Temper, temper

tb

Is that the same Ed balls who said the economy was in recession?

lescam

According to the 1.00 news, he used the phrase 7 times. Cameron's motto must be; "more is more, and a lot more is a lot more". What an idiot.

MisterE

Perhaps Balls was talking about his wife...?

Dame Helena Handcart QC

It's all nowt. Forgotten by next week.

TrevorsDen

You sad git Mr Forsyth. there is no other way to put it. What a pathetic saddo life you must lead.

Cameron should wind the opposition up more not less. And if the LDs have had a sense of humour bypass then tough on them.

david

WHO CARES!!!!!

Labour get a life

Sir Everard Digby

James, depending on who you read, the remark was aimed at Yvette Cooper,Lisa Nandy and now Angela Eagle. At this rate the media will run out of MPs by about 6.30 tonight.

As our MPs tend towards the manners of the playground,why does this create any excitement? slow news day perhaps?

Justathought

Surely the point is if the speaker had been doing his job properly the PM would not have to call order. I thought the delivery was superb and well timed and only highlighted the usual PC mania from the Labour MP's. Now can we get back to discussing the economy?

Gary Williams

"Certainly ill-judged"? Why?
Is the PM not allowed to say "dear"? Or is he allowed to say "dear", but only to men?

If the Opposition were to behave in a way that made them resemble adults, one presumes that the PM would treat them as adults. Until they start to behave as adults, however, we cannot be sure.

"One of the (shadow cabinet's) more junior members"? Get real, man.
Eagle's been an MP for 19 years, for goodness sake. She's 50 years old. If she cannot take it as well as she tries to dish it out, she's in the wrong game, and certainly has no business presuming to represent her constituency or a ministry.

Calm Down Mr Hilton

What's worse, calling Ms Neagle "Dear" or embarking on a thankless war in Libya while shredding the British armed forces he hates? Discuss.

The economy is as flat as his feet.

Uncle Bob

What's the fuss? He didn't shout 'Wind your neck back in, you miserable harpie!', did he? Maybe he should have. I'm sure it'll be selectively edited for the news but most ordinairy people would think he did nothing wrong on viewing it...a lot would probably find it quite amusing.

One question...what was the speaker up to? If he won't slap down the oppposition frontbench for their incessant barracking then I'm afraid the PM has to.

Perry

But . . and it's a very big but . . . has he thrown a Nokia?

Has he dragged a secretary - sorry, an 'Administrative Assistant' (in NooLieBorespeak) from her chair?

Has he thrown tantrums?

He therefore fails the acidic test of being credible to the LieBore benches.

alastair harris

outrage over what I wonder - mock outrage to hide their pathetic attempts at opposition more like.

bojimbo

Labour was having a tantrum .

dorothy wilson

On the World at One Danny Alexander dealt with the "calm down dear" point by saying he thought it was aimed at Balls.

Good for Mr Alexander! And good for DC!

Magnolia

Just before Mr Cameron made his 'calm down' comment,I heard a persistent loud female voice crying out something that I couldn't make out. This was on top of a lot of Labour's background noise which carried on the whole time that the Prime Minister tried to read out his letter.
The fault lies with the speaker who failed to keep the chamber in order and Mr Clegg is clearly looking at the speaker to ask why he doesn't quieten it all down because he frowns a non-verbal question during the noise.
The Prime Minister let them get to him but his reaction was pretty mild when you look at the provocation and the Labour front bench reaction looked staged and theatrical.
I've never seen such a big grin on Mr Miliband's face. It says 'we got you'.
There is no place for bullying in any walk of life but if a female MP can't take the mild rough stuff in the HOC, then she should give up her job.
The BBC is partly at fault because of it's camera close ups. If we had the wide angle picture throughout then we could pinpoint the trouble makers who are currently out of view. I think Mr Cleggs stony face is rather a set face because he knows he's in view the whole time and he doesn't want his emotions to be read.

Torontory

'Calm down dear' is bullying? Heaven help us! Does this mean saying for example 'you're an idiot' means we will be sent to jail?!!

We've gone completely mad!

Fex Urbis

Cameron should get tucked into the pathetic, wet, labour front bench at every opportunity, they'd crumble almost instantly.

AAE

I'm no Cameron fan but his temper is one of his best weapons. Remember when he lost it with Gordo over the Baby P case, swiping his papers from the despatch box? It's a pity he doesn't use his position to repeal all those laws of thought-crime which diminish all our lives and force us all to kow-tow to Marxism. Next time anyone moans about perceived sexism in innocuous comments like 'calm down dear', they should simply be called fascists, and let's bring this argument out into the open and listen to the millions of sighs of relief which will ensue.

Yosemite Sam

I am surprised, Mr Forsyth, that you are making so much of this and dancing to Labour's tune. You know, you even say, that Labour have set upon a tactic of heckling Cameron at PMQ's without any genuinely productive objective. This comes in for no criticism from you. But when Cameron reacts with a good natured riposte, it becomes the major story of the day. 'Patronising', 'bullying', - nonsense; if the opposition have decided to rile Cameron, rather than act like adults, they deserve what they get.

JohnPage

Biased Bercow bested by bully Balls.

Is the calm down dear story the best you can do?

Alan Douglas

References to popular culture, incl advertising slogans, are the stuff of bullying ?

Has any Labour MP EVER said "Simples" or "It does exactly what it says on the tin" ?

If so, then SHUT UP.

Alan Douglas

GnosticBrian

I thought Ed Balls was making the gesture used by Obi-Wan Kenobi when he said "These aren't the droids you seek".

Liz Brown

It seemed to me that the squeaker was the one who lost it today - the Opposition benches were totally out of control, shouting, heckling, refusing to listen - a product of their comprehensive schooling no doubt and an insult to the electorate

Nicholas

"'Calm down dear' is bullying? Heaven help us! Does this mean saying for example 'you're an idiot' means we will be sent to jail?!!

We've gone completely mad!"

Yes. New Labour learned quickly that controlling language is key to controlling people. Creating a situation where we have to be careful what we say for fear of arrest stifles dissent and creates paranoia. They laid the building blocks of East Germany here and we let them.

Baron

Nicholas: "'Calm down dear' is bullying? Heaven help us! Does this mean saying for example 'you're an idiot' means we will be sent to jail?!!

Nope, but if you say ‘you’re a homosexual idiot’ then you may go down.

Listen, we should back the woman taking the boy to the tribunal, have him punished for homophobia. They, the twerps that pretend to run the country, ought to feel how it is down here wehe we live.

It won’t happen of course because as Mark Steyn observes: "The great strength of Common Law is its antipathy to "collective rights" (of minorities) - because the ultimate minority is the individual. If you elevate group rights over individual liberty, you're mainly empowering not "minorities" but the state, which becomes the sole legitimate arbiter of relations between various groups. And empowering the state means empowering the likes of Commissar…"

Verity

It was gross, patronising over-familiarity and he should have been reprimanded by the Squeaker.

He would not have so patronised a man. This was meant to diminish the woman and whatever it was she was saying (or shouting) to terms of her being a naughty girl who needed a parental reprimand. If he can only respond to a challenge with a patronising, over-familiar put-down, he shouldn't be in Parliament, never mind be Prime Minister. (Of course, he's not really the Prime Minister because he didn't win the position, so he has diminished himself further. I am delighted to note. The arrogant prat.)

Whoever the woman was who he was diminishing to subservient status vis-a-vis him, she is in Parliament because she won an election and she represents a large number of voters.

He is not an elected Prime Minister.

Cameron cannot do anything right.

Fatbloke on tour

JF

The question has to be who exactly is David Cameron?

His performance to date proves that he is a wee boy in a man's world. Regarding his current persona - on edge, easily wound up, no understanding beyond a prepared brief - suggests that he is lazy and increasingly out of his depth.

I fear he now knows this and this is the reason for all the outbursts. If he was from an earlier generation and had made it to Maggie's cabinet I fear he would have been a second rate JA, maybe a political body double for JM before his political car crash. Future PM material, forget it.

Consequently if I was WH I would be aiming to stick around a bit, you never know when the men in the grey suits might need well kent face at short notice.

If this is the state of Dave the Rave after less than a year in the job, struggling to perform and getting worse, how bad will things be by 2015.

I fear the electorate did not really know what they were voting for and the learning process has been a shock to them. You really have to think how bad would it be for him if he did not have Cleggy to act as his human
shield?

File under public school twat with a ticket on himself.
Not good, not good at all.

tericles

";how bad will things be by 2015." ?
A lot worse I guess!

Jane Bees

Do the Labour Party not realise how weak and pathetic this makes all their MP’s look in the eyes of the British electorate ?

Labour MP’s scurrying around television and radio studios and newspaper offices telling journalists tales of “ That boy Davids called us all a nasty name “ while shedding crocodile tears of anger and disgust as though they are reciting an acceptance speech for an Oscar.

After twelve months in opposition is that really all the Labour Party have to attack the Government ?

If a perspective Labour MP turns up on your door step over the next few weeks campaigning for the local elections - be gentle with them - there a very sensitive lot - wouldn't want them bursting into tears on your door step.

There, there it will be alright - we didn't really mean i

Mike Spilligan

Verity: Apparently he did when Leader of the Opposition in December 2007, during a debate on foreign aid. No doubt someone will soon find a "clip".

ButcombeMan

"ill judged"?

The writing here gets more and more utterly silly. It was a perfect and funny put down to a wittering baying mob who would not let him speak.

You would do better to analyse why the Speaker let the opposition get away today, with all the noises off. No wonder Cameron looked at the Speakler exasperated.

The Speaker knows it irritates Cameron, it also mightily irritates the public. I conclude since he regularly and deliberately does not grip matters, the Speaker intends the irritation.

When Labour ask an appropriate question (and they do occasionaly) I want to hear the reply.

Cameron should not apologise, he should explain that he is quite prepared to answer questions but baying at him while he does it is not grown up behaviour.

If he played it sharper, if they start baying, he should just sit down until they stop.

He would then be controlling matters. No point in relying on this Speaker.

Major Plonquer 1

Cameron was unwise to pick on Angela Eagle who, contrary to popular wisdom, is NOT a feminist.

I've been reliably informed that the reason Ms Eagle stays buttonned up and does not show her cleavage in public is because it's covered with marks from people touching her with bargepoles.

Poor dear.

Victor Southern

FatBloke

A phrase such as "calm down dear" would be a compliment compared with the foul abuse that you pump out from your basement boiler room day after day.

Andrew Fletcher

It was funny and probably deserved BUT it was still a mistake
He wrongly believes that baiting the left is his focus
That was fine when he was in opposition but not any more
He needs to gain stature as pm and that means rising above the PMQ's bear pit
It wouldn't really matter but this sort of thing erodes credibility and creates opposition to reform
I would like to have seen the faces of Gove, IDS and Lansley - not smiling I would guess

Isolde

Verity, completely over-reactive rubbish from you again. Wind your neck in,it's SO boring.

TomTom

Low quality MPs. No razor intellect no razor wit. Cameron would have been sliced and diced by Enoch Powell, Michael Foot, Ian Paisley - but they are all wet, weak, and blathering fools in Parliament today