it again.

One of the main reasons I didn’t renew my Conservative Party membership was because I despise giving people the opportunity to take part in a bit of political point scoring. Hating an idea just because it was proposed by a member of an alternate political party is as pointless and stupid as it is childish. However, the political point scoring league table has been topped this week by the Scottish Labour Party who thought it would be wise to criticise the SNP for their links to News International by bringing up an interview in The Sun with John Swinney MSP and his wife discussing her battle with multiple sclerosis. Apparently, this interview was evidence of a strong relationship between NI and the SNP and bringing it to the attention of voters would somehow make Scottish Labour look ‘whiter than white’ on the whole ‘hackgate’ affair. Instead, they just look like heartless idiots.

Unfortunately these two incidents are not alone and in February, an interview in The Times with Conservative MP Paul Maynard revealed he had often been sneered and sniggered at in the Commons by Labour MPs mocking a speech impediment caused by his cerebral palsy. A Labour MP actually backed up Maynard’s claims and to give credit where it’s due, Labour and the leaders of all parties expressed their shock and disgust at these revelations which were somehow not noticed or acted upon by speaker John Bercow.

These three incidents all have one thing in common – they were barely reported on. Lyn Brown’s guide dog collision was only reported in the Mail, Scottish Labour’s brainless press release was only picked up on by minor blogs and Paul Maynard’s mocking only came to the attention of non-Times readers when charities voiced their dismay.

Now just imagine the uproar if the word ‘Labour’ was replaced by ‘Conservative’ in those incidents. Cynic? Me? Never!