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Tory MP (and Doctor) distances herself from Eastleigh candidate over state school remarks

February 18, 2013 12:42 pm

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Over the weekend the Tory candidate in Eastleigh maria Hutchings has got herself into a spot of bother, saying that she wouldn’t send her son to local state schools as he wants to be a surgeon, and that finding the right school would be “impossible” in the state sector.

Now a Tory MP (and Doctor) Sarah Wollaston has distanced herself from the Eastleigh candidate on Twitter.

Here’s how the Totnes MP responded to questions from Labour activist (and former party staffer) Jack Smith:

sarahwoolaston

A ringing endorsement of her candidate’s views there…

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  • http://twitter.com/hemalgangani Hemal Gangani

    Typical Tory. Answering questions the most long winded and most nonsensical way possible.

  • AlanGiles

    She has not only made herself sound like Hyacinth Bucket on an especially snooty day, she has also made herself look rather silly. Master Hutchings is 12. By the time he is 16 he might find himself repelled by the idea of being a surgeon – he might go home and tell her he’s not cut out for it :-)

    • Chilbaldi

      going off the evidence that we have of Master Hutchings’ genetic makeup, you may well be right Alan.

      • AlanGiles

        He could always go and study “Advanced Needlework” at “one of our leading polytechnics”, which is what Sheridan Bucket did!

        • aracataca

          My wife’s niece did that course at Nottingham Trent (formerly Nottingham Poly). To be fair it was sort of vocational (the design bit etc, even if all the actual manufacturing is now done in sweatshops in the far East). Not that Madame has done anything with her degree.

          I think it was called ‘Fabrics’ instead of ‘Advanced Needlework’ though.

  • http://twitter.com/robertsjonathan Jonathan Roberts

    What Hutchins said was mind bogglingly stupid. It’s one thing believing the local school isn’t any good (I have no idea whether it is or is not) but suggesting state schools are by their nature incapable of teaching ambitious, bright kids to a high standard is wrong beyond belief.

    Although, for the sake of balance, our candidate I’m afraid is not immune to charges of saying appalling things either. I’d suggest comments he made in his book are probably far more morally reprehensible – whether they were made 20 years ago or not.

    • John Ruddy

      What about whether he thought them wrong at the time, regarded them as wrong when he wrote them into a book, and still thinks they were wrong now?

      • Chilbaldi

        Clearly the comments where a bit of a dramatic turn – something to add drama to the book, capture the imagination, but not much more. Not comments to be taken seriously (unless you are the sort of hand-wringer who seriously has these thoughts, they do exist after all).

        But for someone to write that in a book is at the very least a little misguided, if that person one day wants to seek office. The comments aren’t exactly statesmanlike, are they?

        • John Ruddy

          I saw it as a) him being honest about his feelings and b) being shocked and embarassed by them.
          Like I said, it helps if you read the whole passage, not just the bits the Daily Mail picked out.
          By the way, on the back of my copy of it the Mail on Sunday has described the book as “Very Funny”. No mention in there of the shocking death wish?

          • Chilbaldi

            Yes, but these people will always be out to get us – we have to be prepared. On the application form for Parliamentary Selection there is a declaration:

            “Are there any matters in my political or personal record which, if revealed, could publicly embarrass the Labour Party or affect public confidence in my position as a representative”

            I’m not going to elaborate on whether John O’Farrell should have ticked yes or no here as the declaration is deliberately ambiguous. But the declaration shows that one must be careful of one’s public record if one wishes to stand for public office.

        • Alexwilliamz

          Actually I’d prefer candidates who had not planned to seek office years in advance.

  • http://twitter.com/youngian67 Ian Young

    So she wants her daughter to go to public school and make cuts for a living. How very Tory.

  • aracataca

    Anybody else intensely annoyed by parents who vastly overestimate the intellectual level of their offspring?
    I mean who is he the next Bertrand Russell?
    At any rate he is clearly an intellectual colossus just like his mum.

    • Alexwilliamz

      He can’t be, my son is going to be the next Bertrand Russell, or even better John Stuart Mill. At 6 years old he already questions everything:
      It’s time for bed. Why?
      Can you put your shoes away. Why?
      etc etc etc
      Although he is a little behind in his Latin and Ancient Greek.

      • aracataca

        She’s since got the shovel out. Apparently she made this remark when he was 5 and they were living in a different area. What 5 year old knows what a cardio-respiratory surgeon is – let alone want to be one?

        • AlanGiles

          This is why I think Labour stand a good chance at Eastleigh. It is almost as if this woman is trying to lose, when I was 5 I certainlywouldn’t have known what a surgeon was, let alone a particular discipline. It was only a few years ago I realised that a physiotherapist did’nt have anything to do with fizzy drinks :-)

          • aracataca

            Of course the Greens stand no chance at all in the seat as there is no Green candidate Alan.

          • AlanGiles

            There would be no point in a small party with very limited finances to fight a by-election where they stand no chance of winning. That said, I sincerely hope they hang on to Brighton Pavillion, and I also hope there might be a second win in a suitable constituency. There are those who didn’t think Labour stood any chance at Eastleigh, when I suggested it was feasible a few weeks ago. I still think that, even more now that the Tory candidate appears to be so gaffe prone.

          • AlanGiles

            There would be no point in a small party with very limited finances to fight a by-election where they stand no chance of winning. That said, I sincerely hope they hang on to Brighton Pavillion, and I also hope there might be a second win in a suitable constituency. There are those who didn’t think Labour stood any chance at Eastleigh, when I suggested it was feasible a few weeks ago. I still think that, even more now that the Tory candidate appears to be so gaffe prone.

          • aracataca

            Unfortunately, the Fibs look like they’re going to win.

          • AlanGiles

            I wouldn’t be so sure. The retrial of the former Mrs Huhne starts on Monday, so by election day all the dirty washing will be coming out yet again, which might make some LibDems stay at home. There is “all to play for” as the late Robert Robinson used to say on his Radio 4 quiz programme. Given that John O’Farrell is a minor celebrity (in that he is known to radio audiences) he might well pull it off. At least, in the strict sense, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

  • Dave Postles

    Given the lamentable utterances of Donkey Smith on Sunday, and considering that there are at least three outstanding ‘state’ schools in Eastleigh, as the locals indicated, the Tories are relentlessly excavating bigger and bigger holes. Perhaps there is such a thing as a ‘society’ school, it is not just a ‘state’ school. On the other hand, perhaps her aspirations for him are in the honourable profession of tree surgeon, but only to the estates of those with houses (notionally) valued at £2m+. Yes, Donkey Smith was partially right about some people believing that they are ‘too good’ for certain ‘occupations’; he just stigmatized the wrong people.

    • AlanGiles

      I can remember when I was 12, at various times I wanted to be a bandleader, a bus driver, a film director and a designer. I also wanted to play trombone rather than trumpet but my arms were too short (not joking! – you need the dexterity to cover the seven slide positions) Everything in fact, I never did become. I guess it will be the same with this “special” 12 year old and many others.

  • JoeDM

    When will the Labour candidate apologise for his disgraceful remarks about Margret Thatcher and his support for IRA terrorist acts that killed British people?

    • aracataca

      He has done.

    • Dave Postles

      When are you going to catch up and not just repeat idiotic reporting in the Tory press?

      • aracataca

        This’ll have to stop Dave – Once again I totally agree.

      • http://twitter.com/robertsjonathan Jonathan Roberts

        But can we assume you do actually condemn the comments he made Dave? You can’t blame the Tory press for reporting things he actually said.

        • Dave Postles

          John Ruddy has explained the context of the passage in his book. He condemned himself for having the thought, as I understand it. I’m not going to exonerate the Tory press on these occasions of apparently selective reporting.

  • Monkey_Bach

    Thank you, Sarah Wollaston.

    And an even bigger thank you to Maria Hutchings.

    Eeek.

  • kb32904

    Political Scrapbook have got a photo of the Hutchings support poster on the sign for a private school in Eastleigh !

    LMAO, isn’t Grant Shapps / Michael Green, the co-ordinator, supposed to be a media chappie ?

    No wonder nobody made money on his dodgy website scam and now he has succeeded in making another huge error in his campaigning for Hutchings. LOLLLL

    • Alexwilliamz

      I believe shapps may have written a book and run the odd website, is that sufficient Media do you think?

  • Alexwilliamz

    Surely she should be spearheading the opening of a ‘free’ school in the constituency, she could open it to all those who wish to become surgeons!

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