'Feeling empathy for Gordon' blog discussion

Barbarian

Errata wrote: »

Mrs Duffy has said she was offended by Brown referring to her as that woman (his emphasis), and can't understand why he didn't say that lady.

I wondered whether an old-fashioned male chauvenist attitude had been inadvertently revealed. Be careful, Mr Brown, you wouldn't want to alienate 50% of the electorate, now would you?

Oh, sorry, I forgot. You've already alienated most of them anyway!:rotfl:

Bobby2

wireframe wrote: »

He could have taken Gillian Duffy's comments seriously and not dismissed her as "that bigoted woman"


Its this kind of closed-minded insanity that really gets my goat - we're £848 billion IN DEBT, the country's currency is being devalued DAILY by printing billions of pounds to supplement "fiscal easing" when really the country should have saved money in the hayday of the economy. GB sold £400 BN of gold at one of the lowest ebbs, to "invest" in Euros (which have marginally increased in value, where as gold has quadrupled), and created 1.7 billion "British jobs for British workers" and given 98% of those jobs to foreign labour! (I have no issue with foreign workers, the example is the breaking of an election promise).

Greece has the same national debt as us and look where they are right now!
All this "we've got to keep the tories out" nonsense is the maddest thing I've ever heard. Change "tories" to "blacks", or "muslims" and see how stupid you sound. I'm not saying "go and vote Tory, right now", but at least don't be so closed minded as to dismiss a party out of hand for no other reason than "they're tories".

Oh my goodness - I am sorry if you thought my comment was "closed minded insanity" - I thought freedom of speech was allowed .................;)

wireframe_2

Bobby2 wrote:

Oh my goodness - I am sorry if you thought my comment was "closed minded insanity" - I thought freedom of speech was allowed ........

Freedom of speech is allowed - But free-thinking is also encouraged.
I stated clearly I didn't oppose your views at all.
Express them as you wish and vote how you want.
But don't close your mind because you hear the word "Tory".

Barbarian

wireframe wrote: »

Freedom of speech is allowed - But free-thinking is also encouraged.
I stated clearly I didn't oppose your views at all.
Express them as you wish and vote how you want.
But don't close your mind because you hear the word "Tory".

I actually thought that your "closed-minded insanity" remark was aimed at Gordon Brown rather than at wireframe's comment.

kittykitten

I found the whole incident laughable. I'm not a labour supporter but still couldn't help but feel sorry for GB - as a few people have already pointed out, anyone who works with the general public will do what GB did. I really do believe that anyone who says they don't do this is lying. I work in the NHS, and quite regularly make what will now be known in our office as "Gordon comments" about patients, as do my colleagues. Any job that brings you into contact with the public will try your patience.

Re: whether GD's a bigot or not - I have to admit that when I saw her conversation with GB I wasn't particularly comfortable about the immigrant question. I do think that it's less to do with the words she used and more to do with her manner and tone of voice - it's not what she said, but how she said it! Maybe it's a generation thing - the majority of my patients are elderly, and I've had a few who have in conversation made comments about black and asian colleagues of mine that have made me feel uncomfortable. Again, it's usually not what they've said, but how they've said it!

Premier_2

kittykitten wrote: »

...
Re: whether GD's a bigot or not - I have to admit that when I saw her conversation with GB I wasn't particularly comfortable about the immigrant question. I do think that it's less to do with the words she used and more to do with her manner and tone of voice - it's not what she said, but how she said it! Maybe it's a generation thing - the majority of my patients are elderly, and I've had a few who have in conversation made comments about black and asian colleagues of mine that have made me feel uncomfortable. Again, it's usually not what they've said, but how they've said it!

But that is precisely why she said what she said in the manner in which she did so.

She, like many others, are totally fed up with the political correctness issues that now are ruining this country because so many people are scared to say what they believe for fear of offending someone, or at least for fear of being shouted down for daring to raise such a question.

If issues are not aired, they cannot be addressed ... and so they start to fester and boil up into an even bigger problem.

Good on GD for speaking her mind.

People may or may not agree with what she said, but I for one certainly agree with her right to express those concerns she holds.

On today in particular, the anniversary of VE day, let us for forget all those who died in the fight to protect that freedom.

Errata

If we become a country where honest questions can't be asked of politicians without the questioners being vilified by the politicians, we might as well start wearing Chinese cadre uniforms and only utter quotes from the leader's little red book.

dizzie

Anyone still feeling empathy for Gordon?

Gordon? "I want to stay in charge. Please someone - come and talk to me...please...anyone?!"

Nick Clegg scored a big credibility plus for me when he stuck to his word and said that he believed that the party with the most votes or seats should be given the first chance.

The way I understand it, Labour can only form a government if it gets a deal with not only the Lib-Dems, but with Plaid Cymru and SNP, which will almost certainly mean giving Scotland and Wales more money. I understand that Scotland already gets £1,500 more per resident than England! We all pay into the national taxation system, so I am unhappy to support Scotland and Wales in being able to afford services for its residents that the England would not be able to afford for its own.

I am hoping that there will be some sort of Conservative-Lib Dem agreement and that they will be able to each compromise enough to make some reasonable decisions.

Paul_Herring

dizzie wrote: »

Nick Clegg scored a big credibility plus for me when he stuck to his word and said that he believed that the party with the most votes or seats should be given the first chance.

No, what he said eventually was the party with the most votes and seats.

I found it somewhat cringeworthy when he was on Radio 2 with Jeremy Vine a few weeks ago, and he point blank refused to say which it was (out of seats or votes, or both) despite being asked both by Jeremy and a caller.

dizzie

Paul_Herring wrote: »

No, what he said eventually was the party with the most votes and seats.

True..he did eventually. All I'm saying is that I'm pleased he didn't do a U-turn on this. My skeptical mind had fully expected him to.

Paul_Herring wrote: »

I found it somewhat cringeworthy when he was on Radio 2 with Jeremy Vine a few weeks ago, and he point blank refused to say which it was (out of seats or votes, or both) despite being asked both by Jeremy and a caller.

True again...but then all politicians are pretty good at keeping their cards close to their chest and not answering the questions, so they're all rather cringeworthy.

I just hope that - as far as all the parties and their negotiations are concerned, the desire for power and for fullfilled egos does not take precedent over the desire to try to create a fair and stable UK for all of us.