Wednesday, April 28, 2010


Sometime honesty is not the best policy


Gordon Brown with Clem


Gordon Brown was caught today making unguarded comments about Gillian Duffy, a voter he had chatted with, while campaigning in Rochdale. The media response has already reached such fever pitch that you'd be mistaken for thinking that Gordon Brown had asked Mrs Duffy to suck on his munchstick whilst he addressed his audience. Watching Nick Robinson, the only man on TV who looks at Trigger on Only Fools and Horses and sees an intellectual icon, you can see he is positively salivating, not least because as a journalist he can't understand economics (sorry Steph) and the economy should have been the only other issue on the news agenda today.

Of course conspiracy theorists have latched onto the fact that Sky were responsible for the sound feed and could have cut the sound as soon as his brief conversation with Mrs Duffy had ended, instead we were treated to this brief exchange.

"What did she say?"

"Och everything, she's just a bigoted woman."

That's it!

Unfortunately Gordon Brown, who for the past week has adopted the persona of Clement Freud's dog Henry, decided, after much haranguing from the media, that he ought to go and apologise to the woman. Why? He's been stitched up by Sky. He's entitled to his opinion surely, he doesn't have to like everyone he meets whatever their opinions and voting choices.

This General Election campaign has veered so far off the road that it's beginning to look like one of those news stories featuring a driver who obeys his GPS as it takes him off the A road and down a farm track. Where's the grown-up discussions? Every day one of the leaders is being made to look a complete ass, is this what we want?

3 comments:

Span Ows said...

You're 100% right about the economy, (as per my minipost with Steph's blog...go girl go!) But you're also so right about the havoc today; I've answered your comments on my blog (thanks!) but in each one I haven't been able to NOT mention bigotgate...I was seriously gobsmacked today.

I only regret it was Sky because I think any newspaper of TV channel would have done the same (oooh cor blimey he hasn't removed the mike...let's listen) I made a couple of snide comments on the Guardian today because there were so many trying to excuse Brown and blame Murdoch...the words came out of Brown's mouth talking about someone who is a core supporter that he had won over/won back! She was resigned to voting labour even after he had gone! Of course he's entitled to his opinion but he's the fucking PM and had he been slagging off a BNP irritating heckler you would have seen the same reaction as 'oh, that's just John' when Prescott lumped someone who probably deserved it. But this is light years from the same situation. H ecould have got into the car and said..."where to next team?"

he's a prize two-faced, ignorat bullying twat and today he has proved it.

P.S. When it first came out I had a pang of sympathy...honest!

Span Ows said...

Oops...when I said I agreed it was re the media leading everyone and the stupidity og going back to the woman's house to apologise etc.

Imagine had he sucked up his major boob, apologised on air saying that he was slightly taken aback by the immigration coments (although before the lady had been on about several other subjects) and left it at that, any media trying to keep dredging it up would have been accused of electioneering etc.

Paul said...

I agree he should have left it at that - badly advised.