British politicians are a different breed of crazy than those in the United States. Whereas Democrats and Republicans are often deluded drama elementals hungry for a spotlight, Brit politicians are generally freaky weirdos with a closet so full of skeletons they have to prop a chair against the doorknob to keep it closed.
How weird are they? Well, up in Scotland, female parliamentarians and staff are currently reeling from the news that one of their colleagues placed a secret camera inside a staff bathroom. The pervert in question is MSP Colin Smyth of the Labour Party, who first made the news earlier this month when he was arrested and charged with possession of indecent images of children.
Honestly, at this point, a Brit politician being found with a hard drive full of that stuff is kind of a dog-bites-man story. But the hidden toilet camera at work? Jeez Smyth, are you going for the Nobel Prize in being a creepy and gross weirdo?!
“This is a deeply stressful time”
Soon after his first arrest, the 52-year-old released a statement saying, “These events have come as a shock and this is a deeply stressful time.” How did they come as a shock! It’s YOUR hard drive! He continued: “I am obviously cooperating fully with any inquiries and hope the matter can be resolved quickly. I am not able to comment further at this stage.”
Since the toilet cam revelation Smyth has stayed silent, though the Scottish Parliament is in a state of shock as female employees process that they may have been secretly filmed without their consent using the bathroom. The Scottish Parliament’s chief Executive, David McGill told staff:
“We recognise the nature of the criminal charges and the ongoing investigation may be upsetting for colleagues and cause distress. We would therefore like to remind everyone who works at Holyrood or in constituency offices of the confidential support services that are available.”
Meanwhile, the Scottish Labour Party has dropped Smyth like a hot rock:
“Swift action was taken after we became aware of these serious allegations. Colin Smyth MSP is an independent MSP. We cannot comment further on these deeply concerning developments while legal proceedings are ongoing.”
Smyth is due to appear at Dumfries Sheriff’s Court at a later date, and we can only hope he enjoys his sudden and rapid career change from high-paid politician to prison inmate. And, if the warden ever needs someone to scrub the toilets, they now have an ideal candidate.
