Eric Boyce

It really is Politicians Behaving Badly season. Last week was the turn of MP for Falkirk, Erik Boyce to enter the MP bad boys hall of fame. Mr Boyce had a glass of Rioja too many, didnt like the fact that there were too many F********(his words not mine) Tories in the House of Commons Bar, and being the action man he is, decided to do something about it. What the retired Major did was do what soldiers do. Combat. Not much to say other than two Conservative members got what I was reliably informed by my Glasgow sources was a Glasgow kiss. Delivered with all the ingedients such kisses are made of. Next stop for the victims, Stuart Andrews and  Ben Manney was A&E

Now a bar brawl is as old as the idea of a bar itself.  Nothing new. But its headline news when such brawls involve lawmakers and extraordinary when the fight takes place within the confines of Parliament. If it was the kind of melee that breaks out during crucial debates or votes due to strong differences in ideology, then we might undesrtand the heat of the moment argument. It shows that the politicinas are passionate about their core beliefs and looking after the interests of those who voted them in. Such fisticuffs miight it even increase the politicians`popularity. That is a noble fight. If it can be called that. But a drink fuelled encounter isnt what we want from our lawmakers. No. The impression we get from such conducts is that of a  a group of care- free chancers, getting wasted on highly subsidized booze and behaving like parts of the anatomy I cant mention on this blog. Being  a family oriented blog.

Eric Boyce has resigned his membership of the Labour Party but will stay on as an independent MP following his conviction. I dont see why he has to resign  from the party but stay on as an MP. If he sees his action as unbefitting of a Labour Member of Parliament, thus making his position untenable, then how can it be OK to be an Independent member of the House. Personally I think he should never have left the party. He let himself down, did a mea culpa, apologised, got his court judgements and that shoud have been that. If he really felt what he did was so gross so as to make him an unsuitable memberof the Labour Party then whay would it make him still worthy of a seat in the House of Parliament?  Or does the Labour Party has higher standards than the House? That is the inference that can be drawn from him staying on as an indepenent MP.


Like I always say, politicians are just like the rest of us They will behave like any  of us would given the same circumstances. But we dont want them to. We want them tobe like us but behave better than us.Every politician must realaize this fact. Im sure they do. Being a politician is a conscious choice they have made. We, the voters expect them to live up to this lofty ideal.  Which means politicians must be morally adroit and beyond reproach. MPs with ASBOS isnt something we want. Not much to ask for in exchange for what being in the corridors of power affords those who canvass for and get our votes.