Pressure mounts on UUP leader Doug Beattie after emergence of old tweets
almost 4 years in The Irish Times
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie is fighting for his political future after he was widely accused of using racist and misogynistic language in a series of historical tweets.
Mr Beattie has apologised and said he will step down as party leader if the party’s Assembly members or officers feel he should do so.
“I will speak to my MLA group today and I will speak to my party officers … if either group feels I should step down then I will,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Stephen Nolan Show on Tuesday morning.
“Likewise if they think I should refer myself to the party executive or the wider council on a vote of no confidence then I shall do that as well,” he said.
In a lengthy interview, Mr Beattie repeatedly apologised and said his actions of ten years ago were “pretty horrific.”
The series of tweets, which emerged over the weekend, were sent before Mr Beattie - a former soldier - entered political life.
They included derogatory comments about women and members of the Traveller community.
He said the tweets demonstrated a “clear failing in myself, I have to own up to that” and said he asked people to “look at me [AS]the person I am now and maybe not judge me from 10 years ago”
“If the party want me to stay I will still be the leader next week, if they don’t want me to stay I will not be the party leader next week,” he said.
Mr Beattie also said he would now reach out to groups affected by the tweets and speak to them.
He denied being racist or misogynistic. The former soldier suggested the “dark and black humour” he used may have been a “coping” mechanism and reflective of him being “desensitised” by battlefield experiences.
“My mental health has been affected by what I have seen and what I have done,” he said.
Mr Beattie insisted he is not using that potential explanation as an “excuse” for his tweets.
On Monday, the UUP leader said he was “ashamed” by old tweets that emerged since he apologised for joking about a brothel and a political rival’s wife.
Doug Beattie said he had been made aware of “totally unacceptable” tweets he had posted in the past.
The tweets have seen Mr Beattie again accused of misogynistic behaviour.
Earlier, DUP Minister Edwin Poots said his wife was “disgusted” after Mr Beattie tweeted a joke about her that referenced a brothel.
Mr Poots said the tweet by the UUP leader on Saturday was “incredibly hurtful”.
Mr Beattie apologised on Sunday for tweeting the joke and deleted it.
The Upper Bann MLA reiterated that apology on the floor on the Assembly on Monday, insisting he was “truly sorry”.
However, hours later, he was apologising again after other old tweets started to circulate.
In a statement, Mr Beattie 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 wellbeing 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.”
The controversial joke on Saturday evening described a fictional scenario involving Mr Beattie and Mr Poots in a barbershop.
It made a reference to Mr Poots’ wife and a brothel.
Mr Beattie claimed the joke was not his own and he was sharing something that had been sent to him.
Mr Poots said he accepted Mr Beattie’s apology, but he questioned his “poor” judgment in posting it in the first place.
“I just don’t know what he was thinking about,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.
“I’m a big boy, I can take a lot of abuse in politics and that’s fine, but we really shouldn’t be drawing other members of people’s families into anything, they have their right to their private life and, unfortunately, that has been infringed when it comes to my family in this instance.”
Mr Poots said his wife Glynis, a nurse, was “disgusted” by the tweet.
“But it’s actually had a bigger impact on the rest of us, her children and myself,” he said.
“Saturday night was the first time our family had been together as a family for four years, because we have two children who are doing voluntary work abroad, and it coincided that they happened to be home.
“We got news of that late on Saturday night and to have someone described as a prostitute, or your mother described as prostitute, it’s not something that people really find acceptable.
“It’s hurtful, my wife was a working-class girl, not a working girl.”
He added: “Having her demeaned like that is something that personally I find incredibly hurtful.”
Mr Beattie gave a statement at the start of Assembly business on Monday.
“We must all be mindful of our language and I’ve said so on the floor of this chamber on many occasions, we must guard against language that is both hurtful and harmful,” he said.
“Over the weekend I let my guard down and for that I am truly sorry.
“I posted a joke and regardless of what my intentions were, it was just inappropriate.
“It was absolutely wrong and fundamentally wrong and therefore it’s important that I stand here and I say to Mr and Mrs Poots that I am sorry for the hurt that I may have caused.
“But I have to say to wider society that my language was wrong at every level and I have to apologise to all of them.”
Later, during Assembly question time, deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said misogyny online was a “huge problem”.
“For those in political leadership that engage in that everyday sexism and think it’s a joke, that’s just disgusting in itself,” she said.
“That’s not political leadership. Political leadership is calling out things whenever it’s wrong and in this case misogyny online is a huge problem.
On Monday evening, the SDLP also criticised Mr Beattie.
Party leader Colum Eastwood said: “There is no place for misogyny in our society. We need to take a zero tolerance approach. Politicians, male politicians in particular, need to set an example.
“We have a huge responsibility to call out misogyny in other men — Doug Beattie has totally failed the leadership test on this issue.” – Additional reporting PA