Alleged comments by Opposition Leader Marc Bean again became a focus of attention at the House of Assembly on Friday, with the OBA’s Patricia Gordon-Pamplin claiming Mr Bean boasted about disrespecting former OBA Senator Toni Daniels.

Speaking during the Motion to Adjourn, Ms Gordon-Pamplin said Mr Bean admitted calling Ms Daniels a “political whore” in an electronic message after an altercation at the Constituency 33 Polling Station this month.

“He sounded like a choirboy on that radio talk show, Mr Speaker. Never said this, absolutely didn’t. Oh woe is me, the Dunkley administration is attempting to malign my character,” Ms Gordon-Pamplin said, referring to Mr Bean’s interview on HOTT 107.

“But here’s what’s interesting — the Honourable Member was so excited about the fact that he was denigrating our women, that he wanted to say anything that was sickening and disgusting on that particular day that he boasted about it. Boasted about it not just in private conversation one to one, but decided that it was appropriate to share with his ace boys electronically, sending out a notice that obviously, over time, has gone the rounds.

She told the House that the message Mr Bean sent read: “I spent most of my time burning Nandi [Outerbridge] and Toni. I told Toni in private that she is a ten cent political whore who is shared by best friends.”

Ms Gordon-Pamplin said: “This is the person who would get on the radio and say ‘I didn’t say that’.

“I have respect for women. I have respect for men.

“There is no way that any member on this side of the aisle would be able to get away with that kind of gutter talk to any woman on this side or for that matter any woman on the other side.

“And then, to add insult to injury, to go and to try and make it appear as though we are trying to make it up.”

She said that some of the people who received Mr Bean’s electronic communication were “repulsed” by it, branding his behaviour at the polling station “bullying”.

“It’s a typical bullying tactic from somebody who just doesn’t have the capacity to stand up to a level of intellect, that he feels the only way to get over is to be able to beat somebody down with those revolting, repulsive words,” she said.

“That is base. It is unacceptable. I don’t expect resignations because that seems to be outside the ambit of how they do things, that’s inappropriate for them, but what I would expect is at some time in the very near future we have someone on that side having the courage to stand up and say that kind of behaviour is unacceptable, leadership or not.”

About two hours later, when Mr Bean spoke on the Motion to Adjourn, he said: “I received information from my people in the country to avoid taking the bait from the OBA, to avoid even breathing around some of the people in the OBA and I think if you listen to the contribution of certain members in this debate, the people can understand why.

“I will say this — to the men of the OBA, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That behaviour is a cancer and its unbecoming of womanhood and it’s being cultivated by the men in the OBA.”

Speaker of the House Randy Horton began to speak, at which point Mr Bean said: “Now I’m out of line? I’m not out of line. One thing, there’s no reputational damage on this side of the aisle. What I can say is the women in the PLP advance based on merit.”

Mr Horton again began to speak, saying that Mr Bean’s comments were impugning. Mr Bean then said that whenever he speaks in the House there is an “abundance of sensitivity and fragility”, adding that the last time he saw ill treatment of a woman in the House was the reaction when Suzann Roberts Holshouser voted against the OBA on a motion to create a committee to investigate land grabs.

Mrs Holshouser later responded to that comment, saying that she had surprised her party with her vote but had not been treated any differently because of her gender. She added that she felt disrespected by Mr Bean’s insinuations regarding the women in the OBA.

She added: “There are times when we have to stand strong, and I dare say that I don’t recall too many people in the Opposition Party that have stood up against something that they were planning to do.”

Concluding the Motion to Adjourn, Premier Michael Dunkley read sections of a transcript from Mr Bean’s appearance on HOTT 107 after last week’s Reply to the Throne Speech.

During the appearance, the Premier said Mr Bean claimed that “word on the street” was that Ms Daniels was being used as a conduit to make money “disappear” from the Bermuda Tourism Authority because of her relationship with the Minister and his best friend.

However, Mr Dunkley said Mr Bean had in the interview denied calling Ms Daniels a “political whore,” something the Premier said the House had heard was not true.