Friday, January 18, 2008

Barry Sheerman's ironic accusations

Epolitix.com (via ConservativeHome) reports Barry Sheerman accusing David Cameron of turning the Commons into a brawling house:

"In an ePolitix.com podcast, the chairman of the education select committee said: "Can I just say, there was appalling behaviour by the leader of the Opposition today.

"He has been around in Parliament long enough to understand the rules of Parliament.

"He used the word 'you' shouting across the despatch box six times. He wasn't reprimanded by the Speaker, which I think was unfortunate.

"If someone is going to turn this place into a sort of brawling house, I am going to do anything I can as a senior member of Parliament to stop him."

Asked whether he would be seeking action on Cameron's interventions, Sheerman said: "He's got the behaviour of a hooligan in the chamber.

"As someone who wanted to get away from 'Punch and Judy', he is dragging the House of Commons down into a pit that I don't want to see it in."


What's brilliantly ironic is that this is the same Barry Sheerman who got in a drunken fight with Bob Marshall-Andrews, from the Times:

"Barry Sheerman, the senior Labour MP and chairman of the Commons Education Committee, happened upon the scene and attacked Mr Marshall-Andrews for talking to his “friends” in the Tory party. Mr Marshall-Andrews shouted back at him and suggested that Mr Sheerman might have taken drink.

At that point Jim Dowd, the pugnacious Labour MP for Lewisham West, arrived to begin haranguing Mr Marshall-Andrews, who insulted him and again implied that he was the worse for wear. It was too much for Mr Dowd, who grabbed his foe by the lapels and began pushing him across the lobby, finally pinning him against a wall.

Fortunately, the Labour whips’ office is in the opposite corner of the lobby and they were quickly alerted. Tom Watson, the genial and rotund junior whip, raced to the fracas and pulled Mr Dowd away from his adversary.

Other whips — known as the Westminster “thought police” — appeared swiftly to surround the combatants and defuse the situation,fearful that the real police might have to be called in. Mr Dowd retired from the area and Mr Marshall- Andrews went back to his Conservative “friends”.

Later, with tongue slightly in cheek, Mr Mitchell described it as an “unprovoked and unpleasant attack on a distinguished senior parliamentarian. It was mercifully defused with speed and efficiency by the government whips."


What a hooligan!

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