AdamSmith Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Kindly cut out the crap, chaps People have been talking "crap" in parliament. Literally. The Speaker, John Bercow, has spoken about the usage of the word in the House of Commons. Labour MP Bill Esterson used the word in reference to what David Cameron said about dropping environmental policies or, as Cameron is said to have put it, "green crap". Esterson wanted the prime minister to explain what he meant by "green crap". Then Tory MP Alok Sharma tweeted about "EUredtapecrap". Suddenly, crap was getting out of hand. Crap was flying everywhere. What could be done about all this crap? Enter Bercow, who said that "crap" was not a parliamentary word and it would not be tolerated under normal circumstances in the Commons. People could not call each other crap or start raging that policies were crap. All that crap had to go. However, crap could be used if quoting something said elsewhere, as in Cameron and his "green crap". That crap could stay. Please brace yourself as I'm going to use my more in sorrow than anger tone. It's as if Bercow were in a headmaster's study, addressing a bunch of uncouth 14-year-olds who'd been caught by matron smelling strongly of homebrewed cider and Golden Virginia. How old are these people, these elected political representatives, that they need it to be clarified that spouting crap should be considered unnecessary unless, of course, it becomes absolutely necessary? Some might say that the fact that the Speaker of the Commons had to "offer guidance" to a bunch of parliamentarians on the right and wrongs of "crap" is in itself more than a bit, well, crap. I'm sorry to report that there are no winners here. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/01/women-same-sex-experimenting Quote
