[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Chris

And therein lies the problem.

The House of Commons, of all places, should reflect the society it legislates for as well as it possibly can. The voices of nursing mothers are a part of that, whether you like it or not.

The attitude you articulate here is the very one that ensured the commons remained the preserve of upper class white men for far longer than it ought to have. In large measure it still is that. If we can’t make additional efforts to accommodate everybody’s voice in the very place power resides, what sort of society will we be shaping?

You can’t get maternity cover as an MP. The proxy vote concession is the bare minimum - it doesn’t entitle someone else to speak in the chamber on your behalf. Stella Creasey, who is the MP in view in this case, has no other means of representing her constituents’ interests in debates without actually showing up and speaking for herself. And being a nursing mother means there will be times her baby has to be with her while she does this.

I had hoped the attitude you have shown here was one that was dying out, along with the socially crippled old men who made this ruling. I’m very sad to see it alive and well in one who (IIRC) is significantly younger than me.

They get better than statutory, better than Mrs pierre ever got

While MPs are entitled to paid maternity leave for six months and a proxy vote,