A BEMUSED Canadian called Jim Murphy has been swamped with Twitter messages meant for the leader of Scottish Labour.
The Ontario businessman has fielded a series of allegations and complaints on social media that were meant for his namesake 3,000 miles away.
The Canadian Murphy has the Twitter name @JimMurphy, which has been widely mistaken for the @jimmurphymp used by the MP for East Renfrewshire.
The tweets have been pouring in to the Ontario Jim Murphy despite the fact he looks nothing like the Scottish politician in his profile picture.
Mr Murphy, president of software development company Boltmade, has patiently and politely responded to messages, one of which accused him of taking “blood money”.
Among the stray messages was one from Martin Menear on Monday in which he tweeted: “Murphy linked to hard-right think tank… So how does @JimMurphy justify his association?”
The mildly baffled Canuck replied: “@kernewek61 I don’t.”
The previous day, @alabasfree tweeted the “wrong” Jim, taunting him with: “@jimmurphy Guess with all those student loans you’re happy to take any blood money on offer.Taxi for #creepyjim.”
Jim replied: “Ah, no.”
Last month’s barbed attacks on the wrong man included one by @gavmacn, who tweeted: “@jimmurphy says he will cut ties with WM and Scottish Labour will run its own affairs. Oh the delicious irony cereal.”
Jim replied: “@gavmacn no I didn’t.”
@browna_ab tweeted on December 17: “Apparently no truth in the rumour that it was @jimmurphy who called the polis.”
Jim got into the spirit of things on that occasion, joking: “I totally did it.”
Several Scots Twitter users have apologised after belatedly realising their mistake.
After contacting Canadian Jim about how his “mate Douglas Murray of the Henry Jackson Society justifies torture” Twitter user Alan McMahon apologised saying: “Whoops. Quite a slur there. Sorry!”
@The45Strorm told him: “@jimmurphy sorry, you must be getting pestered by all us Scots today, many apologies.”
The Scottish Jim Murphy joked in response that he was often mistaken in the street for George Clooney.
