The Conservatives are now the Party of Upskirting
Selfie-centred: This has never happened (thank goodness) but it is exactly the kind of thing Sir Christopher Chope was supporting.
The practice of taking photographs of female celebrities’ private parts by pointing a camera up their skirts or dresses has won a ringing endorsement from Conservative backbencher Sir Christopher Chope and his ever-willing henchman Phillip Davies.
Mr Chope filibustered a private members’ bill calling for upskirting to be criminalised. Along with his supporters, he spoke for a total of four hours in order to prevent the legislation from progressing through Parliament.
He has defended this indefensible behaviour by saying he hates private members’ bills – shurely shome mishtake as he has tabled dozens of them himself:
We're being lied to. Again.
The press is claiming Chope blocked the upskirting bill because he's against private members' bills in principle.
But Chope has sponsored 47 private members' bills himself – including one to make NHS patients pay for treatment:https://t.co/KGmEOBsPLE pic.twitter.com/0DKkjc6kEn— Tom Pride (@ThomasPride) June 16, 2018
Mr Davies is on the record as a supporter of men’s rights, which he believes are being eroded by feminists. Does he believe men have a right to examine the quality of a lady’s underwear if she doesn’t agree to it?
Prime minister Theresa May has expressed her own dissatisfaction with the outcome:
Upskirting is an invasion of privacy which leaves victims feeling degraded and distressed. I am disappointed the Bill didn't make progress in the Commons today, and I want to see these measures pass through Parliament – with government support – soon.
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) June 15, 2018
But she was lying again, I expect. If Mrs May was all that upset about it, she would have punished her errant MPs, perhaps by withdrawing the Tory whip from them.
But that would mean losing her majority in Parliament.
So her hands are tied.
And for all her fine words, her actions show tacit support for what her MPs did.
The official Conservative Party twitter feed also tried to de-legitimise the backbenchers’ point of view as an expression of Tory taste…
We’re absolutely determined to make it illegal to photograph people under their clothes without consent.
— Conservatives (@Conservatives) June 15, 2018
… and failed:
So you'll be suspending Philip Davies and Christopher Chope? Didn't think so. There are no feminist @Conservatives. Not one. https://t.co/iGm3R9ruAL
— Tweets by Sue (@marthasydenham) June 15, 2018
On Twitter, some of the usual suspects have been having a fine time satirising the sexists on the Tory benches:
https://twitter.com/UKDemockery/status/1007678030716768256
One has to ask, though – why defend this intrusive and demeaning behaviour?
Other than perversion for its own sake, what exactly is the point of upskirting?
What do the paps who profane themselves with this practice possibly hope to find?
A long-lost masterpiece by Van Gogh?
The Titanic sailing back into harbour at long last?
Extraterrestrial life?
No.
The best they can hope to see, no matter how many such photos they take…
… is what Christopher Chope sees every time he looks in a mirror.
Chope and all his Tory ilk are the epitome of nastiness.
Please remember it’s not just celebrities that are affected by this vile behaviour. The vast majority of victims are normal women (sometimes, regrettably, young women and school children). As for the Conservative Party’s vile and despicable members who, time, after time, after time, after time talk-out, or vote down legal measures in order to maintain unacceptable and inexcusable behaviour towards women, I have only one thing to say: “People, you are vile and pathetic excuses for humankind. Take your despicable behaviour elsewhere and leave Parliament NOW!!!
Gina Martin said that she spoke to Mr. Chope, who claimed not to know what it was, when asked about the subject of the Bill. Why object, if you don’t know what you’re objecting to? His behaviour beggars belief! As a human being, you should support the criminalising of this activity. It is a gross invasion of privacy and nothing to do with the law not keeping pace with technology, because we have had instant cameras for decades. One does not have to be a feminist to support this Bill but I could say that one has to be something else to oppose it. We all have, or had mothers, many of us have sisters, daughters, nieces, wives… How would we men feel if it happened to one of our own? This is wrong on so many levels and it should be illegal. What is happening to our young men that they feel that this sort of behaviour is acceptable? Men should be honourable.
Mr. Chope, in future, if you don’t know what something is, ask! I echo those women in the House; SHAME!
Has it occurred that perhaps Chope was ordered by the whips to do it? Apparently afterwards he said he didn’t even know what upskirting was, so it appears he has no interest in the subject.
Seems to me that the bill could’ve had any subject matter and he would’ve done the same. Him and Philip Davies both have a long record of doing similar. My they’re good little poodles for the PM aren’t they. No wonder Chope has been given a knighthood for services to the Crown.
Gotta ask yourself if this wasn’t another attempt at deflection from the Tories.
The NAO Report on Universal Credit came out on Friday too, which do you suppose has had the most column inches in the media, social as well as MSM?
Good point!
They have shiny shoes for a reason.
he is a stain on humanity, there should be a nice secure unit for pillocks like this
Typical Tory B******… give them ALL knighthoods
Truly sickening..