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MP and voter clash over girlfriends
Saturday 11th July 2009, 9:42AM BST.
Controversial MP Lembit Opik has clashed with a voter who claims he cares more about raising his public profile than his constituents.
But Mr Opik today hit back at the claims, saying that who he was friends with was no reflection on how he did his job, to which he dedicated 80 to 90 hours per week.
Rhiannon Davies, of Ludlow, but formerly from Mid Wales, lashed out at the Liberal Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire after reports claimed he was dating former Wonderbra girl Katie Green.
Miss Davies, 35, believes the 44-year-old is just doing it for the “publicity” and claimed that she was disgusted.
According to reports Mr Opik, who has also dated TV weathergirl Sian Lloyd and Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia, has been dating the 21-year-old model since meeting at a party two months ago – but Mr Opik has refused to comment on his personal life.
Miss Davies said: “I was absolutely disgusted to read about Lembit Opik desperately trying to raise his public profile by being linked to ‘model’ Katie Green.
“How can one of our local MPs be taken seriously as a result of this? He’s letting his constituents down and he’s most probably not even dating her – I think it’s just a publicity act.
“He’s trying to get into the celebrity lifestyle and I honestly think he should be in a different job. I wouldn’t vote for him and I’m sure many others wouldn’t either. I just think it’s awful – he just can’t be taken seriously anymore.”
Mr Opik hit back saying that people had no right to make “unjustified” connections between his personal life and politics.
Mr Opik said: “I do a good job for the people of Montgomeryshire and work anything between 80 and 90 hours per week – I don’t think anybody could work harder for the people of Montgomeryshire than I do.
“I can’t stop people speculating or gossiping about my private life but I think it’s wrong when they start making comments about the work I do for Montgomeryshire.
“Surely MPs are allowed personal lives and I shouldn’t be judged for who my friends are. And if people want machines and not human beings representing them in parliament then, yes, maybe I am in the wrong job.”
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OF COURSE he’s doing it for publicity!
This man has his eye on a future career away from politics, probably because he likely hasn’t got much of a future *in* politics.
He keeps talking about all the good he’s doing for his constituents, but is there very much concrete proof of that, other than his own hyperbole?
But I will add to this that who is he ‘friends’ with isn’t really anyone’s business, although if he spends more time on self publicity than what he is paid for then that’s a different matter…..
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What this chap does in private is up to him, as long as it is not proven that it interfere’s with his job as an mp. This lady realy does need to chill out and not be so uptight.
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Lembit Opik led a debate in the House of Commons last week on human rights in Iran.
What he, Jeremy Corbyn and David Amess had to say in the House of Commons is far more important for the future than the utterly trivial issues reported above.
Maybe people would start buying local newspapers in significant numbers again if there was more reporting about issues which matter and less trivial guff.
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Well miss Davies, you’ve just managed to raise your own profile and gain a little bit of publicity just by hanging onto the coat tails of mr Opik. If i was going out with the wonderbra girl i’d have it written in the sky personally.
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As long as Mr. Opik can keep his political life and priorities above those he may have socially there should be no cause for concern however Mr. Opik should be aware that the press will be setting out to make sure it looks like the two cannot be compartmentalised and that extra caution will be required on his part.
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Debates on human rights in Iran, don’t make me laugh. Is that how politicians make there money, what an absolute joke. What about Mr Opik raising the issues of why soldiers are dying in Afghanistan because of the lack of decent equipment and transportation issues over there. Mind you, I couldn’t think of anything worse than a liberal Democratic government, Britain would then be a bigger mess than what it is now. Oh, by the way Mr Opik, how much have you claimed for this week ??
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Human rights are one of hundreds of subjects that MPs discuss and -like the appalling losses in Afghanistan- are no laughing matter.
Ordinary people around the world, whose governmenets deprive them of their human rights, often find that the oxygen of publicity generated by discussion by our MPs in the House of Commons (and the media attention it generates and/or public letter-writing campaigns) keeps them alive or improves their situation.
Mr Opik last week discussed the repression of members of the Baha’i faith in Iran, and asked the government questions about a) the human rights of a Colombian tribe, b) the effects of bauxite mining on the Adivasi population in India and c) Nepalese civilians who have gone missing in the conflict there.
Mr Opik is not a minister so his influence is limited, but I for one am glad to see MPs raising these issues in Parliament.
On the subject of Afghanistan, Mr Opik has in the past called for dialogue with the Taleban in order to bring an end to the fighting.
Do you think he is wrong to have suggested this, Richard?
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