Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas angered Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MPs by calling them “dinosaurs” in the House of Commons yesterday (Wednesday 21 June).
The Green Party co-leader made the remark as she was challenged the Prime Minister Theresa May on the absence of environmental policies in the Queen’s speech.
She asked if the omission in the government’s legislative programme was due to DUP influence.
Since the Conservative Party emerged from the general election earlier this month as a minority government it has been seeking support from the unionist party.
Ms Lucas said: “The gracious speech contained eight Brexit bills, but not one single one of those covered the environment.
“Is (Theresa May’s) failure to propose a Brexit bill on the greatest challenge that we face because she simply doesn’t care about the environment and climate change or because she’s been influenced by the DUP dinosaurs who sit beside me and don’t want to take that kind of leadership in the future?”
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, one of 10 DUP MPs, took offence to the term “dinosaur”. He appealed to the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, saying: “Members of my party were elected by the people of Northern Ireland to represent the constituents who elected us to the House.
“Is it in order for the honourable member for Brighton Pavilion to describe us in the unparliamentary terms in which she did and which I regret?
“She does not understand my party’s policy on the environment – she should go and read our manifesto – but we have the right to speak for the people of Northern Ireland and in this Parliament we will.”
The Speaker said that it was not unparliamentary to refer to other members as dinosaurs. He said: “The word in question refers to a species that survived for many, many millions of years.”
Ms Lucas has since taken to Twitter to defend her reasoning and continued calling the DUP dinosaurs through use of emojis.
“Sorry for any offence caused to genuine prehistoric creatures,” she wrote on the social media platform followed by a little green dinosaur emoji.
Ms Lucas linked an article from DeSmog UK, described as “an investigative media outlet dedicated to cutting through the spin clouding the debate on energy and environment in Britain”.
The article details the DUP’s history of scepticism about science in general and specifically climate science.
The article said: “On science issues, its nearest political equivalent would be the Trump administration in the US.”
Ms Lucas called the Queen’s speech “a real betrayal”, tweeting: “It is shocking this two-year Queen’s speech has barely anything of substance on environmental protection or air pollution.”
If Dr Caroline Lucas and Her Green Party were taken a little more seriously and had gained another 9 Seats would She have turned down the chance to help the Cons instead of the DUP?
?
Of course the Greens wouldn’t support a rabid right wing Conservative Party that is being propped up in power by a bunch of authoritarian, bible bashing terrorist sympathisers.
So Caroline Lucas’ lacklustre campaign caused a dramatic drop in the Green share of the votes across the country and has shown that her party has no real purpose anymore has to resort to attacking others.
Time for her to admit defeat and join her like-minded friend Jeremy.