Saturday 6 February 2010

A Monkey Wearing a Red Rosette


Courtesy of Channel 4 News, this is last night's interview with Jim Devine, MP for Livingston, Scotland.

Jim Devine is a former psychiatric nurse and union official who served as Robin Cook's election agent for 22 years. When the former Foreign Secretary died in 2005, Mr Devine was a natural choice to contest the by-election in his Livingston constituency four months later. He saw the party's majority of 13,000 under Robin Cook cut to 2,680.

Many say labour supporters will vote for 'a monkey wearing a red rosette'.

Mr Devine is a perfect example. How this man was ever selected as a candidate, far less elected, for Westminster I will never understand.

18 comments:

Cate Munro said...

lol Sb - I had to laugh yesterday when I saw him almost crying like a baby on TV about the expenses business!

The guys a crook - and good old Krish exposed this even further! He behaved like a naughty school boy in this interview!

'Advised by a whip' my arse! lol

Hilarious!

Sandy said...

Good grief. Monty Python would be proud if they had written that sketch.

His lips are flapping like crazy but no sign of his brain being engaged at the time.

It is just like watching Wendy all over again, done nothing wrong, all within the rules, following advice blah blah.

Vronsky said...

Yes, very much like Wendy - except he's prettier.

Oldrightie said...

Wendy, prettier? Well if you like cheese, I guess he is. As for this sack of excrement, Subrosa's correct, a monkey.

Strathturret said...

I have to declare an interest; I reported Devine to the Metropolitan Police after the Sunday Herald revalations about his dodgy invoices for electrical work and shelving.

It would appear that he has been charged for other dodgy invoices and very recent ones at that.

His performance on Ch 4 News was pathetic, I almost felt sorry for him and Krishnan Gurymurthy was struggling to keep a straight face at some of Devine's explanations.

Labour in Scotland must take a real hard look at itself that they allowed such a stupid man to stand for what was (once) a safe seat.

Dark Lochnagar said...

Not only is he guilty, but he is an embarrassment to the Labour Party and what was is worse, to Scotland. This man would not rise above the rank of head streetsweeper if he was employed legitimately instead of coming through the union route.

subrosa said...

Krish didn't even have to try did he TT? 'I'm giving no names'. He'll squeal like a pig if it gets him off the hook I bet.

And that represents the good folk of part of Scotland in Parliament.

What a disgrace.

subrosa said...

Don't forget he was a psychiatric nurse before he became an MP. Is it any wonder Scotland's mental health services have been poor in the past Sandy?

subrosa said...

Vronsky, did you miss your optician's appointment this week?

subrosa said...

A monkey which was paid £65,000 plus endless expenses too OR. That hits the nail on the head about any form of pay rise for MPs.

subrosa said...

Oh Strathturret, you brave man.

What I can't understand is how Robin Cook managed to tolerate that level of ignorance. Or did he have no option?

subrosa said...

Indeed DL, he is an embarrassment to Scotland. He was the talk of the media yesterday.

Really Parliament has to do something about qualifications. At least give candidates some form of test before they stand.

Maybe that's not such a good idea because they'd fiddle that too.

Hythlodaeus said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hythlodaeus said...

The wee lamb - he sounds like a wee kid who's been caught doing something naughty by teacher.

Just a shame that he was first exposed in 2007 by Private Eye, then again in 2008 by the Sunday Herald and it's only now that he's being replaced. That's 3 years his constituency could have had a better MP.

subrosa said...

He just doesn't have a clue Hythlodaeus. Yes I remember the Private Eye and Herald business.

Doesn't this show there will be other constituencies which are being denied proper representation?

The time has come for MPs to have a certain level of formal qualifications.

This man was responsible for making the laws in this country. A yes man of course but that's even worse.

Strathturret said...

Of course nobody ever pursued Mr Marshall late of Glasgow East about his expenses. I don't know why?

Mr Devine looks like he's over fond of the bottle to me.

subrosa said...

He's definitely over fond of something Strathturret.

Not the behaviour of a trained psychiatric nurse is it?

Clarinda said...

According to the Daily Telegraph - not just a psychiatric nurse (?) but a "sex therapist". Pass the sick bowl!

I hope all this self-publicity, of which this chap seems to be a past master - remember the Christmas Hamper Farepak affair that he briefly attempted to champion amongst others - will not jeopardise any future court appearance and sequelae.

From the very start, this fellow's career seems to have been associated with flops?

Related Posts with Thumbnails