What’s in a name for whatshername?

I WAS present at a funny political incident which may interest the irreverent Drumlanrig.

Last Friday (4 November), Anne McGuire MP (Labour, Stirling) visited a Higher Modern Studies class at Dunblane High School and was asked tongue-in-cheek by one of the students: “Can you name all three of the Scottish Labour leadership candidates, and why can’t Ed Miliband?”

Before making innumerable excuses for her dear leader she confidently attempted to achieve what he had failed to do; remember the names of Tom Harris, Ken Macintosh and Johann Lamont. Admirably, she managed to reel off Ken Macintosh (which is just as well as she had nominated him, after all) and Tom Harris before – oh, ironies of ironies! – coming unstuck with the final contender.

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After a painfully long five to ten seconds of embarrassed racking of brains she finally remembered Johann Lamont’s name, in an all but exact repetition of poor Ed’s disastrous mistake a few weeks ago. The only difference being that the now unfortunate Johann was substitute for the now unforgettable Ken. If I were Tom Harris I’d be getting worried – it’s his turn next.

Such forgetfulness – even if just genuine human errors – does seem to betray a worrying complacency and perhaps even disinterest or lack of knowledge on the part of Scottish Labour MPs towards their Holyrood colleagues when you can’t even remember the name of the current Scottish deputy leader of the party. Worrying times for Labour.

David Kelly, via email