Austin Mitchell: it’s better to select men in seats with large Muslim populations

Jaw-dropping from Labour MP Austin Mitchell on Labour Party selections in seats where one of their MPs is retiring:

Most selections are now on the all-women basis, even where hairy-arsed local politics, a major Ukip threat or a substantial Muslim population might suggest that it’s better to choose a man.

He’s clearly no fan of Ed Miliband’s approach to managing internal Labour Party matters, but goes on to claim that a switch to having a younger and more female Labour Parliamentary Party will mean:

The Commons will also be more preoccupied with …. small problems rather than big ideas and issues (a very bad thing as it will be less exciting and lead to sixth-form essays read out word for cut-and-pasted word, replacing oratory).

Back in 2012 Austin Mitchell directed a tweet, which he later claimed was “ironic”, at then Conservative MP Louise Mensch saying that a “good wife doesn’t disagree with her master in public”.

Perhaps UKIP should pop a membership form in the post to him.