Helen Eadie MSP Committee Resignation

Helen Eadie, Labour MSP for Dunfermline East has resigned from the Equal Opportunities and Subordinate Legislation committees in the Scottish Parliament, citing the fact that the Conservatives are entitled to chair the Equal Opportunities Committee. Ms Eadie commented that putting the Tories in charge of Equal Opportunities was like "putting Attila the Hun in charge of care in the community".

There are some who may believe that the real reason she resigned was that in the last 2 terms (from 17 June 1999-31 March 2003 in the first term and from 4 June 2003-2 April 2007 in the second) of Parliament she served on the public petitions committee. On this occasion the Labour party selected a chairperson and overlooked Helen Eadie for the post. She is one of very few Labour MSPs who have served from the beginning of the Scottish Parliament who have never been a Minister, Deputy Minister or Committee Chair . Some might suggest that this latest snub was more than her ego could take so she spat the dummy.

Surely if she has such strong feelings about the Conservatives and their fitness to chair a Committee, she would not have voted for Alex Fergusson to preside over the Scottish Parliament. Records show that she did indeed vote for him to take up the position of Presiding Officer.