UK Independence Party speaks at European Parliament:

[oggbashan]

Godfrey Bloom was been elected as a Member of the European Parliament in June.

He has proposed himself as a member of the Women's Rights Committee. His statements in support of that:

"I just don't think they clean behind the fridge enough. I am here to represent Yorkshire women, who always have the dinner on the table when I get home. I am going to promote men's rights."

The more women's rights you have, it's actually a bar to their employment. No self-respecting small businessman with a brain in the right place would ever employ a lady of child-bearing age."

"That's not politically correct, is it? But it's a fact of life. I know because I am a businessman."

When translated into the 20 official languages the response of the other MEPS ranged from disbelief to laughter.

The UKIP has promised to "Wreck" the Strasbourg Pariament.

Og

 

[matriarch]

This was being discussed at work today.

Even gentlemen (and I mean that sincerely, nothing tongue in cheek, there are one or two left), of my age, were surprised that he hadn't been tarred and feathered.

Staggering that one can still find this attitude today.

Also very frightening. Very, very frightening.

Mat

 

[shereads]

Some of your small businessmen are self-respecting? Wow.

Godfrey Bloom was been elected as a Member of the European Parliament in June.

He has proposed himself as a member of the Women's Rights Committee. His statements in support of that:

"I just don't think they clean behind the fridge enough. I am here to represent Yorkshire women, who always have the dinner on the table when I get home. I am going to promote men's rights."

The more women's rights you have, it's actually a bar to their employment. No self-respecting small businessman with a brain in the right place would ever employ a lady of child-bearing age."

"That's not politically correct, is it? But it's a fact of life. I know because I am a businessman."

When translated into the 20 official languages the response of the other MEPS ranged from disbelief to laughter.

The UKIP has promised to "Wreck" the Strasbourg Pariament.

Og

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Damn. There's stuff going on today in the European Parliament other than the endless debate with Durão Barroso that has been on TV all day, over here?

Question:
What was the percentage of votes Godfrey Bloom got?

 

[Teenage Venus]

I thought he did an excellent job in get his point of view over, as did 'Kilroy'.

If you couple that with the leaders of the National Front being shown up for what they are - thugs and criminals, (under-cover film), I think between them they should have seen off both the UKIP and BNF.

Free speech CAN work sometimes

 

[oggbashan]

Half a million votes!

Yorkshire Post

Og

 

[shereads]

I like that your parliament yell at each other when they're angry, instead of gettiing all purse-lipped and snitty.

 

[oggbashan]

I like that your parliament yell at each other when they're angry, instead of gettiing all purse-lipped and snitty.

Our parliament is outclassed by the Australian Parliament for high-class invective. There is a list of expressions which the UK Parliament classes as 'unparliamentary'. The Australian Parliament's list is much shorter but I think 'a bloody sheep-fucking drongo' was added to it.

Og

 

[Somme]

I was under the impression that the Australian Parliament was comprised solely of said drongos - although I may be wrong.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

Isn't it the Chinese that fist fight?

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Isn't it the Chinese that fist fight?

Taiwan, I think.

 

[cantdog]

Lead weighted canes.

-----

Mat, I work in a church, a Baptist one, with a female pastor. There is plenty of that attitude.

They can quote scripture to support it, but that's true of nearly everything if you ignore context.

I don't think it's very scary compared to some things.

cantdog

 

[ABSTRUSE]

Taiwan, I think.

I beleive your right. Better than some of the professional wrestling I've seen.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Last year, during the Prime Minister's monthly visit to the Parliament, Carlos Carvalhas, a Member of the Parliament and secretary-general of the Portuguese Communist Party, was making a speech about the situation in Iraq. At one point, he refers to Tony Blair - that ostrich.

After he was finished, the President of the Parliament repreended him (in a light-hearted tone), saying that it isn't proper for an MP to refer to the Prime Minister of an allied nation as an ostrich. Carvalhas quickly apologised and assured the President that he "didn't mean to insult the animal."

The President registered Carvalhas' respect for the animal kingdom.



Sometimes, politics is fun.

 

[oggbashan]

Calling Tony Blair an ostrich is polite.

UK Parliamentarians can be much more vituperative than that (within the rules of debate) as long as they address him as 'Prime Minister' or 'My Right Honourable Friend'...

What some other European Countries' leaders have called Tony Blair is much more insulting. We don't mind. We can think of far worse epithets for our Prime Ministers.

Og

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Calling Tony Blair an ostrich is polite.

UK Parliamentarians can be much more vituperative than that (within the rules of debate) as long as they address him as 'Prime Minister' or 'My Right Honourable Friend'...

What some other European Countries' leaders have called Tony Blair is much more insulting. We don't mind. We can think of far worse epithets for our Prime Ministers.

Og

Og,

is the scottish parliment different from the english parliment? i watched a session of one during an insomnia bout and laughed till I cried, but I am almost sure I remember mp's in kilts.

-Colly

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Calling Tony Blair an ostrich is polite.

Oh, the bit that had everyone laughing was when he said he didn't mean to insult the animal...

 

[Just-Legal]

"...I am here to represent Yorkshire women, who always have the dinner on the table when I get home..."

No I don't! He's home before me!

((My other half, that is))

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I thought you Brits had a long-standing tradition of letting--even encouraging--mad eccentrics to run for public office. I always thought it was some kind of comic relief.

There've been some books written about the British love for her eccentrics, and I've always admired that. You've had some great ones too.

---dr.M.

 

[shereads]

I thought you Brits had a long-standing tradition of letting--even encouraging--mad eccentrics to run for public office. I always thought it was some kind of comic relief.

There've been some books written about the British love for her eccentrics, and I've always admired that. You've had some great ones too.

---dr.M.

It does seem that whenever there's a mention in the newspaper of a woman who owns the world's largest collection of hamster pelts, the dateline is Great Britain. Is it on purpose?

 

[Black Tulip]

Thank God there are more countries with idiots like that.

We have this one party where women cannot even be a member. The women are not even supposed to vote, their husbands do that for them.

They have a constant number of votes however, because they have lots and lots and lots of kids and then some.

Yes, you probably guessed: God wants it that way.



Freedom of religion supercedes the laws on equality, in this case. Don't you love it?

It's the same brand of protestant belief that spawned the apartheid in South Africa.


ashamed of that particular piece of heritage

 

[snooper]

Now that the hysteria has had a chance to die down can we examine one of the statements?

"The more women's rights you have, it's actually a bar to their employment. No self-respecting small businessman with a brain in the right place would ever employ a lady of child-bearing age. That's not politically correct, is it? But it's a fact of life. I know because I am a businessman."

This is no more nor less than the truth in the UK with the law as it now stands.
I ran a small business for many years. We had five employees. With the maternity rights as they stand in the UK (listed here) I would have been required to allow all that time off and extra costs of using temporary employees to replace her, only to have to re-employ her when she chose to return to work.
My business was consultancy in the computer industry, and it was difficult enough to keep abreast of the relevant new products without taking a year away from the industry.
Employees with young children are also entitled to "flexible working arrangements" which play havoc with on-site working.
I was lucky; I never had a young female job applicant without having an equally well, or better qualified male applicant, so I never got taken to an Employment Tribunal (more costs) to justify my choice of employee.

PS: Now the stupid govrnment is talking about statutory paternity leave also. I gave a couple of weeks compassionate (full pay) leave to the one new dad we had, so I am not wholly Mr. Scrooge. I do not need the law to tell me who is a suitable employee and who isn't.

 

[Black Tulip]

Snooper,

I can understand your reasoning as a small businessman. But not all women are going to become mothers. Some can't, some won't.

I know, asking is out of the question in job interviews, well at least it's been banned in The Netherlands for the last 15 years or so.

And how do you determine the 'childbearing years' are over? Ask them for a menopauzal certificate? LOL

Trouble is, you won't get into a job after childbearing either. I know from experience, on the grounds that you're too old. Thank you very much.



I have been working since I was 18 and never stopped when I had my son. Changing jobs has been a major effort though.

 

[snooper]

... And how do you determine the 'childbearing years' are over? ...

Simple. All my key employees were men. The one woman was in a post that was easily replaceable.

And I never had one employee resign just because their SO had got a better job somewhere a long way away.

 

[oggbashan]

Og,

is the scottish parliment different from the english parliment? i watched a session of one during an insomnia bout and laughed till I cried, but I am almost sure I remember mp's in kilts.

-Colly

Colly,

There is no such thing as an English Parliament. There is the UK Parliament and there are devolved assemblies for Scotland and Wales, and there would be one for Northern Ireland if the parties there could agree to stop killing each other.

A very loose parallel is that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are State assemblies and Westiminster is the Federal Government. People in Scotland and Wales elect Members to the UK Parliament and to the devolved Parliament.

The Scots are to have a new building for their parliament which is three hundred percent over budget and faulty.

The UK parliament has some very odd traditions. The devolved parliaments have taken many of the traditions with them.

In the House of Commons there are red lines on the carpet two swords' lengths apart to stop MPs duelling in the Chamber. Then someone had the bright idea of banning swords - but the red lines are still there.

We elect:

1. Parish Councillors
2. District/City Councillors
3. County Councillors or
4. Unitary Authority Councillors who do both 2 & 3.
5. Members of the devolved parliament if we are in Scotland or Wales but NOT England
6. Members of the UK Parliament in Westminster.

All those are elected by the first past the post system - the person with the most votes in the electoral ward wins.

7. Members of the European Parliament elected by proportional representation for a large area. The number of members each part gets depends on the proportion of votes. If say Labour gets 25%; Conservative 25%; Liberal Democrats 20% and all the minor parties get 30% then there may be 3 Labour, 3 Conservative, 2 Liberal Democrat and 3 split between the minor parties. That is how the UK Independence Party got seats at Europe.

The first past the post system means that in some areas it doesn't matter what I vote for politicians 1-6. The majority for one party means their nominee will be elected even if he (usually a he) is a brainless dolt and the other candidates are intelligent caring human beings.

The electorate is beginning to revolt. They elected a man in a monkey suit as a City's Mayor. He's doing quite well in office.

Locally, a Councillor was outed as having performed in a porn video while a student. Next election he got more votes than before. Another local Councillor is bordering on senile dementia but she is much loved and was a concerned Councillor in the past so she gets re-elected. The other Councillors even forgive her when she votes (as she has done) against her party because she hasn't understood what is being discussed. If the issue is vital, one of her colleagues lifts her arm at the right time (amid laughter from the whole chamber). She doesn't mind.

Og