Today was the PMQs of the shriek.
Female MPs have problems because of the range and timbre of their voices. Maggie Thatcher changed hers from annoying whine to sultry purr. Today the unknown Tory MP Anne Marie Morris startled the Commons with her non-house-trained banshee. She had her left arm in a sling.
She began with a high-pitch orgasmic shriek, turned red and increased the volume. Incomprehensible, painful and as useful as a fire alarm at emptying a room, her voice terrified the Chamber. She waved her damaged arm in a threatening gesture before reaching the climatic final sounds that only dogs could hear.
A heckle from the Labour side bellowed; ‘Next time, get the whips to break her other arm’
Great ideas in a well thought out piece. Love the way you put your point over. I'll be looking for more from you.
Posted by: Fire Alarm Testing | August 07, 2012 at 12:58 PM
"This was an example on how to do everything badly" - you just don't see the irony in this do you?
Posted by: Joe Eldren | July 16, 2012 at 01:36 AM
There is no denying that you could have had some valid comments to make on this Paul, but they didn't need to fit to the sterotypical sex laden misogyny belonging to a time long past.
"Female MPs have problems because of the range and timbre of their voices."
Yes, they do, especially with men, it is true, it's just not a particularly wonderful comment on men.
"Maggie Thatcher changed hers from annoying whine to sultry purr. "
Sultry: of a person, esp. a woman) Attractive in a way that suggests a passionate nature.
"She began with a high-pitch orgasmic shriek,"
Orgasmic: Of or relating to orgasm.
(of a person) Able to achieve orgasm.
"before reaching the climatic final sounds"
Still sticking firmly to the sexual analogy.
A heckle from the Labour side bellowed; ‘Next time, get the whips to break her other arm’
and throw in a bit of violence, for giggles, and what have we got?
Nothing worthy of the house and to be honest it reflects badly on everyone.
Posted by: HuwOS | July 14, 2012 at 02:28 PM
The comment was a sketch on Commons Questions. I was asked to do this for a publishers blog which features the advice in my book How to be an MP. I attempted in the book to give detailed advice to MPs on how to excel at PMQs. This was an example on how to do everything badly. It will be long remembered. If she had read the book, she would have done better.
Posted by: Paul Flynn | July 14, 2012 at 09:15 AM
She was not disabled since she was able to vigourously wave her 'injured' arm about, she did shriek, and what she said was incomprehensible due to the shrieking of everyone else in the chamber. So it is fair comment by Paul Flynn but in my view the whole lot of them are a disgraceful shower, excluding a few conviction politicians and one or two openly republican MPs.
Posted by: BUGGEROOTER | July 13, 2012 at 11:10 PM
This post is so disgraceful for an elected official it's just not true. Ignoring the fact she's from the Tories, you see fit to mention "her left arm in a sling" & "She waved her damaged arm"- why? What has this to do with political argument? It seems to me you are simply using her physical disability to do some cheap point-scoring.
Shame on you.
Posted by: Joe Eldren | July 12, 2012 at 01:02 AM
This kind of post Paul and the behaviour it is about is the kind that I would believe likely to draw the ire of D.G. at the very least.
If it does so, I will be in full agreement with her.
While I well recognise that there is a rough and tumble of parliament and have no particular problem with that being so, both your post and the actual performance of MPs in the house seem remarkable close to blatant, unpleasant sexism which distracts from the fact that she belongs to an unpleasant party with unpleasant views and damaging policies.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9392236/PMQs-snapshot-Anne-Marie-Morris-human-fireball.html
Posted by: HuwOS | July 11, 2012 at 02:56 PM