Dear Sir,

We all heard about the obscene language hurled by Marc Bean while his followers laughed. The verdict in the Marc Bean court case will be taken outside the court in the realm of public opinion.

Our leaders need to lead by example, and such clear disrespect towards women does not seem fit for a statesman.

One would think that disregard for women would not sit well in the PLP, with its long history of strong female leaders. But the near silence from the party would make us assume they see nothing wrong with this behaviour (aside from Kim Wilson and Walton Brown).

I feel sorry for the women in the PLP because this superior male attitude is common. Renee Webb spoke out years ago about her struggle with male chauvinist fellow politicians.

Marc Bean has already offended me by the following comments. I quote from an RG article two years ago. Asked for his own opinion on same-sex marriage, Mr Bean maintained that it and the “agenda of same-sex marriage” represented “an attack on the foundation of civilisation and on life itself, and that’s the family unit”.

He voted against the Human Rights Amendment giving basic human rights to homosexuals. We cannot really include the words “progressive”, “civilised” and “Marc Bean” in the same sentence.

The misogyny and bitter rancour demonstrated by Marc Bean’s behaviour and history make him a far cry from a leader we can be proud of. Rather, if he ever led our country, I would feel ashamed.

Personally, I think if there were more women in politics, it may result in more dialogue, co-operation and success, rather than the constant controversial and adversarial approach exhibited at present.

Let the female delegates of the PLP be the judge whether their leader deserves their support or whether he is a liability to his party.

CLAIRE SMITH, Hinson’s Island