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National
Brendan Hughes

Revealed: History of Doug Beattie's casually misogynistic tweets

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie's history of casually misogynistic jokes on Twitter can be revealed.

Mr Beattie once shared a joke that said women who claim men only want sex "are usually the ones who can't make a decent f*****g sandwich".

The Upper Bann MLA shared an article on Viagra, adding: "Is this just you ladies not being sexy or us men needed a helping hand."

And when he saw a woman ironing at her front door, he tweeted: "She had best get back in the sweat shop and do it right."

In other old Twitter messages before he was elected, Mr Beattie appeared to objectify women he spoke to online, calling them "sexy" rather than by their names.

He also posted a picture of a woman in a jumper with two Christmas puddings on the front, adding: "Don't be wearing a jumper like this then complain when I stare at your boobs #justsaying."

In other messages he referred to sex acts.

He said on Twitter: "You know how vegetarians won't allow meat to pass their lips - does that mean not only is steak a non-starter but the BJ is off the menu too?"

Mr Beattie issued an unreserved apology online on Monday after being approached by Belfast Live about his old Twitter posts.

The UUP leader said misogyny must be taken "very seriously", adding: "I am sorry that in the past I have fallen short."

His past messages were unearthed after he was heavily criticised for tweeting a joke on Saturday that referenced DUP minister Edwin Poots' wife and a brothel.

The Agriculture Minister said his wife Glynis, a nurse, was "disgusted" by the tweet, which described a fictional scenario involving Mr Beattie and Mr Poots in a barbershop.

Mr Beattie said the joke, which has since been deleted, was not his own and he was sharing something that had been sent to him.

He apologised on Sunday and reiterated this on the floor on the Assembly on Monday, insisting he was "truly sorry".

Mr Beattie's old tweets were sent between 2011 and 2014 before he was elected as a UUP councillor in 2014 and later to the Stormont Assembly in 2016.

In one message he appeared to quote a joke from another account before adding, "lol".

The tweet read: "@MenHumor: The girls that say 'all guys want is sex' ...are usually the ones who can't make a decent f*****g sandwich." > lol"

In 2013 he tweeted: "There's a woman standing outside her front door doing the ironing... is this normal?"

When another Twitter user responded, he replied: "No I didn't think so - she had best get back in the sweat shop and do it right."

He also shared a message from an account called "@MilitaryBanter" which read: "Men have two emotions: Hungry and horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich."

Mr Beattie commented on the message: "#Horngy"

In a "personal statement" posted on Twitter, the UUP leader said he was "deeply ashamed and embarrassed" by his past tweets.

He said: "Since I made my unreserved apology in relation to a tweet at the weekend I have been made aware of a number of historic tweets which I published.

"I am deeply ashamed and embarrassed by the content of these tweets. They are totally unacceptable. They do not reflect the opinions or values I hold today.

"From the time I entered politics I have made a serious effort to increase the representation of women and advocate policies which would improve the lives and well-being of all women and girls.

"That is where I stand and I deeply regret the fact that these historic tweets could serve to undermine that position.

"Misogyny is something which must be taken very seriously and dealt with through education, listening and understanding.

"I am sorry that in the past I have fallen short, but I will continue to listen first and foremost to the voices of women and girls.

"My actions going forward will be consistent with the values I hold."

People Before Profit councillor Fiona Ferguson said Mr Beattie's tweets are "utterly unacceptable and not very long ago at all".

She added: "Unlike his response yesterday, this apology seems to recognise the dangers of misogynistic jokes.

"Ultimately this proves that we cannot rely on Stormont politicians to upend misogyny.

"We need a movement, led by those most impacted by misogyny, in order to deal with it seriously."

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