To think Jared O'Mara should resign as an MP

[derxa]

www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/23/labour-mp-jared-omara-sheffield-hallam-sorry-girls-aloud-orgy
He made some terrible comments online in the past. Surely people don't change their character that much over time.

Clegg couldn't be arsed to even turn up at the house of commons once he wasn't deputy PM anymore so he was no great loss as a local MP.

And yet his local office were still getting calls from constituents months after O'Mara won because he hadn't bothered to pick their cases up. Great example of a local lad, I'm so proud.

Hints theres more to come tomorrow to discredit him.

Just been on BBC news. Now there have been constituents coming forward and complaining about his comments made to them this year.

This isn't going to go away and Labour will have to act.

I just can't imagine ever making these comments at any stage in my life. you are my fucking hero, no really, well done for never ever offending anyone ever. I am quite sure that even 15 years ago you were a pillar of the community.

Clegg couldn't be arsed to even turn up at the house of commons once he wasn't deputy PM anymore so he was no great loss as a local MP.

You know his son was diagnosed with cancer shortly after no longer being deputy PM, don't you?

Doubt it was to do with no longer being in a senior political role somehow.

He was 26! I was married with two kids at 26, it not an immature age. He should resign.

He is on the record saying that if a Tory said what he said they should resign.... and that's now, not 15 years ago.

To be fair he wasn’t 26 and he didn’t quite say that. That’s the problem when it turns into a lynch mob - the truth gets warped and the really serious issue gets lost - so he resigns - how will that deal for example with Phil and Dave? Oh wait - they’re Tories so it doesn’t count

I saw it reported that he was 26, how old was he?

Apologies, looks like he was 21 - although there are further allegations of derogatory comments 7 months ago...

Attached is when he was 21.

Another one who was going to remind @FittonTower that Nick Clegg's son had been diagnosed with cancer. You may have been narked at the time but now that's public there's no excuse.

Jared O'Mara may have been young when the first of these comments were made, but he first stood as a Labour council candidate in 2004. According to Labour Party rules that means he was a member from at least May 2003 and probably before that. He was making these comments when he was politically active.

I believe the woman who has spoken out today. Why would she make up something so prosaic?

My experience of the left of the Labour Party, and further left, is that issues such as sexism, racism, homophobia are lesser issues which will be dealt with once we have the socialist state. It's 'Don't Worry Your Pretty Little Head' territory.

There's quite a lot of stuff online about more recent behaviour. He's a disgrace but so are quite a few MPs. I don't buy the whole "changed man" schtick he's spouting. If my 15 yr old had held views like that I'd be thoroughly ashamed. Labour won't get rid of him midterm though, the best the constituents can hope for is a deselection next time round.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/4758462/shamed-labour-mp-jared-omara-complained-to-colleagues-about-working-on-fridays-because-thursday-is-my-usual-going-out-night/amp/
Shamed Labour MP Jared O’Mara complained to colleagues about working on Fridays because ‘Thursday is my usual going-out night’
He admitted struggling with his duty to hold drop-in sessions with his constituents on Fridays because he’s always hungover

Someone doesn't like him...

If he was a tory mp this thread would be very different!

I don't accept this is OK behaviour from any MP of any party.

I agree TheSnork but I can’t stand the sheer bloody hypocrisy of Tory women MPs using this when they say not one word, not one word about the utter sexist, racist, homophobic pricks on their own benches

The correct thing to do (and this is actually Labour Party policy for this kind of thing) is to suspend him now, do an investigation, and after that decide whether the whip should be removed.

They can't force him to resign as an MP, he may choose to but that's unlikely.

Two wrongs and all that Bourdic.... I agree with Nick Snork.

Not acceptable from anyone, let alone an MP (blue or red).

Jake Wilde @ jack_wilde
A thread about Jared O'Mara, based upon information supplied to me

He joined Labour aged 17 & has never been particularly left wing, but Momentum targeted the seat simply because of Clegg

Some Momentum activists worried about supporting him as they knew his history.

He has been active in his local community (which isn't Hallam) and is a governor & trustee of a school and resource centre for disabled people.

Described as "charming company until he has had a drink or is rejected"; evidence of both was in the public domain before this week.

He tried to become a local councillor in 2004, right at the time when he was writing the reported comments online.

For years he's told people he wanted to be an MP, apparently unable to see any conflict between his views, his language and his suitability.

There's more to come, not least concerning his business interests.

There exists a view that he believed that he could say and do as he pleased.

Questioning his judgement and complaining has always resulted in "robust" responses.

End

If this is true, then its Labour members who are actively grassing him up as much as Tories using it as a political goal.

Its already been hinted at that more is going to come out tomorrow and by the look of this, I'm guessing its going to be his business interests up next.

I just can't imagine ever making these comments at any stage in my life. you are my fucking hero, no really, well done for never ever offending anyone ever. I am quite sure that even 15 years ago you were a pillar of the community

No, I have irritated people, I have argued, I have been bad tempered and probably rude but I am 100% sure I have never made remarks like that whether I was 21 or 51.

Scabbersley I was going to say the same thing.

But he was singing this with his band when he was 24:
“I wish I were a misogynist
I’d put her in her place
I wish I were a misogynist
I’d smash her in her face”
He sounds delightful and I’m sure he’s not a misogynist now

further online comments published by the Guido Fawkes website showed O’Mara in a discussion about football referring to Spaniards as “dagos” in 2002 and accusing a Dane of being a “pig shagger”.

Absolutely sure I have never used these expressions.

I appreciate that two wrongs don’t make a right but this hypocrisy is really unacceptable - why don’t women MPs across the parties call out all MPs who behave unacceptably towards women? I do accept that the more that comes out about JOM the worse it gets but I never thought what he said 15 years ago was ever all right. I think for the party’s sake he should resign but we all know that the sexism in Parliament will continue won’t it?

I think its all going to stack up hugely against him from just the sheer amount of mud slinging that is yet to abate.

Even if he's a 'changed man', given the career he wanted to go into, he has - present tense - questionable judgment NOW because he thought that all those things he said / did in the past wouldn't be a problem and wouldn't come back to haunt him.

He was standing in a high profile seat FFS. That makes him hugely naive to think it would not be exposed.

Especially if reports that he likes to go out drinking on a Thursday night are indeed correct. He should have knocked that one on the head, because its a recipe for disaster.

It was gonna piss someone off / attract attention at some point.

He's giving a gift to the opposition. He's not thought about the implications for the party and his put his own ambition above thinking about how his past actions might be an issue.

Anyone who stands for MP should consider this, as its a responsibility to their party and those who vote for you in good faith. Ask the question whether you might have damaging baggage.

The fact it seems like he wanted a political career from when he was fourteen makes it even worse!

Bourdic is correct. Irony here is because Tory Mps haven't ousted their own slime balls, it makes it likely and almost acceptable for Jared O'Mara to stay.

You have to call a slime ball a slime ball even if they share your team colours otherwise you undermine your own argument.