Yes, Nusrat Ghani, let’s have that debate about MPs abusing power – we can look at your fellow Tories [STRONG LANGUAGE]
Tory MP Nusrat Ghani reckons she will demand an urgent debate in the House of Commons about the incident in which Clive Lewis used the word “bitch” during a social event connected to the Labour Party, a month ago.
Some of us may find it worth comment that she wants an “urgent” debate about an incident that is a month old and is only being discussed now in order to distract the public from the growing list of the minority Conservative government’s failures. Where’s her demand for an urgent debate on her own government’s failure to support the will of Parliament and suspend the Universal Credit rollout?
Here are her tweets:
Monday will ask for urgent debate from Speaker @HouseofCommons. Clive Lewis used position of power & establishment to undermine parliament. https://t.co/FGSyHKuDlp
— Nus Ghani MP (@Nus_Ghani) October 21, 2017
Labour Party & Corbyn shamefully let women & Parliament down as they stand by Clive Lewis. Clear NO respect for women. https://t.co/cWJhf9LZi8
— Nus Ghani MP (@Nus_Ghani) October 21, 2017
Oh, right. Using the word “bitch” implies a lack of respect for women. This Writer can certainly get on board with that – but not with the hypocrisy of saying it after reading an article about Mr Lewis on the Guido Fawkes blog, which has a record of abusing that word:
Interesting that Guido Fawkes says Clive Lewis is pure evil for using the B-word when he uses it openly himself on twitter. #ToryLogic pic.twitter.com/v5fWnPDgpK
— Pileus Media (@thepileus) October 20, 2017
Guido Fawkes is so woke now! pic.twitter.com/xOk4Q9e4C5
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) October 20, 2017
GuidoFawkes: "men calling men bitches is wrong"…"unless we do it". pic.twitter.com/J197b2dO7c
— Matt Thomas (@Trickyjabs) October 20, 2017
And what about the misogynistic abuse Guido‘s followers heap on women after they’ve been targeted on that website? Here’s an example:
Ironically the reaction to the Clive Lewis video has been an absolute torrent of misogyny sent my way purely because I was stood next to him
— The Poisonous Euros Atmosphere Fan (@DawnHFoster) October 20, 2017
Here’s another:
Don't start trying to make out you've got an ounce of morality. You stop at nothing to try and destroy your opponents.
— Frances Leach (@francesleach_) October 20, 2017
And there’s this one as well:
this happened to me too, when I was 17. got endless abuse from stuff they wrote. guido don’t give a shit about women https://t.co/dbEM8Rd0GV
— Abby Tomlinson (@twcuddleston) October 20, 2017
The event at which Mr Lewis misspoke was run, presented and owned by women – and no objection was raised at the time. Some have tried to raise indignation because a female voice was heard saying, “This is supposed to be a safe space”. Here’s the owner of that voice:
Julia that was me. I was hosting, and it was a joke you dingbat. https://t.co/BJ9ViklQra
— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) October 20, 2017
On top of all the foregoing is the fact that Mr Lewis himself has apologised for his words, which he accepts were completely inappropriate (even though the way they were said ran counter to the misogynistic use that is correctly vilified).
So we’ve established that the fake outrage over Mr Lewis is a storm in a teacup. But a debate could still be useful – to point out the many similar outrages caused by Conservative MPs.
I mean, opponents of the government could raise the obvious policy points:
So Conservative MPs refuse to turn up for a vote on pausing Universal Credit but now they want an “urgent debate” on Clive Lewis calling another man a bitch. #HeadsGone
— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) October 21, 2017
Absolute joke. People going without food for days due to Universal Credit delays and this is what concerns them https://t.co/dv0FjunfX1
— The Poisonous Euros Atmosphere Fan (@DawnHFoster) October 21, 2017
Grenfell? NHS crisis? Homelessness? Benefit sanctions? Syria? Yemen? Nah, Clive Lewis said bitch! Time for an emergency debate!!!
— Aleesha 🇵🇸 (@a_leesha1) October 21, 2017
I'm supporting my friend & colleague @Nus_Ghani on Monday. Unacceptable language & mysogigny from Labour MPs cannot be allowed to continue. https://t.co/lvL7rYB9i2
— Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP (@annietrev) October 21, 2017
Where was this Tory MP’s outrage when her colleague Philip Davies filibustered a debate about domestic violence? https://t.co/8SVFcYxdb3
— Socialist Voice (@SocialistVoice) October 21, 2017
To all the Tory filth who are expressing fake outrage re. Clive Lewis: You Tory bastards voted for a rape clause for child benefit.
— John Traynor 🇾🇪(Ducksoap) (@Mr_JDTraynor) October 20, 2017
You know what I'm disgusted by? Ur party bombing kids in Yemen not an MP that said "bitch". https://t.co/6apbS4Hcj6
— Aleesha 🇵🇸 (@a_leesha1) October 21, 2017
But let’s admit it – the time would be far better-used discussing the transgressions of individual Tories. Aaron Bastani, whose social media organisation Novara hosted the event at which Mr Lewis said his offending words, listed a few possibles – including, for the sake of fairness, one example concerning a Labour MP:
1) It would mean they could debate this https://t.co/5ZwGMSrhKU
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) October 21, 2017
3) In fact one imagines quite a few debates on Boris! https://t.co/6Vz4DK4gfA >
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) October 21, 2017
5) For Labour there is likes of Jack Dromey, who uses the word 'pikey' https://t.co/gm7GNPqK2v
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) October 21, 2017
Boris Johnson is worth an article in his own right – and the Metro has obligingly provided one. In it, Yvette Caster comments on his claim that women go to university because “they’ve got to find men to marry”, that female graduates are responsible for rising house prices – and are making it difficult for other families to get housing, that working women should get back to the home because they are responsible for young people’s antisocial behaviour.
There’s this: “Voting Tory will cause your wife to have bigger breasts and increase your chances of owning a BMW M3.”
I strongly recommend that you visit the article to experience the full horror.
But Mr Johnson isn’t the only Tory transgressor. What about James Heappey?
They really aren't very good with social media are they, they have an MP tell a schoolgirl to Fuck off, that's ok, but go ape over Lewis!
— Paul Elliott 💙 (@pelliott1954) October 21, 2017
Remember all the right-wing MP and gutter blog outrage over this….? No, me neither. Can't work out what the difference was…. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/LGWjIWaprP
— EL4C (@EL4JC) October 21, 2017
I wrote an article on Vox Political about this – ahem – “gentleman”, along with Tory Nick Harrington who said Ireland could “keep its f’king gypsies”. What charming men!
Moving back to the Cabinet, what about Michael Fallon, who called a journalist a “slut”, although it seems he would be more accurate if he applied the term to himself:
Labour MP used the word bitch. But Tory cabinet minister Michael Fallon once called a journalist a slut to her face: https://t.co/wqDo8K7JV7 pic.twitter.com/TUyaWSZx94
— Tom Pride (@ThomasPride) October 21, 2017
Fallon’s people have denied that he used the word but they would, wouldn’t they (to paraphrase Mandy Rice-Davies’s words about another Tory defence minister, in another scandal)?
And then there’s the deputy chairman of Bermondsey and Southwark Conservative Association, Rupert Myers QC. Journalist Kate Leaver has alleged that he “forced himself” on her – and I hope everybody reading this knows what that means. If it is true, then not only should he be imprisoned but he should be stripped of his Tory membership and dismissed from the bar (of the court – although it seems he should also be banned from reputable drinking establishments):
Awaiting your condemnation of the Tory Deputy Chair who "forced himself" on a female journalist: https://t.co/pZ1p9FUfvh https://t.co/HCSbdDyEG4
— Tom Pride (@ThomasPride) October 21, 2017
Finally, let’s all remember that the inappropriate misuse of language is not restricted to men speaking about women. Let us consider Anna Soubry:
This leftist twaddle needs calling out #Labour. @labourlewis comment was not “campy humour” #withfriendslikethis https://t.co/YPbC3sciXF
— Anna Soubry 🖤🤍🇺🇦 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 (@Anna_Soubry) October 20, 2017
What about when you called @Ed_Miliband a 'sanctimonious c*nt' Anna? Was that for the 'bants'? https://t.co/heByz2pn8p https://t.co/VC7hW0yTDm
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) October 21, 2017
This incident happened in the House of Commons itself, during a Parliamentary debate. Ms Soubry’s words were not picked up by any of the many microphones in the chamber, but she certainly appears to be using those words.
These are just a few examples of incidents in which, mainly, Conservatives have used their “position of power and establishment” abominably and it could easily be argued that they have undermined Parliament by doing so.
So, yes, Nusrat Ghani – let’s have that debate – and let us use it to expose your Tory colleagues as sexist, misogynist, and criminal vermin.
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Clive Lewis said nothing wrong I can think of people I know that could say it better be she would be very very upset by them
Tories are experts at throwing nasty sneering insults, but they get very angry when anyone even dares to even slightly criticize them.