Independent Media | Campaigning Journalism
BBC Question Time ignores a vicious attack on Caroline Lucas and sinks to a new low
On 25 April, BBC Question Time (BBCQT) hit a new low. A vicious attack on Green MP Caroline Lucas went completely unchallenged.
“Oh, woman!”
Speaking on the show, John Rhys-Davies defended Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK in June. Many people, including MPs, have openly criticised this visit. But according to Rhys-Davies:
He’s an elected head of state of a great democracy. The last best hope for mankind, if you ask me. And he represents the American people.
At this point, Lucas interjected saying:
But he doesn’t. He lost the popular vote… by nearly three million votes.
And Lucas was spot on. Because in the popular vote, Trump polled 62,984,825 against Hilary Clinton’s 65,853,516 votes. But under the US electoral system, Trump took power after taking 306 electoral college votes to Clinton’s 232. But that wasn’t good enough for Rhys-Davies. He turned on Lucas, slapped the table and roared:
OH, WOMAN! Have you ever read Kenneth Arrow… Any system… of election, has its problems.
At this point, Lucas agreed saying, “yes, the American one and ours, more than most”. Yet, as Rhys-Davies spluttered and literally turned his back on Lucas, host Fiona Bruce moved on to take questions. She didn’t interject or even acknowledge the vicious attack.
John Rhys-Davies loses it & screeches “oh woman!” like a petulant child at a dignified & calm Caroline Lucas when faced with nothing but a simple fact.
This is precisely why facts are so key in public debate these days. #bbcqtpic.twitter.com/RSODbROC1P
— Dr Lauren Gavaghan (@DancingTheMind) April 26, 2019
“Vile misogynistic behaviour”
Many people openly shared their anger about the exchange on social media:
John Rhys Davies shouting “oh woman” to Caroline Lucas is the worst thing I’ve seen. Get him off. Pompous egotistical dinosaur #bbcqt
— Tony (@TonyVoller) April 25, 2019
Others, meanwhile, also challenged Bruce for taking no action “in the face of vile misogynistic behaviour”:
John Rhys Davies banging the table with rage….c'mon Fiona Bruce…why no intervention! Disgusting behaviour. @CarolineLucas you were dignified in the face of vile misogynistic behaviour #bbcqt
— Oor Mrs Jo 🏴 (@mrsjo27) April 25, 2019
Shame on Fiona Bruce for not stopping or chastising John Rhys-Davies for his disgusting disgraceful rant at Caroline Lucas. #bbcqt
— Trevor Seemann (@Trevorius) April 25, 2019
Despite the vehemence of Rhys-Davies’ attack, Lucas remained calm, poised and collected throughout. Her grace stood out:
Caroline Lucas showed outstanding class and eloquence on #bbcqt – which this 'performance' by Rhys-Davies did not deserve. Kudos to her for keeping calm and composed during this onslaught – just like women do in boardrooms, councils, seminars across the world 👏 https://t.co/yXgXYgLKY4
— Vix Lowthion (@VixL) April 26, 2019
As BBCQT host, this isn’t the first time Bruce has been criticised over the way she’s treated women. Her behaviour towards Labour’s Diane Abbott prompted outrage and a series of formal complaints to the BBC from Abbott’s office and viewers. And it’s inexcusable to see this level of sexist vitriol go unchallenged on national TV.
Featured image via screengrab
We need your help ...
The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads.
Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion.
We have been fighting against an establishment that is trying to shut us down. And like most independent media, we don’t have the deep pockets of investors to call on to bail us out.
Can you help by chipping in a few pounds each month?
Support us -
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
Trump or Clinton. Worst or Worstest.
Fascist or not
Both Draft dodgers, Bill that is, that sent Young Americans into situations they avoided.
Pricks the pair of them.
The QT link needs to operate fully so that we can hear what the guy said to Caroline Lucas.
Ok – I got it 2nd time around after hitting the ‘hit’ bit in the preamble of the article. that requires one to sit through the whole show until the relevant part shows up that the Canary article is about. DOH!
DESPITE THE SYMPATHY FOR LUCAS’s treatment she quoted an irrelevance about the US system – the electoral college.
or does she so hate the man trump that she, the only green MP, wants to change the system in another country?
would she send in the special forces if she had that power?
The “other country” has a lot of control over our country, and the electoral college was designed in the 18th century by slave owner to prevent real democracy.
I’d fuck over American imperialist hegemonic bullshit wherever it manifests.
Well said Caroline
I admit that I did not watch the program but the transcript was enough. How can any person view Trump as anything other than a threat to world safety and security? John Rhys-Davies ignores the fact that Trump is a self serving criminal with only his own interests at heart. Perhaps John Rhys-Davies is prepared to sell off the UK to the US in the name of ‘free enterprise’. He could do with a bit of self control and respect when speaking with others.
He was ‘the least worse’?
During the election campaign H.R.C., three times, {stupidly?} threatened to impose a ‘no fly zone’ in Syria – confronting a nuclear armed country.
https://disqus.com/by/postkey/
‘One of many truths lost within this discourse is the reality that the creation of a no-fly zone would [probably?], in the words of the most senior general in the US Armed Forces, mean the US going to war “against Syria and Russia”. ‘
https://mronline.org/2016/12/13/allday131216-html/