Good luck to SNP MP Mhairi Black

[claig]

She is phenomenal - just 20 years old, SNP MP.

"I'm not the one who should be nervous, the people who are responsible for so much poverty and so much struggle in people's lives, they're the ones who should be nervous becase they're the ones who are going to held accountable for all the damage that they do to people"

Thet are going to shake our usual spinners up. They won't know what hit them. The SNP have some great women MPs - saw some of them on TV over the weekendm a real breath of fresh air - they are going to shake things up and not put up with the bowing and doffing of caps crap.

They don't conform to the traditional profile of our useless lot. This is a bit like the movie "Mr Smith Goes to Washington". I can't remember what happens in that movie though.

Let's face it, whoever was standing for the SNP in that seat would have won. Mhairi's personal attributes are nothing to do with her election.

I wish her the best, and hope I am wrong, but think the demands of the role will chew her up and spit her out.

I am represented by a councillor who was elected at 19, who is a shower of shite. He has the potential to be great later in life, should he get some experience other than university. But as he stands, his lack of experience (not age) has meant that he is a shower of shite.

My view would be the same for any person, of any age or gender, who had only studied politics and never worked full time. I say this as a politics graduate - the 20/21 year olds studying the subject have no clue.

'Mhairi's personal attributes are nothing to do with her election.'

Yes, but what is self-evident is that she is extremely able. If the SNP put her up on TV debates, she will make the Labour candidates look like dummies. She is so forthright and direct that she will shock the spinners and run rings around them. She has common sense. Can you imagine Mhairi (just 20) versus Stella Creasy? It would be a wipeout.

On the other, she's being criticised for her appearance, her background, her age, her language, and what she said on twitter two or three years ago. And half of it is coming across as nothing more than snobbery, along with a lack of understanding about what actually constitutes a normal teenager where Mhairi is from.

Just to be clear, I think attacking her appearance is utterly inappropriate. It is neither here nor there. Or shouldn't be. She's smart, as befits her role. That should be enough.

My criticism of her age is because I don't think anyone has the life skills to be an MP at 20 (or 23 for that matter). The fact that normal teenage behaviour is so recent (because, until a year ago, she was one) is precisely why I think it's too early to be an MP.

There is an irony that often people rail and shout against 'career politicians'. And yet someone (of any party, of either sex, from any of the countries of the UK) of 20 who becomes one is surely heading to being the ultimate career politican?

I wish Mhairi well, I truly do. But I suspect she'd have been a much better MP in 8-10 years.

Sadiq Khan tried to spin his way out of trouble in that TV debate and an audience member said "why can't you just say you don't know? why do you have to go round and round with it?"

Mhairi doesn't do that, she gets staright to the point and that is why Sadiq didn't know what to do.

But I suspect she'd have been a much better MP in 8-10 years.

Agree wholeheartedly.

On the other, she's being criticised for her appearance, her background, her age, her language, and what she said on twitter two or three years ago.

Why shouldn't you question any of these?

Her appearance is not professional at all, she looks as though she is 40 and on day release from Corton Vale for a job interview.
Her background is being held up as if she was shot on a bus for daring to go to school, which I agree is an insult to that brave brave young woman.
Her language is appalling.
What she said on twitter was also appalling. I think to 'laugh it off' is absolutely shocking for someone who is now an MP, has she no tact? She doesn't even have the grace to apologise. She said No voters were selfish and gullible and that they believed lies. She wanted to 'nut' them.

She is a thug and I cannot understand why anyone's eyes would fill up with pride looking at her. I feel ashamed.

I'm not sure how anyone can assert that anyone, any animal or any inanimate object 'would have won' the seat. This is a country which up until last week returned a clear majority of Labour MPs for decades.

Some of the swings to the SNP were in part due to a higher turnout than 2010 (which in itself was a ^^lower turnout) and you cant really predict that.

Plus, Mhairi is actually known in the constituency and throughout the central belt politically. She's not just a wee random who popped up out of nowhere.

Annunziata - if you want to judge her on things which have no bearing on her actual ability to do the job, nobody's going to stop you. It just makes you look small and mean, not her.

Of course they will have a bearing on her ability to do the job, because people will not take her seriously unless she is dressed properly.

Then they are as judgemental as you are.

Yes, the general public do tend to judge the people running the country. To, you know, decide whether or not they want them to continue representing them.

Not unreasonable imo!

Just catching up with this.

Fuck me, she's jack blacks daughter?

Did not know that. That's worse really re the tweets.

Judging someone's ability on their appearance is entirely unreasonable.

If someone was dressed inappropriately then there may be a point. Deciding she's a wee bit scruffy, no, that's not a basis to judge someone's ability.

No, they have standards for elected representatives on £67,000 a year and how they carry themselves in public.

Let us not forget that Miss Mhairi has demonstrated a rather wonderful ability to judge others too....

Apparently she's not RJ. I'm not sure- two different people told me that.

Do they have standards for appearance? Are they applying them equally? Are you?

Annunziata isn't small or mean.

She's put the opinion of many people across very well.

I don't know her personally but from what i have seen of her on TV, I pity the people she has been elected to represent - she came across as a bit of a dick.

No, she's not Jack Black's daughter.

I'm minded of the SSP MSPs who pitched up to Holyrood in New Look's finest and wrote slogans on their hands. Any question or policy query was met with forthright chat about 'Tony Blai-uhhhrs illeguhl war'. It was one note and repetitive.

Of course a party can be 'direct' in opposition. I can't see how she could possibly make mincemeat of a time served policy maker, but we'll find out soon enough.

She's not Jack Black's daughter.

She's not, her dad's called Alan

Sorry cross post

Her father is Alan Black, a retired teacher.

She is a brilliant speaker. She is a natural. She is more convincing than Nicola Sturgeon. She speaks slowly, clearly and emphatically and with a passion that enthuses the audience. I think she will go right to the top and very quickly.

I can't wait to see her in TV debates taking the best that Labour have got on.