Stand still for a moment in Westminster and watch; you could be forgiven for thinking the lawmakers coming and going are in love with the smartphones glued to their hands.
But ask one how they feel about their device and you might get a surprising answer: “I hate my phone. I hate it, I hate it with a passion,” said Clive Lewis, a member of the U.K. Parliament and an influential figure on the resurgent “soft left” of the ruling Labour party.
“I hate my phone,” echoed an MP from an opposition party.
“I bloody hate the freneticism” smartphones cause, said a second Labour MP, a serving minister, bemoaning “the lack of attention, focus and real listening.”
Be that as it may. Just like the rest of us, Britain’s lawmakers are hooked on their devices. Tune in to the House of Commons live feed during any given debate and count how many are scrolling.
