A disheartening story...indeed. Conservative MP Paul Maynard has cerebral palsy, he has described his shattering and emotionally exhausting experience trying to address the House of Commons during a debate on the abolition of the Child Trust Fund. He says MPs opposite were pulling faces and making 'really exaggerated gesticulations - really exaggerated faces.'
Paul himself is being rather decent about this saying that 'He cannot say with certainty that they were making fun of the cerebral palsy. "But it felt like it"'. However, other opposition MPs confirmed that the abuse had taken place and 'dismissed the idea that this was just the usual Commons rough and tumble'. This is outrageous abuse and bullying, nothing less.
More disheartening is the BBC not bothering with it, quite the opposite in fact: in the online version of the paper review they have written: "The Times has Tory MP Paul Maynard, who has cerebral palsy, saying he was mocked by MPs during a Commons debate.", clearly making it appear that he was mocked by members of all parties. Worse, in the broadcast version of the paper review Evan Davis said,
"The Times says the Conservative MP Paul Maynard has been mocked by colleagues in the House of Commons because he's disabled. Mr Maynard has cerebral palsy and he tells the paper MPs appeared to pull faces to mimic him as he spoke in the debate...The Times says politicians of all parties have condemned the general behaviour in the Commons as cruel and despicable, adding that young people MPs are also patronised with constant sneers."FFS! That actually seems to try to make it appear that it was Conservatibve MPs: who would think "colleagues" was referring to opposition members? Imagine had the roles been reversed?
Hat-tip: Craig at Biased BBC.
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