She has gone out of her way to make herself unwelcome
A male political blogger objects, with the utmost politeness and restraint, to a “mouthy” female MP who expects protection after she gets threats.
‘Panic room’ is installed at office by mouthy Labour MP. Who’s paying?
I was just kidding about the politeness and restraint. He clearly thinks he’s being polite and restrained – he repeatedly says as much in the comments – but he’s delusional on that point. The scare quotes are not polite, “mouthy” is not polite, the question about who is paying is not polite.
It’s very hard to gauge the moral rights and wrongs of this situation.
Nobody should be put in fear for their life while carrying out a job that doesn’t carry that kind of risk with it – and I would certainly suggest that being a representative of the people like an MP should not.
However, Ms Phillips has gone out of her way to make herself unwelcome among a large proportion of the Labour Party’s members and supporters.
Look at that. It’s so classic. He’s (passive aggressively) indignant because a “mouthy” woman MP has “made herself unwelcome” – i.e. said things he doesn’t like. It’s as if he thinks female MPs should seek his permission before saying things he doesn’t like. And he’s hinting that she sort of kind of deserves threats in return.
Not only that; she has done this in her spare time – not as part of her work. You only have to look at her Twitter feed to see that she is an abrasive character.
How dare some woman be an abrasive character? Bitch.
You can probably tell, dear reader, despite the diplomatic language above, that I’m sick of her un-Parliamentary behaviour myself.
But I would not threaten her, and I certainly would not try to follow through on any threats she had received.
How kind, how generous, how forbearing. And such an elegant writer, with his despites and his dear readers – another Samuel Johnson, except not.
If she feels unwelcome, then the way she responds to that is a matter for her conscience.
But This Writer certainly hopes she is not claiming expenses for any structural alterations to her office or home that have been necessitated as a result of her own behaviour.
In other words – the bitch deserves it, because she’s a bitch, and she’d better not expect safety as part of her job, because it’s her own damn fault that she’s a bitch.
Mike Sivier, this genius is called.
I can’t stand the word ‘abrasive.’
http://fortune.com/2014/08/26/performance-review-gender-bias/
It’s a very loaded word, for sure.
Surely being “mouthy” is a big part of being a politician. Iain Duncan Smith tried styling himself as “the quiet man” but he lost to the far mouthier Tony Blair. And what kind of democracy would we have if MPs had to avoid expressing any view that others might not like?
I hated being called “mouthy” as a kid. It’s just a way of telling you not to stand up for yourself. It’s a term used only toward kids and anyone considered inferior. No-one describes the man who dominates every conversation as “mouthy”. No-one uses it for the bore who drones on and on. It’s really just another way of saying “uppity” or its sanitised cousin “sassy”.
Exactly.
Capitalizing “This Writer” makes it pretty clear just how egocentric This Asshat is.
My father referred to my wife as being “aggressive”, I suggested “assertive” as a more appropriate description.
@RJW. You should have told him to put on his big boy underpants and get TF over it. I wouldn’t put up with any crap from my father, when he was still alive, regarding my wife.
Follow up question for him. Did the MP who was shot some weeks ago have it coming to her? If a police officer is being threatened, or a judge, is that their own problem for choosing a career where they make enemies, or do they deserve some amount of protection because they are working for the public good?
sailor 1031 @ 7
Yes, fair comment. However, I have to make some comments in defence of my parents. When my father made that remark he was in the last few months of his life. Both my parents had been very circumspect in regard to expressing opinions about our lifestyle. For example my wife and I decided not to have children, we were never placed under pressure unlike many other couples. I didn’t realise how much wife’s independent attitude annoyed my father until the end of his life when both his physical and mental health deteriorated and the ‘inhibition switch’ wasn’t working as well. My mother, in an unguarded moment, also expressed an opinion to my wife that we weren’t ‘properly married’ because we had been married in a civil ceremony.
That said, my parents to their credit, usually kept their opinions to themselves, unlike many parents and In-laws of their generation. (I’m 70 and they were born before WW1).
@ 9 RJW
I take it you have elected to spurn tradition (particularly as regards Muslims).