Boris Johnson dismisses female MPs fears about death threats as humbug.

[chomalungma]

AIBU to think this is not what a PM should be doing.

Paula Sheriff asked him to tone down his language. The tempers in the debate are stoking the flames and the PM's use of language such as 'surrender' are adding to it.

She then explains the death threats she and other MPs on all sides have been getting . The abuse.

His reply. 'Humbug'.

If you still want to support Johnson after all this, ask yourself if you support such a response

Boris Johnson has 24 hour police protection, whereas these MPs have none. It must be scary for them. Why does he?

a) Because of Brexit?
b) Because he is BJ?
c) Because all PMs have it?

If c) then why mention it? It is normal, nothing has changed!

Because all this 'getting Brexit done' ignores what the country will be like afterwards. Peoples feelings won't go away. Yes! Whatver the outcome about half the UK population will be unhappy. Left and Right are as likely to demonstrate, violent twats will take advantage of both - see a pp above!

• Erm...

Ah, he's just a loveable buffoon isn't he. 🤦

@CuriousaboutSamphire how are they not doing their jobs? They wanted to be there in parliament sitting.

There are alternatives to hard Brexit and no deal but they haven’t been discussed since before the vote

What was that? Was that what the EU said no to? How many revisions, back tracks and U-turns ago was that? It was obviously before they all painted themselves nto a corner (to continue an analogy). The prosepct of leaving was very different from the reality - which almost all through would never be voted for!

It’s the Norway model - access to the single market and I the customs union. Never brought forward to the EU as a proposal as Theresa May went full hard Brexit immediately, disputed the country being split. A huge mistake.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/open-britain-video-single-market-nigel-farage-anna-soubry_uk_582ce0a0e4b09025ba310fce

I think all MPs of whatever political persuasion are showing their passion for their beliefs, as I'm sure we all would if we were MPs.

The angry exchanges were unpleasant to watch and I do feel the language used in parliament by everyone needs to be toned down.

I would question whether those MPs expressing great anger are fit for office though. It's a tough job but we need representatives who are mentally tough but measured in their responses. People who set good examples to the rest of the population.

To try and pin death threats on Boris Johnson using the word surrender and linking this in with the death of Jo Cox was disgusting politicking and point scoring if the lowest taste.

The behaviour of these two women was belittling to women.

I would suggest their arrogance at thinking they know better than the public by ignoring the referendum vote as the public’s are stupid and didn’t know what they were voting for is a more likely cause of any death threat than random words used in speeches in parliament.

Were they suggesting the death threats had just started after he used these inoffensive words surrender and coward, Ive heard a lot worse in parliament.

What, so that makes it ok then?

Of course it bloody doesn’t! I just didn’t think she’d made the point very well and therefore didn’t understand where she was coming from.

I’m no supporter of Brexit, but BJ doesn’t need to create a perception of MPs undermining democracy. They’ve all been undermining democracy for the last 3 years!

Curious
I agree Cameron started this. He promised it to keep his party together. The whole thing was about the Tory party. Yes, then bodged the entire thing.

In fairness to Cameron, party leaders would do anything to keep their party together in order to win a GE. So another leader would very very likely have taken the same decision.

Had a different decision been taken and the Tory party split, UKIP would have been a much larger wing. A referendum may have been inevitable. Who knows.

Boris was the darling. The battle bus rider. Look what he is doing now in Parliament. He’s a bully and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He wanted the top job from the outset so why would he back Cameron. He didn’t want to be a right hand. Once the decision taken, he removed the gloves.

On how he is dealing with death threats, his language according to labour mp Peter Kyle on BBC right now “If you want to take the threat away, vote for the deal. He has zero emotional intelligence to see genuine distress.” I paraphrased slightly btw.

I don’t think I’m exaggerating, no.

Ah, he's just a loveable buffoon isn't he.

No he’s a racist, sexist bumbling throwback.

Is that a good reason to waste hours of parliamentary time in hyperbolic criticism of the phrase “Surrender Act”?

We don’t have time for this now. There’s a really serious crisis in progress.

Thanks @longwayoff scary times.

BJ doesn’t need to create a perception of MPs undermining democracy. They’ve all been undermining democracy for the last 3 years!
Yes to this.
This all feels like it's coming up to some terrible climax. All sides are using intemperate language. And, yes, I do believe the raising of Jo Cox by 2 Labour MP's is humbug.

This is one of the reasons why I don't think a general election would be a good idea right now. I deliver leaflets for my local party. Others go out canvassing, only asking "Can I ask if you'll be voting for x Party in the next election?". I used to go out alone, how much harm can sticking a leaflet through a door do?

I can't go out anymore, as last time someone followed me, grabbed my arm and started screaming in my face. When another woman knocked on someone's door, the man tried to drag her inside the house, and it was only that this was seen by another canvasser that it was stopped.

We can go out in pairs, and one person checks everybody back after each house. How bad have things got that we have to do this? And if someone has a weapon, being in a pair isn't going to stop them doing a great deal of harm.

I don't know what the answer is, but having heard the language these people use, I've no doubt it comes from politicians and the media. An election campaign that is restricted by fear is not a true campaign.

I would suggest their arrogance at thinking they know better than the public by ignoring the referendum vote as the public’s are stupid and didn’t know what they were voting for is a more likely cause of any death threat than random words used in speeches in parliament.

1. MPs probably in the most part do know better than the public about politics
2. the referendum vote wasn't ignored. The last 3 years have been spent trying to make the stupid idea work
3. the public didn't know what they were voting for in 2016. That was possibly unknowable anyway, but things like medicine and food shortages and job losses and a big blow to the economy weren't what was voted for.

The behaviour of these two women was belittling to women.

Bollocks it was. They made clear that this language Johnson is using was also being used in the death threats that they and their families were getting. That's why he was being asked to tone it down and not to portray people who disagreed with him on legislation as traitors/'surrendering'/whatever else.

It is absolutely hideous that anyone would shrug off MPs getting death threats as "well it's their own fault for not doing what I want about Brexit". It is really, really worrying to see people hinting at that here.

I would suggest their arrogance at thinking they know better than the public by ignoring the referendum vote as the public’s are stupid and didn’t know what they were voting for is a more likely cause of any death threat than random words used in speeches in parliament.

sorry, bold fail

I hear what you say muff, but, for balance, my dh and (female) friends are out canvassing regularly at the moment, and have never met with any aggression.

I'm not denying your experience for an instant, but just want to point out that it is not happening everywhere.

MPs have been getting death threats since before brexit.
And lots of their families get threats too. But most MPs don’t mention it publicly.
They’ve ramped up since the referendum obviously- on both sides of the debate. But it’s not always about brexit. Public figures become a focus point for people. That’s why MPs get specialist security advice.

Boris was wrong to dismiss what she said. Horrible. But I don’t think Jo Cox should be brought up in debates in Parliament to argue a point.
MPs need to calm down. All of them.

@Smelborp they were rhetorical questions. All of that is past history, parliament did as it did and here we are. This stalemate is what I mean by not doing their jobs. Wanting to go back, not recess, is just more time shouting meaningless shite.. as we are seeing! NOT fixing what cannot be fixed!

@Mummyoflittledragon I think, given my current "Who gives a fuck any more" stance, that BJ was actually the slowest to take a step back this time. When the question was asked he hesitated, Gove, etc leapt backwards, seeing the end of their careers 100 days down trhe line.

And who is there, in any party, that would have acted differently? Yes, they would have had different aims, but this semi dictatorial stance is probably what anyone would have to adopt to get something through!

As for UKIP etc, I have a horrid suspicion that they will happen, we will have to go through that, we will have a more lawless, personally violent society for some time. We have enough examples around the world to show us it is entirely possible.

Then again I see the incredible difference between London, Manchester and other large urban areas and the rural areas I live in... and, right wing as some of them are, the personal violence just isn't the same - though sadly it is growing! We have hope... but we need parliament to stop shouting and start talking!

I listened to all the debates in the Supreme Court as well as the debates in commons yesterday. If parliament was more like the Supreme Court, it would be a better place. It was an unedifying spectacle that brought shame on the country. Sadly, there are elements that are lapping it up. BJ is a PM representing the whole population. He has no evidence that 17.4m people voted for the no deal Brexit he is so dangerously veering towards. I believe that Theresa May could have found consensus across the house if she had collaborated with moderate MPs rather than appeasing the hardliners of her party (who still weren’t happy).

But what are MPs getting death threats about? It’s most likely to be about undermining democracy is it not ? So I’m not sure what point she was trying to make.

Are you seriously suggesting that this would justify death threats?

Bringing up the murder of Jo Cox was entirely appropriate, and for anyone to suggest otherwise is itself political point-scoring. She was killed during the referendum campaign by someone who was shouting about keeping Britain independent. It is people of the same type who are being inflamed by Johnson shouting about traitors and who are now making threats against MPs - and women MPs are getting the brunt of it because people on the far right tend to find it particularly outrageous that any woman should be in a position of power.

Asking Johnson to consider the effect of his language is an entirely appropriate request, and dismissing it as "Humbug" is, quite simply, despicable. It's pretty clear that he would have dismissed Jo Cox as humbug had she raised this issue during the referendum campaign.

It's bizarre that democracy has been reduced to one non binding referendum in 2016 by some, rather than MPs in parliament, which is and always has been how democracy works in our country.

The fact that BJ is purposefully trying to do 'people against parliament' to win himself votes has stirred up and is encouraging hatred of MPs, so while they may have always got death threats (if that's the case) it's likely to be worse now as a direct result of this strategy, I think that was the point of what MPs were saying. Tbf Jo Cox was their friend. Who wouldn't be worried if one of their mates had been stabbed by a Britain first right wing extremist and they were an MP too.

Curious

I completely agree with you on the inflammatory language on all sides. People have contrasted it with the SC - I liked a comment someone made about “the grown ups being in charge” whilst the case was on.

x post I agree tonnerre women in public positions would be a particular target

Bloomberger if Jo Cox hadn’t been murdered by a far right terrorist she would still be alive. Highly unlikely she would have been murdered by a everyday passerby on the street.

That Jo Cox was in fact murdered by a far right terrorist is highly relevant in this situation. Especially when other MPs are being sent death threats by other people on the far right.

Of course the PM having police protection is worth mentioning - he's speaking from a position of having that protection and dismissing the concerns of those who don't have it.

As for MPs recieving death threats because they're "undermining democracy" my MP seems in favour of a hard/no deal Brexit but his constituency voted remain, hardly representing us, is he?