Friday, March 09, 2007

A woman's place is in the House...doing the ironing!

David Cameron keeps trying to convince us the Tories are no longer the 'nasty party', but the mask slips daily - this time over women MPs.

It seems Tory MPs entered the spirit of International Women’s Day in the Members’ tea room in the House of Commons in their own traditional way...

Check out this account by Nadine Dorries, which demonstrates how comfortable existing Tory MPs really are with woman MPs:

Nadine Dorries - pictured here - writes in her own blog diary:

TV interview at 8am in Millbank; then back down to the members’ tea room for breakfast. I don’t know why I bothered – I walked right into a trap.

The men started talking to me about International Women’s Day, and I of course, being the earnest person I am started talking about how there are more women in the Afghanistan and Iraq parliaments than there are in Britain, when one said “yes, but can they keep on top of the ironing?”

It went on and on in that vein, much laughter at my expense, again.
Nadine Dorries is Tory MP for Mid-Bedfordshire.

Here's an interesting fact: Cameron keeps on telling us he wants to see more women in Parliament.

But guess how many of the last 15 Tory parliamentary candidates selected by Conservative Associations have been women...Five, three, two....?

Nope. None. They've all been men. Every one of them.

Meanwhile, Cameron has clearly been irritated by Labour MP Dawn Butler’s hounding over his membership of the exclusive all-male gentleman’s club Whites.

A thoroughly modern party then Dave, eh...?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to admit I enjoyed Nadine Dorries' blog.

She has some interesting theories about Jack Straw.

She does 'real human being' well.

She should give lessons to Hazel Blears.

fairdealphil said...

brynley: i'll have to have another look...thanks.

Anonymous said...

Me too! I recall reading some time ago about the antics of many Honourable Members when TV cameras were on women speaking. Crude, sexist gestures were the order of the day. Nicolas Soames was a serial offender which came as a shock to me. An officer and gentleman no less!!!!!!

To my delight, I read recently that TV coverage was being changed so that the viewers of BBC Parliament would be able to see the "whole" picture of the House rather than just those speaking. This surely will reduce these dreadful, childish and sexist antics and perhaps bring some MPs into the real world!

Anonymous said...

I am looking forward to the new series of Castaway because there's a lovely Tory Totty from Croydon taking part.

Anonymous said...

Actually, Geoffrey, I'm from Skegness.