
Unparliamentary language breaks the rules of politeness in the House of Commons Chamber, with part of the speaker’s role being to ensure that MPs do not accuse each other of lying or being drunk. Swearing, personal insults and mentions of “crooked deals” are all on the list of not-to-mention’s as well.
In a 2013 Real Business article, Erskine May was quoted as having said that “good temper and moderation are the characteristics of parliamentary language”. In his guide to “Parliamentary Procedure”, he penned a list of profane words, which now includes: blackguard, coward, hooligan, hypocrite, idiot, git, ignoramus, liar, pipsqueak, rat, swine, stoolpigeon, sod and tart (a great deal attributable to Dennis Skinner). For example, an MP must never accuse another of being drunk. In 1987, Labour MP Frank Cook was forced to withdraw his jibe, replacing it with “half sober”.Read also: Strange laws from Parliament that are still applicable today
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Most famously, when Esther McVey was a minister in the department for Work and Pensions, McDonnell refused to apologise for quoting a constituent who called for her to be lynched during a meeting in her constituency.
Following a complaint to Labour’s leadership he later told the commons: “The substance of the matter is there is nothing to apologise for and I hope the electorate on May 7 will remove the stain of inhumanity.”
During a short-lived campaign to become Labour leader in 2010, McDonnell said that he would like to “go back to the 1980s and assassinate Thatcher”. Of course, Corbyn tried to defend McDonnell by saying many still felt “raw” about Thatcher’s years as prime minister. Earlier in 2015, he lashed out at the conservatives’ welfare bill, and said he would “swim through vomit” to oppose the cuts. He also lists among his interests in Who’s Who “generally fermenting the overthrow of capitalism”. And let’s not forget the time he controversially praised the IRA at a commemoration for the hunger striker Bobby Sands in London.Share this story