Labour MSP Frank McAveety resigns after microphone mishap

You would think after Gordon Brown being involved in a microphone mishap creating "bigotgate" with Gillian Duffy in Rochdale during the general election that politicians, especially Labour ones would have learnt a lesson.

Well, apparently no, Glasgow Shettleston MSP Frank McAveety has been plunged into a crisis resulting in him resigning as Labour's frontbench shadow sports spokesman and also his position as the convenor of the Public Petitions Committee.

Members of the Public Petitions Committee had just finished taking evidence from Parkinson's disease campaigners Frank McAveety began speaking to his committee clerk about a girl in the public benches.
He started by saying: "There's a very attractive girl in the second row, dark … and dusky. We'll maybe put a wee word out for her."

Mr McAveety continued: "She's very attractive looking, nice, very nice, very slim," before adding: "The heat's getting to me."

The MSP added: "She looks kinda … she's got that Filipino look. You know … the kind you'd see in a Gauguin painting. There's a wee bit of culture."

Unfortunately for Frank McAveety the microphones were all still on.