Irish politician causes outrage after accusing female colleague of 'talking through her fanny'

Ireland's most famous gay rights campaigner has caused outrage by accusing a female member of parliament of "talking through her fanny". Senator David Norris also referred to having to listen to the "Regina Monologues" in response to a contribution to a debate on the Senate's future Fine Gael member Regina Doherty. Doherty, the Fine Gael Meath East TD and named as Fine Gael's deputy director for the Seanad abolition referendum, said she would make a formal complaint to the leader of the Seanad, Maurice Cummins.

Norris, a gay activist and expert on James Joyce, was objecting to government claims that abolishing the second house would save the taxpayer €20m (£17m) a year. The independent senator and Trinity College Dublin academic described the government's argument as a "malignant and mendacious piece of tripe". He then said that he and other senators had been in the house for more than 20 years and objected that they should have to listen to "The Regina Monologues".

The senator added that Doherty was somebody "who has not been a wet week in this house talking through her fanny. I object in the strongest possible way." Doherty said in her statement: "I have to admit that I was upset by the personal nature of the remarks that Senator Norris made about me in the Seanad earlier today. They were contrived and intentional." Mary Mitchell O'Connor, the Fine Gael Dún Laoghaire TD, called on Norris to withdraw the comments about Doherty.

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"Senator Norris's comments do not bear repeating. They were sexist, crude, offensive and deeply inappropriate. He launched a personal, misogynist attack on one of my female colleagues that was completely out of order. He should apologise and withdraw his comments immediately," she said. The outburst is the second incident of alleged sexism in the Irish parliament over the last seven days. Last Thursday an MP from the ruling Fine Gael party apologised for pulling a female colleague on to his lap during the marathon debate on introducing limited abortion into the country.