:clap1: :clap1: :clap1:

..I guess that some could question whether mothers/fathers bringing their babies into the House of Common Chamber could raise the intelligence and behaviour and be an asset...

Or the amount of drivel they speak, the baby would fit right in :laugh:

If they allow female MPs to bring their babies to work then I guess every other workplace should follow suit, if MPs feel they can do their job with a baby in toe then every other woman can as well. I look forward to those in favour being served by a waitress juggling a plate and a feeding baby :D:

...ba boom..:laugh:...

I wouldn't mind a bit, but let's try maintain a degree of perspective for the lolz.

Perspective? In what way? As in its okay for women in some jobs but not others?

Well no obv, I would say that having a baby in tow may be unworkable in some professions however I do think that provision should be made where convenient to facilitate breastfeeding.

Sorry to say I have to disagree.
Actually I would have no problem if the baby had to be brought to work for a Dad to bottle feed the baby.
In fact these MPs griping at the breastfeeding wouldn't have an issue were the Mother bottle feeding the baby anyway likely rather than breastfeeding.

As for engaging or getting an answer or asking a relevant question from and to this PM, well I think Baby and his/her feed are more important than listening to him waffle on anyway.
I think in fairness too as to the constituent consultation, that could take a relatively short time to do and the need to feed a Baby unlikely to arise, in the Commons many hours of time can be needed in debates for those in attendance.

Isn't it unworkable in most situations as you are there to work though, a crèche is one thing, bringing a baby into the commons or to a meeting or anywhere is just ludicrous IMO, and what would the cut off point be 6 months, 9 months, 12 ..


That is the point though Joey, if you are concentrating on your baby as you should be while feeding, then you can't actually be doing your job properly.

Breastfeeding should be allowed anywhere that babies are allowed, however...

This, pretty much. This shouldn't need to be a debate as, in my opinion, it would be a much simpler solution just to make it a child-free zone entirely other than prearranged tours and visits etc.

Well you really only need to talk in the Commons most of the time and only when you are called to do so, which feeding a baby would not prevent you doing.
It is not as if you have to be moving boxes around or running backwards and forwards in the Commons.

If we want more representative MPs, and Mothers are a big part of that,then provision and tolerance needs to be executed to accommodate same.
Mothers doing right for their Babies should not have bigoted MPs dictating what they can and cannot do.
The Mother of a child knows it best, they do not.

Well yeah I suppose then, in that case I don't know whether or not it's right for babies to be allowed in work situations like the house of commons. But I think in principle, if someone for whatever reason does have their baby with them (there might be extenuating circumstances I can't think of right now :laugh:) then there shouldn't be any problem with the baby being breastfed whilst already there.

Why can't female MPs make provision to have their child looked after like every other family with working parents?

I agree

As a child I would have hated to have been looked after by anyone other than my Mum or Grandmother, no one outside the family circle at the very least.
.
An MP can be away from their home areas ages and if they want to bond with their babies should be encouraged to do so and not face any other pre-conditions as to being an MP.
Especially if the Baby is breastfed and happy and content with that.

I commend any Mother who is an MP for not passing her baby off to others and to want to nurture it herself.
I don't see that as in any way a negative at all but a massive positive, as to her.
perhaps some toffee nosed grumpyMPs just don't want to be reminded of what the real world is about and that Mothers actually do feed babies, one of the most loving and natural things there is to do too between a Mother and her child.

It's not a scenario that is ever likely to occur, but seeing as this hypothetical is being mulled over I think my issue is regardless of whether the mother should be doing MP stuff or whatever just the fact that it is not allowed that rankles...

The Chamber of the House of Commons is not a suitable place for breastfeeding. Neither would a board room with a meeting going on. Anywhere else in the Commons, I don't have a problem. But the Chamber? Seriously?

Times change however and to the MPs who are moaning at this I doubt anywhere would be acceptable.
Many MPs have been thrust into being an MP likely never believing they were going to win the seat they stood in, particularly in Scotland.
I asked my Mum about this and how she felt, she said no one would get away with, in this day and age, if she was still able to have children, how, where or when to feed her babies.

That is the best authority on it for me and so I stand by what I say, tell the toffee nosed grumpy so and so's who are moaning, to get a life and get back to sleep then wake up again this time in the 21st century not the 19th.

It's just a hall with lots of benches... what's the prob?

So we're assuming that these hypothetical women are taking their babies to work. I can't think of any other business where a woman would a) take a small baby to work b) expect to breast feed during a meeting. And realistically, why would anyone want to take a baby into the Chamber?

i take a rather simplistic view on this, I couldn't care less where a woman breast feeds as long as she is comfortable in the place she is doing it. However, if someone is working and deciding on the fate of the nation, I would expect that to get their full attention, and I don't believe that would be the case if she was breast feeding.

Well said, bitontheside.

Best wake up some of the old duffers I see snoring on PMQs then and remind them of this fate of the nation stuff...

don't get me started :joker: