Gordon Brown "bigot" silliness

[Gord_in_Toronto]

As a 20 and 21st Century politician you must never make a mistake. If you do, your opponents with latch onto it and bring it up over-and-over-and-over. The sheeple will glom onto it and ignore all reason, their true interests, sensibility and justice.

In Canada it's GenerallyConceded^TM that Robert Stanfield lost an election that would have made him Prime Minister by two seats because of a photo of him fumbling a football (Canadian style and shape) catch after he had caught a number of previous tosses.

See:
http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/15/robert-stanfield-fumbles/

 

[Reginald]

Oh they have a fairly good idea where she is:



PR companies - dontcha just hate 'em?

I think they have revised that page.

Well if she/they are going to make anything from this they best hurry or by tomorrow it will be "who is Mrs whatsherface?". I'm pretty sure that was a long 24 hrs for Brown, but this next 24 hours will go pretty quickly.

Imo she has had any outrage she was entitled to, and if she claims to have been a life long labour supporter she might like to consider in her brief exile that the party/movement is bigger than that particular man.

 

[Puppycow]

They just replayed the gaffe with subtitles on NHK morning news.

 

[zooterkin]

Gordon Brown has claimed that he misheard what Mrs Duffy said (and I must admit the same thought did cross my mind before I heard him say this)

GD: You can't say anything about the immigrants. All these eastern Europeans what [sic] are coming in - where are they flocking from?

I believe he's claiming that he misheard 'flocking' as something a little earthier, which could well have made him think she was more bigoted than she actually was.

 

[The Fool]

No party wants to lose votes...even the votes of bigots, so all those in britain who blaim eastern european imigrants for things need to be assured that they are not really bigots.

 

[Rocko]

But it was more than that. He was complaining that the encounter was badly stage-managed. That woman should never have been put in front of him. He, the great PM, should not have been required to handle a question like that, or a voter with those sorts of views and concerns. This is not good, if you want to portray yourself as open and approachable and in touch with the people.

Agree with everything you said prior to the above, but I think this goes a bit far. I'm not voting Labour, but regardless - what he said was not for the public arena, but had the misfortune to be broadcast into it. Who can honestly say they've not hung up the phone on/closed the door behind/served a difficult customer and called them a name you wouldn't want anyone to hear? It may be born of frustration, pressure, anger, even just a hangover or a generally ratty mood. Take your pick from the above for Brown.

I don't expect my politicians to keep up the smiling front behind closed doors. Does anyone think Cameron would have been any less complimentary about the egg thrower that scored a direct hit on him once he got back into his car?

 

[Rolfe]

Indeed, but it's not as if nobody has ever been caught that way before. If you're going to say something like that, for goodness sake, check.

It showed him in a very bad light, and he didn't even have the nous to make sure he wasn't still miked up.

Rolfe.