Thursday's WTAF?

[scooterscot]

He'd feel right at home in the Tory party.

[KinooOrKinog]

People who commit crimes rarely see anything wrong with their behaviour. You think it's inappropriate, they don't. Your moral compass is nowhere near theirs. You are not comparing apples with apples.

But surely no crime has been committed? The boy is 16.
I'm certainly not agreeing with what's gone on, just that legally he's done nothing wrong.

[northernladuk]

But surely no crime has been committed? The boy is 16.
I'm certainly not agreeing with what's gone on, just that legally he's done nothing wrong.

He's made a bad error of judgement that will undermine people's confidence in him. That's enough for a politician to go, not just if he's broken the law.

[KinooOrKinog]

He's made a bad error of judgement that will undermine people's confidence in him. That's enough for a politician to go, not just if he's broken the law.

No I agree. He's lost his job over it & will now no doubt have people shouting abuse at him in the street, but I'm not defending his actions. I was just pointing out that he's done nothing that's against the law.

[d000hg]

The relevance, with out implication, was WTH was he thinking in chasing a kid who is near enough the same age as his son; WTH thinks that that's an appropriate thing for a grown man to do? Surely, being a father, he can't think that anyone that age is anything other than a child.

I DGAS that's he's gay. Being gay does not equate to paedophile.

Yeah, no straight men in their 40s ever fancy 16-18yo girls. You never see people having relationships with women half their age, or remarrying someone of similar age to their kids.

This may be inappropriate but it's hardly unusual or even remarkable.

[d000hg]

No I agree. He's lost his job over it & will now no doubt have people shouting abuse at him in the street, but I'm not defending his actions. I was just pointing out that he's done nothing that's against the law.

That we know of. And I thought there was some leniency in the law to class as illegal interactions with <18yo when the other party is much older?

[wattaj]

I was just pointing out that he's done nothing that's against the law.

That may not be strictly true. There are different rules regarding the age of consent where the older party may be seen to have "abused a position of trust" and the younger party is under 18.

[wattaj]

This may be inappropriate but it's hardly unusual or even remarkable.

16. The boy is 16 and the messaging has been going on for 6 months. "Inappropriate" doesn't even come close the this situation.

[GJABS]

16. The boy is 16 and the messaging has been going on for 6 months. "Inappropriate" doesn't even come close the this situation.

I'm 49 and would not kick out of bed a 16 year old. In what way do you feel that it is is inappropriate?

If politicians felt that it is wrong for an older guy to chase (consensually) a much younger guy, then they would have made it illegal. They didn't - which tells me they find such behaviour acceptable at least.

Though the guy sent him around 173 messages, which certainly constitutes harrasment, and possible grounds for dismissal.

[wattaj]

I'm 49 and would not kick out of bed a 16 year old. In what way do you feel that it is is inappropriate?

With all due respect: you are a nobody; Derek Mackay is an MSP and someone who could be reasonably assumed to be in a position of trust. Note that he used his position to propose that the boy come to rugby event at the Scottish parliament.