What is possibly of more concern than the assault committed by Mark Field – and it is clearly that no matter what Johnny Mercer says – is the normalisation of violence suggested in comments offered by Mercer and others.
Where should the line be drawn? In the mind of any mature and sensible person that line should lie prior to any form of contact. Arguably, before contact is even considered. Under no circumstances should violence, in any form and to any degree, be the first resort.
Given the prevalence of violence against women in our society it is not at all sexist to say that Field’s behaviour is doubly deplorable on account of his victim being female. It is disturbing to any thoughtful observer, and should be a matter which Field himself reflects upon long and hard, that the fact of it being a woman didn’t appear to give him pause at all.
If I did what Field did in a pub I would expect to be instantly and permanently barred from the premises. In any of the licensed premises which I frequent, that expectation would certainly be met.
In my life, I have witnessed many acts of violence. I am ashamed to admit that in all too many instances I was the perpetrator. I have also been in situations where I was permitted to use minimum or reasonable force. I know how easily it can go wrong. I know how things can rapidly escalate. I know that the consequences of a small misjudgement can be life-changing – if not life-ending.
That is why, as a society and as individuals, our tolerance of violence must be set as low as is practicable given considerations of our own safety and that of those close to us. That is why, when that line starts to move to the far side of actual physical violence, pushed by a public servant of some standing as well as their apologists, there is no possibility of over-reaction.
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Peter A Bell 
Well said!
If MP Fields, thought it was his duty to intervene, all he had to do was to hold the lady in place, @till Security/Police arrived. Had person then become violent, he could have had more justification.
But he went right over the top.
And as has been pointed out, it was a lady, and an older one, who was treated with some force, needlessly, by one with no authority to use such force, in the circumstances.
That we have some folks saying the MP was being “heroic” and what if person was a terrorist, etc, etc, is a concern.
Also, these protesters must have been on Guest List, surely, or how could they get anywhere near there?
You don’t just walk into such a place for those kinds of events, however well dressed you may be.
It says much about the tory mentality, however.
And for all their claims to be “modern, and inclusive”, etc, they haven’t really changed their mind set from that of previous years.
And as for them being, or trying to be modern and progressive, etc, with more Gays, or the occasional Disabled person, or an ethnic background person in high places,…. They will only ever accept those , if they are well to do.
Otherwise, they couldn’t care less!
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Ooops!……, I thought this was an older person. Turns out lady, was much younger than I thought.
But still, the MP was without justification, in the manner he dealt with her.
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Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female and commented:
Typical arrogant Tory.
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I note with some distaste, though little surprise, that the establishment media is wheeling out spokespeople keen to construct a narrative of potential threat. She could have been carrying a weapon or concealing a semtex waistcoat beneath her ballgown. These are dangerous times after all and you never know who is a terrorist. It was a purely reflex response to grab her by the collar, but because of the ballgown, he had to throttle her instead, for there is nowhere else a man can grab a woman these days in self defense without scurrilous accusations of sexual impropriety.
Expect many more varieties of this assault on public consciousness.
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I think any man that grabs a woman needs to take a good look at themselves.
Ultimately it’s really just the unmasking of the vile Tory attitude to people who are out with their perceived social status. They hate with their language, and when pushed they hate with their fists.
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Kirsty Strickland in today’s paper: “A milkshake being thrown over professional rabble rouser Nigel Farage is met with cries of anguish and swift condemnation, but a woman being dragged by her neck is met with justifications.”
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It gets worse. Somebody has unearthed tweets expressing satisfaction that his size alone was able to intimidate a young woman into no longer listening to music on the train. And one complaining that political correctness gone mad has turned old fashioned discipline into beating. The man’s a thuggish bully and a violent reactionary. And yet he is being painted as a hero in the media because of the minuscule possibility that the woman might have had violent intentions.
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I am uncertain of the provenance of the Tweets to which you refer. It pays to be cautious about such things. After all, it’s not as if further evidence was needed of the man’s depraved character.
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You’re right. There’s no telling where this stuff comes from. The fact remains that the man is a misogynist bigot whose attitudes and opinions are accepted as normal by the establishment.
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