Something that has annoyed me today......

[aspinn2008]

Grrrrrrrr.......



UKIP MEP in row over working women


Godfrey Bloom: 'I am going to promote men's rights'
A Euro MP for the UK Independence Party has sparked controversy hours into his first day in the Strasbourg parliament.
Godfrey Bloom was given a seat on the European Parliament's women's rights committee on Tuesday.

But he told the media: "No self-respecting small businessman with a brain in the right place would ever employ a lady of child-bearing age."

A range of fellow politicians were outraged, saying his views were terrifying and outrageous.

Mr Bloom, an investment fund manager from York, told journalists he wanted to deal with women's issues because: "I just don't think they clean behind the fridge enough".

"I am here to represent Yorkshire women who always have dinner on the table when you get home. I am going to promote men's rights," he added.

The comments provoked a strong reaction from Labour Euro MP Glenys Kinnock, who said: "We know UKIP are Neanderthal in their attitudes, but it is absolutely terrifying that Mr Bloom can fly in the face of what we have worked and fought for, to establish equal opportunities and rights for women."

'UKIP time machine'

She said she will be keeping an eye on him: "He cannot strut around here saying things like that."

Liberal Democrat MEP leader Chris Davies said: "It looks like it is time for a ride back to the 1950s on the UKIP time machine, to the golden age of women's rights and opportunities.

EUROSCEPTICS IN STRASBOURG

1 UK Independence Party - 11
2 June Movement (Denmark) - 1
3 Christian Union (Holland) - 2
4 Movement for France - 3
5 June List (Sweden) - 3
6 League of Polish Families - 10
7 Independent (Ireland) - 1
8 Civic Democrats (Czech) - 1
9 Achilles Association (Greece)-1
10 Northern League (Italy) - 4


Independence and Democracy (ID) is a new parliamentary group of hardline Eurosceptics
It rejects the EU constitution and the "centralisation of Europe"
It says it opposes xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and discrimination

"UKIP look set to prove themselves as a recruiting sergeant for the pro-European cause and all the measures taken by the European Union to promote equal opportunities."

The leader of the Party of European Socialists, Poul Nyrup Rassmussen, said Mr Bloom's remarks were "outrageous" and "absolutely unacceptable".

Mr Rassmussen added: "This is about equal rights. You cannot have the right to fire people because they are pregnant.

"It is not acceptable that employers should callously take account of whether women might get pregnant. We will be following up Mr Bloom's remarks."

Mr Bloom is one of 11 UKIP MEPs - a massive increase from the three MEPs the party had in the last European Parliament.

They joined 730 others from 25 nations at the parliamentary building in Strasbourg on the first day of this five-year parliament.

UKIP aim to bring "Britain back from Brussels" and ultimately want the UK to pull out of the EU altogether.

 

[cmartin3393]

there was me thinkin UKIP were just a bunch of euro haters didn't think there was much more to it than that. but wow that is scary and unbelieveable.

 

[smellybob]

look at what he said and try to see beyond the "everybodies equal" attitude that you've had driven into you.

"No self-respecting small businessman with a brain in the right place would ever employ a lady of child-bearing age."

the point he is making is that small business's cannot afford to maintain payment to women who want time off due to pregnancy NOT, as im sure that you have presumed, that pregant women shouldnt be able to work. it is an attack on legislation rather than women.

i hate political correctness

 

[JohannaG]

Well at least he says what is on his mind.

Another minister may be thinking the same thing(s), but would never come right out and say it.

I wonder what all the 'kilroy silk' fans think of him and his party now, wasnt he adored by middleage and old ladies?

 

[lzpa77]

exactly

 

[sqeker48]

Hmmm. A very "small" businessman.

Saw it in the paper this morning. Pathetic.

Come the next election I can only hope that the people of Yorkshire show him the door.

Cheers,

Matt.

 

[MreJimLahey]

Hmmm...I am a small bussiness"man" AND a woman of childbearing age. I guess I'll go lay myself off now .


Idiot.

(another reason to love Canada!)

 

[cba133110]

I heard the guy on the radio earlier tosya and think he is being mis-represented.

The point he was making was that small businesses are unlikely to take on young women as they can't afford to operate maternity leave. He said what is needed is a new system where the needs of employees and employers can be more balanced.

I wonder how much of the furore is a sign of worry from the main parties about UKIP. Certainly Glenys Kinnock wouldn't like them, given the Euro gravy train her and Neil are on.

 

[malmsteenrulez]

thats exactly what i said early RobP. but we live in a political climate where some views are unacceptable

 

[mistiki]

I'm not sure that his comment about 'cleaning behind the fridge', even assuming it was supposed to be a joke, really backs that up.

 

[Thepunisher]

Is an attitude that 'everyone's equal' a bad one to have then?

 

[Dell]

"I'm not sure that his comment about 'cleaning behind the fridge', even assuming it was supposed to be a joke, really backs that up."

According to him that was something taken out of context and referred to a "family joke".

As for everyone being equal - that's context sensitive don't you think?

 

[maysas]

yes because we arnt equal.the enforced equality which you promote goes against our instincts as animals. i though as a martial artist you would be in favour of competition which is merely a chance to win something, to dominate.

 

[melbac]

Re family joke:
Fair enough, but as a woman I dont feel that someone who is on the European Parliament's women's rights committee and says that he is going to 'represent Yorkshire women who always have dinner on the table when you get home' and 'promote men's rights', is the best choice. I am entirely in favour of making sure that women who work as housewives and mothers are represented, and that men should not be demoted to second class citizens as women were. However, 'promoting men's rights' is not what the committee is about.
For the record, I at no point said that he should not have been allowed to say what he did. Just that it annoyed me.

The everybody's equal thing... I'm not sure what you mean, can you explain?

 

[littleredridinhood1]

"The everybody's equal thing... I'm not sure what you mean, can you explain"

It's a very general statement that depends largely on what context you put it in.

Should we select an Olympic team on the basis of everyone being equal?

Should all children be taught all together, exactly the same?

As far as the UKIP guy,good or bad, or anyone else goes, it seems everyone is so quick to judge based on tabloid headlines today without looking into what actually happened.

 

[b1akej]

The egalitarianism of the lowest common denominator. Just because the animal instinct dictates that we do something doesn't mean that we should do it.

Martial arts, whilst they can be used in competition, aren't limited to this but I assume that you already know this.

Cheers,

Matt.

 

[RetiredBedWeter]

of course

no species in the animal kingdom, including humans, naturally adopt an equal society. competition and the desire to dominate are things that come naturally, instinctively, to those who would survive in a natural enviroment. this was reflected in society up until a very recent point. socialism is a chain of political thought invented to reverse the natural process of leadership. it achieves this by enforcing equality onto a society by removing/incapacitating its natural leaders. when people are not lead they are more easily manipulated. people need strong leadership and leadership cannot a)come from someone who believes themselves equal or b)be respected by someone who deems the it equal to themself.
if you put people in a room together, there will be a vacuum of power and someone must fill that vacuum. im rubish at putting points across on the net but believe me, equality is not the right way forward

 

[fluttere]

True. Although it wasnt actually me that initially used it ("try to see beyond the "everybodies equal" attitude that you've had driven into you.") My point in was that, in the context by which the UKIP representative was portraying himself, I didnt see why an attitude of 'everyone's equal' was such a bad one.




Again, fair enough, but in the same vein, should a child's education be based not on their abilities, but their sex?

 

[Josey]

education should be based on gender. women can be taught to cook, clean, and raise children, while men are taught politics, business, and law, and in their spare time to hunt, fight, and mow the lawn. i am joking btw

 

[bigt09_avondale]

i've been of child -baring age since i was 13 doesn't mean i'm going to get pregant at every given oppertunity. Saying that you shouldn't employ a woman just because at some point she might consider having a baby is crap. I know that small businesses might not beable to aford paying a staff member for a month or 2 off work but that doesn't mean that woman who can have children shouldn't be alowed the opertunity to work.
plus *if*i had a child i'd like the father to take paternity leave .. this would have the same affect as a woman leaving.
I just object to the woman comment as men have that consideration to.
stupid coment. i understand what he means but not a vote winning way of saying it