Beastly man insults fair maiden

There was a telling moment in yesterday’s Prime Minister’s questions when, after repeated attempts at interruption, David Cameron told Angela Eagle to “Calm down, dear”. Cue faux outrage on the opposition benches at this sexist slur from our pig of a Prime Minister. Ed Balls made much of looking particularly upset, as if someone had made a pass at his wife. Well, I would. It reminded me of my days at the Polytechnic - or the University of The West of England as it likes to style itself - and the Labour students who would roam the campus, desperately searching for something new with which to be insulted.

But it struck me that if we’re going to look at this silly incident seriously, it’s the Labour Party’s attitude to women we should worry about. Tim Farron, one of those nice Liberal Democrat MPs, recently gave a speech describing the “organised wickedness” of Margaret Thatcher’s government. I’ll pass on his obviously stupid commentary, but provide it as evidence of the nasty things politicians of different political parties sometimes say about one another. The front benches insult each other on a regular basis, and Labour’s stance suggests they think women unable to cope with this hurly burly of politics. Now that’s patronising.