I guess the cartoon says it all with this one today... The ANC, which pretty much rules the House of Assembly by sheer numbers, yesterday expressed their disgust at the two major opposition parties' decision to walk out of parly. I suppose it's not that surprising - the ANC are pretty much always disgusted with anyone that is not a member of one of their own ranks. What is surprising is the large words that the chief whip for the ANC, Mathole Motshekga, managed to put together in describing this exodus.

Mr Motshekga chose to describe parliament as "distinguished". Now I don't know if you've ever been to parliament, but a "distinguished" place it is not - unless you consider a place where heckling, booing, screaming, disorderly debate and snoozing is deemed as acceptable behaviour. Offhand I can think of several places that are more distinguished than parliament. A rat colony hideout is more distinguished.

But Mr Motshekga's impressive vocabulary doesn't end there... he goes on to describe the walkout as follows:

It is typical of both Cope and the DA, who have anointed themselves as the paragons of morality and good behaviour, to throw toys out of the pram when they are found wanting on issues of proper conduct