British politicians can’t seem to stop swearing. The British public doesn’t like it.
The air around the famous green benches of the House of Commons is turning bluer these days as MPs – and their House of Lords colleagues – indulge in record levels of expletives in speeches and debates. Others were left squirming after their mutterings of profanity from the bench were recorded on a hot microphone.
Outspoken British opposition leader Keir Starmer – favorite to become prime minister later this year – added his own expletive to the record last week when he used his appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions to repeat an anonymous newspaper briefing outlining the activities government. child care policy as a “shit show.”
Labor strategists insist they have no plans to make Starmer’s swearing in Parliament a habit, noting the phrase was taken from Times front page.
But Starmer’s profanity was in vogue. Data from Hansard, the official parliamentary record, shows that politicians’ use of words such as “shit” and “fuck” has risen sharply in recent years.
Just a few weeks earlier, another MP accused Home Secretary James Cleverley of calling the English town of Stockton a “shithole” during a regular prime ministers’ session. Skillfully denied the specific allegation, although he admitted that he used “profanity” in the audience.
For some, the rise in the use of foul language in Parliament is a sign of the times.
“I think the swearing is just a by-product of the absurdity of British politics in recent years,” said Scottish National Party MP Mhairi Black, who was advised by Deputy Speaker Rosie last year to watch her language in Parliament. Winterton.
Black was reprimanded after claiming the Tories were “pissed off” (a Scottish insult meaning “drunk”) during the Covid lockdown. This was the first recorded use of the word in Hansard’s long history.
Brexit Conservative MP Michael Fabricant, who, as is knownshouted “nonsense” at a pro-European colleague in the Commons during a debate in 2016, insists swear words can be effective tools for MPs to use.
“Keir Starmer’s run sounds contrived and scripted, but periodic expressions of frustration can be effective,” says Fabricant.
Although he warns: “Like anything else, too much swearing, in addition to being offensive, devalues the product.”
Rules of the game
In fact, the vocabulary of Members of Parliament is limited by the rules governing parliamentary debate in the UK.
Using “unparliamentary language” may breach the rules of civility in the House of Commons, and the Speaker of the House of Commons may ask MPs to withdraw their comments immediately.
By UK Parliament websitethe words “coward,” “scoundrel,” and “scoundrel” are among the words that various speakers have objected to over the years.
@rtvimain, 01/31/2024 01:18: On the parliament website there is a whole section about “unparliamentary language”. Among the words that some legislators have allowed themselves for “for many years” are “git”, “guttersnipe”, “rat”, “pig” – also known as “bastard” (swine ). Some swear in a very sophisticated manner, using old-fashioned and flowery insults such as “blackguard” or “stoolpigeon”. […] Separately, journalists calculated how often people’s representatives used “shit” and “fuck” – right from the very foundation of parliament in 1800. “Shit” in the mouths of deputies was first recorded in the mid-1850s, but “fuck” was only recorded in 1964. — Insert K.ru
But MPs are allowed to swear without penalty if they quote others – and while some, like Starmer, may use this loophole to insert profanity to score political points, others use such language for much more serious reasons.
The word “p***a” which the public perceives as one of the most offensive curse words, it has been included in parliamentary records three times, all in the last six years.
Significantly, both MPs who used the word – Conservative MP Andrew Percy and Mhairi Black – illustrated some of the abuses they suffered while doing their jobs. In the House of Lords, Conservative peer Anne Jenkin used the same word to describe language used against a Conservative parliamentary candidate during a debate on social media.
The word “Fuck”, which is also considered highly offensive, has been included in parliamentary records 13 times, nine of them since 2017. Each time, the MP or colleague quoted others, often to recount verbal abuse.
Swear carefully
But MPs who use harsh or juicy language for more frivolous reasons should use expletives with caution, and those who monitor public opinion should exercise caution.
“The public may understand the odd caveat of frustration – most people accept that politicians are only human,” says Luke Thrill, director of More in Common, a consultancy that runs focus groups across the UK.
But he warns: “The public has no time for MPs who swear, either deliberately or gratuitously – the most common reaction from MPs to such behavior is: ‘Imagine if I did that in my workplace, I’d lose my job!’ MPs who can swear or otherwise behave badly without consequences are seen as another example of “one rule for them”.
“Parliament has become a bit more of an informal place over the years, and you could argue that that’s probably the right approach,” says one former political adviser, who was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly in his new role.
But they agreed that in general the public “really likes to be kept clean”.