To all of you women who are aged between 20 and 70 and who are unmarried, one word of caution: stay away from Paul Bérenger! Because otherwise, he might try to find you a husband! I guess that would be fine if you wanted to get married and you were having some trouble finding yourself a husband, but then again, surely, it?s none of his business, is it?

In Parliament on Tuesday, as Nita Deerpalsing was being her belligerent self, Paul Bérenger, leader of the opposition (and self proclaimed defender of women representation in Parliament), said angrily but quite audibly: ?Shut up!

Find her a husband!?, in her direction.

How terribly insulting! So an unmarried woman who speaks her mind and is loud-mouthed must necessarily be this way because she is - let?s call a spade a spade - sexually frustrated? Why else would a husband be necessary? Paul Bérenger should enlighten us on this one next time he holds one of his public conferences.

Bérenger is undeservedly lucky his opponents - for whatever reasons - don?t get as personal as he does, in their attacks on him. I can think of a few things they could have said to rebut his arguments. I don?t propose to go down that road but I?m glad he said what he did. At least this gives us an insight in the way he actually thinks when he?s not trying to be politically correct. Or a hypocrite, whichever. I don?t know about you, but I find it very amusing when some men, when they are at a loss for arguments while debating with a woman (they must hate the fact that a woman has the nerve to express an opinion at odds with theirs), always refer to the woman?s sexuality. Then the woman inevitably gets depicted as a loose woman, or somebody who needs a man in her life or even a lesbian.

If you don?t believe me (and if you?re a woman obviously), try to have a discussion with a man of below the average intelligence (they?re not that hard to find) and disagree ferociously with everything he says. Watch out for his reaction.

I personally remember some dimwit writing to my editor in-chief in reaction to a column I had written on the Satanic Verses. This poor excuse for a man said that if I was such a fan of Rushdie, then maybe I should apply to be part of his harem. I?ll spare you the other repugnant details but the letter was overtly sexual in content - the man had no other arguments and obviously thought that insulting me was the best way to deal with women ?like me.?

Hey, maybe Mr Bérenger should create a ?get the women married? committee in his party. I?m sure he?ll find lots of narrow-minded machos, like the coward who wrote to my editor, dying to join him! Shutting women up and marrying them off? That?s sure a winning formula, dear honourable Bérenger! Bravo!