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Austin Mitchell should apologise – and think before he tweets

October 29, 2012 11:59 am

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Austin Mitchell has come in for some entirely justified criticism this morning, after tweeting the following, in response to the Louise Mensch story that we covered yesterday:

Delightful. Just the sort of forward thinking One Nation sentiment Ed Miliband’s Labour Party is about. Right?

No – obviously not.

It’s a tweet from the dark ages. It’s the kind of thing I’d be savaging if it were a Tory MP (“proof that the nasty party lives on”, I’d say, no doubt). It’d bloody awful. Austin Mitchell should apologise, and quickly.

“But surely it was a joke”, the defenders of Austin will say. Well, perhaps. Although for something to be a “joke” it has to be “funny” which doesn’t mean simply repeating old-fashioned, sexist, lazy stereotypes about how a woman should behave (in the view of out of touch, out of date bigots).

[Update: Mitchell has since claimed his tweet was an example of "irony"...]

Now I don’t know Austin Mitchell at all. I remember him being amusing on TV a few times. I remember him changing his name by deed poll to Austin Haddock. I know that he chaired the famous TV “debate” between  Brian Clough and Don Revie in 1974. I don’t know if, for example, Austin Mitchell is a bloody good bloke, and a passionate advocate of gender equality. But even if that were true, his desperately unfunny tweet just makes him look like a misogynist. And he’ll continue to look that way unless he apologises.

Some will no doubt blame Twitter for this whole mess. And they would, I’m afraid, be totally wrong. The first thing I always tell MPs who are reticent about using Twitter, is that you only need to worry online if you’re the kind of person who regularly makes an arse of themselves offline. Twitter is just another opportunity to do just that. If you are the kind of person who habitually draws negative publicity due to your outrageous behaviour or comments (I’m look at you, Mr Burley) then we shouldn’t be surprised if you do the same on Twitter. Rarely have I seen a Twitterstorm about an MP and thought “Really? But they’re usually such a calm, measured and balanced sort. I really can’t believe they would say such a thing.”

That’s because you can tell from a mile off who will get in trouble on Twitter, because they get into trouble anyway. Blaming Twitter for an MP making a prat of themselves is like blaming the invention of the printing press for shoddy output of the Daily Mail. It’s tangentially responsible, but it’s not really the point.

Now as I’ve said, I don’t know Austin, so I don’t know if this sort of thing is in character or not. But law of averages says it’s unlikely to have been a one off, and that as well as apologising, it might be worth taking a little Twitter break for a while, because at the moment, whatever his intentions, he’s come across as a sexist fool.

And if he’d thought before he tweeted, that might have been avoided.

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  • ColinAdkins

    Your right of course. But I cannot understand why the unguarded musings of people on ‘tweets’ is gaining such significance (LL’s main item). Maybe it is an age thing (I am 53). In my younger days we used to get the published letters of important people. I hope we do not get the collected tweets of anyone.  Maybe I should write a book: Tweets of a Nobody. 

    • EmmaBurnell

      It’s not the tweet aspect but the archaic attitude that has given this story such prominence. Quite rightly.

      • ColinAdkins

        An attitude not unique to Mitchell I fear.

    • AlanGiles

      I agree. Monday is getting to be the New Sunday. I have given up on Monday’s newspapers because even quite serious ones seem to think what we want with Monday morning’s marmalade is a resume’ of what happened to some over the hill “entertainer” on BBC1s weekend dancing show, or some talentless karaoke singer on ITV’s talent show – plus of course the doings of every overpaid footballer on the pitch over the last 48 hours.  Something a lot of us avoid by not putting the TV on over the weekend.

      LL does devote too much time to this latest fad

      • markfergusonuk

        Alan, saying that Twitter is a “fad” makes you sound out of touch. There are now more than 10 million people on Twitter in the UK, which is more than the number of daily newspaper readers. Twitter is no more of a “fad” than the internet, or blogs…

        • AlanGiles

          Mark. The number of “Facebook” users has declined massively due to the concerns many people have over security issues, and the fact that people who have sent highly offensive “Twitter” messages have been found, prosecuted and imprisoned in some cases might well take the gilt of their gingerbread, too.

          But let’s look at Twitter – if nothing else it shows the complete arrogance of some people (not just politicians) who seem to think their every “thought”, their every action, their every reaction is of such monumental importance that they need to share it with the world.

          I am retired now, but I couldn’t be bothered to use it, but if I were still working, I would have been working, not sitting on a computer or a phone endlessly telling people I had just had lunch or that I thought that goal shouldn’t have been allowed, or whatever.

          It seems to me obsessive users of “Twitter”, apart from being self-obsessed are also rather under-employed if they have time to sit and send out this sort of stuff.

          But I think it is a fad, just as CB Radio, or “home computing” (circa 1980) was – both of those interests managed to interest, albeit temporarily, so many people that for a long time several magazines on both subjects would litter the shelves of W H Smith. “Twitter” will be big, until the twits or twitterers discover the next big thing. Whatever that is. Menawhile if Austin Mitchell or anybody else want to make a fool of themselves – go ahead, it’s a free country (just about still)

  • EmmaBurnell

    Sadly, he now seems to have compounded the issue with his next tweet.

    “Calm down dears.Irony may be a low form of wit but it’s clearly above my level.And yours.So my wife has banned me from tweeting today.”

    Hardly what one would call an apology.

    • JoeDM

      But it’s good to hear the voice of the traditional Labour man occaisionally rather than the politically correct metropolitan elite that are at the heart of the new ‘modernised’ Labour Party. LOL !

      • EmmaBurnell

        Because all Traditional Labour men are sexist? What a bleak view.

      • http://twitter.com/NewhamSue Newham Sue

        Thankfully would like to think the voice of today’s traditional Labour man is that of someone who wouldn’t bat an eye at the idea of women having careers of their own – been going on long enough now.

        Less political correctness than a dose of realism, methinks.

  • http://twitter.com/andemullinex Andrew Mullinex

    I interned for Austin for 6 months before the General Election and as much respect as I have for him I can’t say this surprises me all that much. I am someone who will always defend him as someone who will tirelessly work for the people of Grimsby. However, his humour is at best outdated or misguided and at worst quite offensive.

    When I worked with him there were often jokes in the office, not least of all about my home town of Birmingham. I always took these jokes in the spirit that they were intended but I know Austin wouldn’t have too many qualms about repeating them to people who don’t know him so well. I used to do his tweeting for him, but when I found out he had taken it on himself I knew it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. 

    The reason I have posted this is because I have faith in Austin and hope to see him apologise soon. This particular joke goes beyond misunderstanding, it is not funny and is simply offensive to all sensible people. An apology is needed and I am sure it will come.

    • Clavers

      You interned him, why what had he done?

  • redcliffe62

    In a world where treating women as serfs in politics is finally now frowned upon these comments are asking for trouble. In PC Oz they would rip him a new one for this. Deservedly.

  • AlanGiles

    Even the most wrong-headed of people get something right occassionaly. Thus, David Cameron with his “Twitter is for tw*ts” bon-mot (though I believe he himself is now taking up the format)The difference between the printing press and “Twitter” is that, even today, there is a chance to edit, or for a merciful editor to get out his blue pencil. Back in the old days of course it would be months before the MS was set up in type, and printed so there was a lot of time for reflection, revision or deletion.This little episode shows why “social media” (God how I dislike that silly expression!, as otiose as “social “entrepreneur ” ) should be used with circumspection by any political party and MP.

    Perhaps Alistair Campbell has his eye on Grimsby?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Homfray/510980099 Mike Homfray

    I don’t do Twitter and never intend to. 

  • MarkHoulbrook

    The twitter police are out in force once again waiting to pounce at the first opportunity of  individuals who use their right to utilise freedom of speech through social media. I do believe that Mark Ferguson is somewhat of an hypocrite to the point that he persistently uses his position to use words that many third parties might find offensive. “Arse” come to mind.

    Part of your article states “simply repeating old-fashioned, sexist, lazy stereotypes about how a woman should behave”. You are also using a social media to state how a male MP should behave. Have you really researched Twitter and observed many female Members of Parliament and read how they conduct themselves. Many talk about their home life and confidential casework on Twitter and do it works time paid by the taxpayer. Twitter is an avenue, a convenient avenue to confuse, pretend, dictate and showboat to the general public from the comfort of their office or armchair. In REALITY they do not do anything that is constructive, working with grassroots. It is just propaganda. Austin Mitchell is a real MP with years of experience, has much respect and has walked the walk. Modern day MPs talk the twitter talk but dont walk the walk.

    My advice to you Mark is put the shoe on the other foot and write a balance argument that is not one sided based on an agenda of on the hoof observation. Pure opportunism.
    Positive discrimination in the Labour Party with the quest to have all women short lists and have women representation in officer positions based not on merit but on Harriet Harmans feminist agenda will destroy the Labour Party. Many female members disgree with Labours policy of positive discrimination.

    Austin Mitchell is a good friend of Ed Miliband. The Labour Party is starting to become the Orwellian party of the 21st Century.

    You really need to get a life Mark.

    Well done you have opened up a can of worms on the code of conduct of all MPs using social media.

  • postageincluded

    For irony to work it needs context, so it’s hard to pull off in a tweet.  Even so, this is a pretty pathetic attempt. A bad case of “old dog, new tricks”.

    Funny how this has got links to another “A Mitchell” of ante-diluvian prejudice though. For a moment I actually thought Yvette Cooper was gunning for him.

  • AlanGiles

    “there were often jokes in the office, not least of all about my home town of Birmingham. ”

    I have to say on of my oldest friends was born and lives again in Birmingham now, and on the very few occassions I have been in Birmingham, I have always found people to be as warm and friendly (perhaps more so) than London.  It is for that reason I am very glad for the people of Birmingham that they decided, very sensibly, they didn’t want “Mayor Byrne”

  • postageincluded

    Speaking as a Brummophile, I’d say you’ll just have to develop a thick skin about your home town or be offended daily. At least most people know where it is. Even Londoners.

    I can sort of understand the tweet as a dinosaur parody, but it’s a pretty blunt instrument. “You can always tell a Yorkshireman – but you can’t tell him much”.

  • Serbitar

    Much ado about nothing.

  • David B

    What
    if Jeremy Clarkson’s comments on mental illness were also ironic.  So will Ed now apologise for critizising him,
    I doubt it.

  • Clavers

    Irony they say is wasted on the stupid.

  • daijohn

    Don’t we just get our knickers in a twist about casual remarks – for that is all twitter is about. Yes I can see the irony – Male or female it applies to all backbench MPs – god bless them.

  • Pissedoff

    Grow up will you…………he was taking the piss and now we get the PC brigade out in force!

  • robertcp

    A silly backbencher making a prat of himself.  Who cares?

  • MrDDavies

    Many a true word spoken in jest.

    Or perhaps, in vino veritas.

    Maybe he really was “joking”.

    Whichever it was, it was vile, obnoxious, bullying.

  • Knives_and_Faux

    A whole article based upon the sanctimonious bluster of a wimp taking offence on behalf of someone else who was CLEARLY joking.  Perhaps the author is a too dim and fragile for twitter and indeed the Internet.
    This sinister ‘article’ shows the current state of Labour party thinking.

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