Another arrogant MP.

Appalling. He should be sacked.

I am so disappointed. I had thought he came across as very humane and focused.

Did you also see that Tessa Jowell has got back with her husband - if they were ever really apart!

Politicians - huh!!!

I think we have all come across people who are full of their own self importance.

When I was working I was parking my car (on a public street) when a man in a very large car pulled up and told me I was in his parking space! I politely pointed out that it was a public street with no reserved parking spaces and as I had a valid road tax licence I had no intention of moving. He started shouting and actually said "I don't think you realise who I am" On the verge of losing my temper I just replied "No, I just don't care who you are" locked my car and walked away, leaving him standing with his mouth open!

I have to say I did spend the rest of the day wondering whether he had done something to my car!

According to lots of comment on Twitter it was more like "f***ing plebs". As it happened at the gates of Downing Street, they are calling it GateGate.

Stroppy so and so. If security asks you to do something, you do it.
Apparently (according to bbc website) known as "thrasher" when in school (Rugby). interesting.
Cameron obviously hideously embarrassed and police are making the most of it!

Proud to be a Pleb. Thinking of having a t shirt done.

Barrow, did you ever find out who the pompous git was? I've only ever said those words: 'Don't you know who I am?'. During a council election campaign, a Tory candidate came to the door to ask for my vote. I was then a Lib Dem councillor, so I did say those immortal words. Tory retreated in confusion!

I believe the delightful Harriet Harperson crashed into a stationary car whilst on her mobile phone a while back and allegedly said something along the lines to a witness "I'm Harriet Harman, you know where you can get hold of me" before waltzing off. The political class don't you just love 'em!

annodomini I did come across him a few years later when he attended a charity function I was organising. He owned a large, very expensive, jewellery shop.

At the charity event he proceeded to bid on a lot of things in the auction and when asked for the money said he had left his cheque book at home and didn't have enough cash on him (we didn't have a facility for credit cards). It took me several months of writing to him and calling into his shop before I got the money - in the end I told him I was being interviewed by the local newspaper and they would want to know exactly how much money had been raised - at that point he let me have a cheque! Didn't want everyone to know what a tightwad he really was I suppose. Have to say that was the last straw for me and I gave up organising the events.

I think you are meant to say, "Oh I am so sorry, could we find someone to help you remember who you are?"

Mamie

What a storm in a tea cup! Does what a stroppy politician said to a stroppy policeman merit the second slot on the BBC news last night? Handbags!

People are being blown to bits in Syria and starving in Africa.

I don't agree, Nanadogsbody. We have no evidence that the policeman was stroppy, he was doing his job. The Chief Whip is meant to be a senior person in public service, he should not, under any circumstances, be behaving like this. I think the use of the word "pleb" is very revealing of this man's attitude and I think it is a serious issue.

You've missed the point Mamie. I was saying this is not important enough to warrant a top slot on our national news. I was not commenting on the rights and wrongs of the incident as we only have one person's word against another.

Sorry, I read too much into the "storm in a teacup" bit. I assumed from that, that you didn't think it was important. I guess it has been at the top of the news, because of events in Manchester.
I think there were two policemen involved and a group of bystanders who heard what happened, so not just one person's word against another.

Correct, it's the shooting in Manchester that's given this story the status it wouldn't have had normally. I was pretty disgusted when Gorden Brown repeated his remarks about that 'bigot'. Mainly because as PM he should have learned to keep his opinions to himself when cameras are around, even if he did have a point!
I'm not sure there were any actual witnesses that actually heard the exchange though in this case, but it does remind me a bit of what I heard as an everyday occurrence in primary school 'Miss, he called me a name'....

NanaYou are right, of course, about people in Syria and Africa.
This latest episode of arrogance and insensitivity is indicative of the general apathy and lack of respect permeating through all ranks and classes in this country just now. This government is in power because of indecision and and apathy of the voters. The MPs know that they are there by default and feel no allegiance to the general population.
In Syria and Africa the people are busy fighting for their lives.
In comparison we are are comfortable here and our collective energy goes into niggling about what one stroppy politician said to a stroppy policeman and not into using our hard won votes to make our voices heard and working together to make things better.
We are in a time of recession and depression, but, we do not seem to be in it together. Those who have are not sharing and those who have not are despondent.
I am old enough to remember the post war years when everyone was working striving to improve conditions.
We do not want another WW in order to bring us together but we do need a shake up. Basically it is about get a grip and get on with the job in hand.

Well put Glit my point exactly but expressed more elequently.

He has made a half-hearted apology, saying he did swear but not at the policemen. Hm.....Time for him to do a John Terry, I think.
I am afraid some public-school educated people think that the 'lower classes' are a different species from themselves. There was an interesting programme on TV some time ago, when boys at a prep school met boys from a local primary and were actually surprised to find that they were actually 'quite decent chaps'.

And to think this government accused ordinary folk of ' having a sense of entitlement ' . The class divide is wider than ever and the so called ruling class taking less care to hide it's contempt for those they allegedly serve.

Britain is no loner a feudal state, or is it?

I just think "pleb" is such a public school word and I can't imagine that the police would have misheard it.

Well either the policeman or Andrew Mitchell is lying.

I don't think the story has been given more limelight than it warranted. It's about attitudes and attitudes are important, especially in elected 'leaders'. If we don't object when they abuse us, we are allowing them to whittle away at hard won freedoms — freedoms which, as some people have pointed out, those in other countries such as Syria, are hardly near to even tasting yet. There is plenty of information available about the conflict in Syria. Nobody needs to be uninformed about it unless they choose to be, so no amount of objecting to rude politicians in this country is going to make a scrap of difference.

In short, it's still important even though other important things are happening too. Our brains are capable of coping with more than one important idea at a time.