The Nasty Party

I'm not at all sure that the Daily Record and the Scottish Labour leader - Johann Lamont - have done the right thing by colluding over a story which appeared on the newspaper's front page yesterday:

"SHAMED Scots MP Eric Joyce had a secret affair with a schoolgirl election helper, the Record can reveal."

Not because I have any sympathy for Eric Joyce - which I don't.

No, the person I feel sorry for is young Meg Lauder (19) - who is presumably a Labour party member as well.

Now as far as I can see Meg has done absolutely nothing wrong except to get involved with a much older man - an experienced MP in a position of considerable authority - who should have known much better.

If I close my eyes and say those words - John Prescott's name pops into my head - though I don't recall Labour's top brass saying that he was a skanky old so and so - whose behaviour rendered him unfit to stand for public office.

No, not a bit of it.

In fact John Prescott kept his job as deputy Prime Minister - albeit stripped of most of his responsibilities - and ended up being sent off by Labour to join other 'nobles' in the House of Lords. 

So what I don't get is why a vulnerable young woman has to be sacrificed - just so the Labour  party can distance itself from Eric Joyce.

I'm sure there were other ways of making the Labour MP see sense - without harming a young woman at the same time.

The Record story went on to say:

"And last night, one insider said Joyce had always enjoyed associating with young female aides, despite colleagues being concerned about their “potential vulnerability”.

The source said: “Meg was absolutely in rapture and totally consumed with the fact she was dealing with Eric Joyce the MP.

The relationship is said to have continued for the past two years."

Now the paper also claimed that the details of the relationship only emerged after Eric Joyce’s arrest - following an alleged booze-fuelled brawl in the House of Commons last week.

But if you believe that - you'll believe anything.

What amazes me is that no one in the Labour party saw fit to step in and do something long before now.

Instead they turned a blind eye and just hoped for the best - against the evidence of their own eyes - and their wide experience of dealing with similar situations over the years.

But in the rush to limit the damage on the party - Scottish Labour has dumped on a young party member who deserved better than finding her name and personal messages with Eric Joyce - splashed all over the front page of the Daily Record.