Prime Minister - 'calm down dear'

[Atticus]

Patronising? sexist? jolly hockey sticks? Banter?

[PeckhamRose]

True colours....

[Loz]

Link? what are you talking about? Is Cameron appearing in the next eSure ad alongside Michael Winner?

[Loz]

Oh, hang on. Found it.

'Labour's official spokesman branded his remarks as "sexist, insulting and patronising".' I suppose that makes him the Tories version of Harriet Harman, then.

[Marmora Man]

Not exactly a major political story. Priggish Labour MPs can't take a joke - what's newsworthy about that?

[Jah Lush]

An arrogant little shit showing his true colours under pressure. The man is an absolute prat.

[frierntastic]

Not Cameron's finest hour, sure, but it does seem like the Labour party love nothing more than to be offended by something.

[womanofdulwich]

Seriously though,I would not have thought any man under 50 would use that phrase to a woman without expecting to "get her going". It should be below him. I wonder what Sam Cam would say to him if he tried it on her?

[Huguenot]

Marmora Man, you are quite beyond belief. What would your wife say if you said 'calm down dear' in front of your mates in order to remind her that you are a man and she needs to know her place?

*comprehensive non Labour MP disbelief*

Looking for the men-stuck-in-1050 poster book.

[Marmora Man]

Huguenot Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Marmora Man, you are quite beyond belief. What

> would your wife say if you said 'calm down dear'

> in front of your mates in order to remind her that

> you are a man and she needs to know her place?

>

> *comprehensive non Labour MP disbelief*

>

> Looking for the men-stuck-in-1050 poster book.

My wife would laugh and come back at me with a similar, non threatening, relevant and perhaps marginally amusing put down. Neither of us believes in po faced rectitude. I'm not defending Cameron's wit - as a parliamentary put down it was weak - I'm amused by the degree of righteousness that Labour and its supporters can muster in response to such a lame joke.

[northlondoner]

Wonder if that's how he keeps Theresa May in line? That plus a playful smack of the behind .Could be going for some kind of Mad Men retro chic. Smoking in the cabinet office, martinis at lunchtime..that sort of thing.

[ratty]

Few people hate Cameron more than I, but on this occasion I think what he said has to be taken as a bit of a ill judged joke. A bit like his party really! ;)

[Alan Medic]

I thought the response by the MP put this in context. She said she wasn't looking for an apology as she had been patronised by better men than him. This is all much ado about nothing.

[peterstorm1985]

If this was the first time Cameron had used this phrase I would understand the supposed uproar, and the suggestion of sexism, but it isn't. He previously used the phrase to quieten down a man (I think it was David Milliband). There weren't any complaints then, so why the excitement now? I rather think this was just an exchange of normal political banter that a few journalists managed to get in the middle of.

[Guest]

Banter, but in this case used in a sexist way, so he's either being deliberately sexist or showing rather poor judgement for a political leader (maybe both). Perhaps his indecision over what to wear to the royal wedding has fogged his brain.

The man's an idiot and unfit to be prime minister. My guess he's marking time till he gets into the House of Lords and a glut of board positions.

[Ridgley]

I notice when Cameron gets flustered on Prime Minister Questions he gets defensive or personal.