I am about to say something highly controversial. In my ever so humble opinion, I think that when sitting in the Houses of Parliament in London, Members of Parliament should be following whatever debate is in progress. They should not be on their mobile phones checking stuff out, e-mailing, booking holidays or even blogging
And they should certainly not be drooling over their favourite porn sites. Apart from anything else, The House of Commons is a workplace and in a workplace you are, surprisingly enough, meant to be working.
I sometimes tune into BBC Parliament on our television and on many occasions I have observed MP's using their smartphones right behind colleagues who are making points, asking questions or delivering speeches. Perhaps I have turned into an old fuddy duddy but I think this is outrageous.
The careless habit is surely sending out a message to schoolchildren and university students alike that when you are in a lesson or a lecture it's okay to use your mobile phone. After all, the people who are meant to be running this country do it all the time so it must be all right. Mustn't it?
Earlier today, news broke that an unnamed Conservative M.P. had been observed by women in his own political party looking at pornography on his phone while sitting in the chamber of The House of Commons. I agree entirely with Kirsty Blackman of the Scottish Nationalists who said very straightforwardly. "They have been elected to represent their constituents not to sit in that chamber and watch porn."
Some schools have sought to combat the scourge of mobile phones in classrooms by instructing children to leave their phones at home or at the school's main reception desk. I think it is a tactic that should apply to The House of Commons too. No phones in the chamber. After all, before mobile phones were invented, MP's conducted their Commons duties perfectly well without them.
Rant over.
How do these people even begin to think this is acceptable?
ReplyDeleteChecking out porn sites when others can see you doing it seems to me to be the height of stupidity. I believe we are talking about a senior member of the Tory Party front bench but his name has not yet been revealed.
DeleteI don't think it's stupidity, I think it's arrogance. And I agree that it's outrageous behavior.
DeleteGood.
DeleteI wish the same for America’s congress as well. In fact, I think they need to ban cellphones during session and make them leave them in a basket outside the door much like the Mayans MC do.
ReplyDeleteWell I have no idea what the Mayans M C is, was or does but I agree that inside debating chambers smartphones are inappropriate. Those present should be 100% in tune with what is going on INSIDE the chamber.
DeleteAmerican television show about a motorcycle club “gang” called the Mayans. They do that with their phones so that everyone can speak freely in a meeting without fear or being recorded.
DeleteI have that same rant about our members of Congress. They're there to work, so work!!
ReplyDeleteWork can take many forms but pleasuring yourself with porn is not one of them.
DeleteIn this case, I think you are quite right. Ditch the phones before going to work.
ReplyDeleteOnly in "this case"?
DeleteI agree with you 100%! It is disgraceful to set this kind of example, especially when schoolteachers are fighting students' disrespect over many things. Cell phones are a huge part of that! They were a major factor in my retirement. A friend used to work at the corporate headquarters of Starbucks. When they had meetings, the attendees had to drop their cell phones in a basket so it was out of their hands. I think it's a good idea for many venues.
ReplyDeleteI recognise that cellphones have brought some benefits but there are places where they do not belong. I once heard a phone's ringtone at a funeral and its owner answered the bloody thing!
DeleteTo add to your rant, I think it's more than cell phones. The critters we elect are missing some marbles. They are very shallow.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know they played marbles in the chamber! That is almost worse than watching porn!
DeleteSome companies have phone-free zones, such as board rooms, but more out of fear someone could secretly record what is being said in such a meeting and pass on highly sensitive information to a competitor or the media. I have been in many a business meeting where people had their tablets or phones with them, and while I am sure some of them were doing stuff not related to the meeting, others were taking notes or looking things up that were relevant to the discussion.
ReplyDeleteThe sentence "They have been elected to represent their constituents not to sit in that chamber and watch porn" made me think - by watching porn at the work place, that MP is probably representing a number of his constituents quite realistically.
Perhaps the people cavorting on the porn site are themselves constituents.
DeleteWell said YP! But who is going to give all these idiots counselling because they can't even bear to switch their phones off, let alone be parted from them!
ReplyDeleteYorkshire Pudding Counselling Services Ltd.. We use some unusual methods.
DeleteI agree but I can see times when some fact checking may be useful. What also gets me is when the houses are empty of all but a few until the bells are rung and a vote is needed.
ReplyDeleteThey could do any fact checking OUTSIDE the chamber.
DeleteI agree, no phones in the chamber. They're supposed to be running the country, so PAY ATTENTION!
ReplyDeleteIt's so simple isn't it River?
DeleteAnyone who's looking at porn in the House of Commons has a problem, to put it mildly.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband was an IT Manager, he was asked by management to check employees work computers for pornographic web sites as they'd had reports that this was happening. Fortunately there was a tracking device on the computers which made it easy for my husband to do this. It was found that six or seven people were looking at these sites and then sending them on to others during working hours. Suspension was immediate and they were later sacked. I doubt that this would happen to our elected MPs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Neil! Pay attention at work!
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't like people looking at their cellphones ALL OF THE TIME while walking down the street, or driving in their car, or hanging out with family! Maybe because I am old, I just don't get why they must always be looking at it. Look around you - say hello to people, watch your children playing, look at the trees and the birds and the sky! They are missing so much! ...You have me ranting too!
You are called Yorkshire Pudding not Fuddy Duddy. I agree with your rant.
ReplyDelete