no smartphones in HoC debating chamber?

[HepzibahHumbug]

Fed up watching MPs debate with other MPs on the benches behind looking at their smart phones. Totally rude and undermining of our democracy. It gives the impression that no one is listening to anyone else. Seems symptomatic of our country. Ban them from the debating chamber of House of Commons?

Amen to that.

Totally agree.Utter nonsense that it is acceptable as "Women multitasking!"T flipping May!

I think they need their phones on them for fact checking, if someone says something incorrect in a speech then they need the exact details to counteract it/ make a point of order etc.

Plus they’ve probably got all their notes on them, there’s not much room to write on with paper and pen.

I thought that the other day, I'm glad I'm not alone

They have shown MPs playing games on them in the HOC

John Beecow feels the same, he has told quite a few MPs off for doing this!

I think they need their phones on them for fact checking

It would take ages to find a decent source. Plus they can come back to the house and ask for a correction so what’s the point?

I find it rude having phones in meeting, same for the HoC surely

I think if you banned them you’d risk more MPs not turning up for some of the less “high profile” debates (where already not enough MPs turn up for half of them) because they’d say that if they can’t access their emails etc in the HoC chamber, then they have to spend more time out of the chamber in order to get things done.

I’m not necessarily defending them with my comment btw! Just pointing out that banning them might have unintended consequences

they'll need them for whips messages too presumably?

How would it take ages to find a source?
It is part of their bread and butter of daily work to know their way around the Internet of what matters to them, same as for many people at work.

I hate having nothing to do with my hands at conferences etc find it much easier to listen if I take notes or flick through twitter at the same time.

How would it take ages to find a source?
It is part of their bread and butter of daily work to know their way around the Internet of what matters to them

They have researchers who spend ages pulling stuff together so actually factual errors may not always be apparent!

They have staff to access emails. and it isn’t a conference - they’re there to actively participate!

Thanks pps. Interested that majority find it annoying. I think it looks especially crap when MP behind despatch box is on tv checking his/her phone. Paper and pens did fin till 15 years ago.

The HoC isn't the best at modernisation, they've only just introduced proxy voting for maternity/paternity, the building is crumbling to bits, so I can't get het up about using phones in the chamber - phones/iPads are useful means of communication - the amount of updates/correspondence that MPs get during the course of a day is incredible so I understand why they have their phones to hand.

As for attendance in debates, the chamber isn' the only locus of work in the HoC - many MP's will be attending committees, meeting constituents, attending meetings such as APPGs, carrying out duties in relation to other roles they have within parliament. There are some MPs who probably do swan about, there are some MPs who I think are self serving wankers, however, the vast majority of MP's I've worked with are genuinely motivated by public service and work v hard. A v good book on this topic is Isabel Hardman "Why we get the wrong MPs" - I'd recommend it.