Brown 'mortified' by bigot jibe

[Win2Win Racing]

Gordon Brown is "mortified" after being caught on microphone describing someone he had just spoken to as a "bigoted woman".

More... (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8649853.stm)

[scoobydoo]

Oh dear Gordon...and it was going so well. :D

[barrelmaniac]

We all get angry and say things like that every now and again. But Brown right now needed to connect and be seen to listen to the public........ What a gaffe, it just further confirms that he really doesn't listen or take on board anything the public has to say. Even the apology was not great saying that he had mistaken what the woman had said lol

However Im not saying that other leaders wouldnt have said similar things in private.


At least it made me laugh for a few hours today

[scoobydoo]

God he looked pretty stupid coming out of her house talking to the press, he has well and truly :censored: up in my opinion. Labour party really didnt need this did they. :ermmm I have heard tov is having a street party...not sure if this is true or not? :laugh

[mick56]

When i first saw this at lunchtime,i thought whats the big deal,regrettable but we are all prone to mistakes.But on futher thought it is significant,that when a senior citizen dares to disagree with the PMs policies or opinion she is labeled by him a bigot.
Our senior citizens have a wealth of life experiance,and frequently talk a deal of good sense,and surely more than any have earned the right to be listened to.

[mathare]

Her views are somewhat bigoted though so what's the problem with calling a spade a spade?

[Win2Win]

Her views are somewhat bigoted though so what's the problem with calling a spade a spade?
You're out of touch with the public as well :ooo

...anyway I've voted for the Welsh Christian Party :doh

[mick56]

Her views are somewhat bigoted though so what's the problem with calling a spade a spade?

I do not have a problem with that providing the double standards and hypocrisy are removed from the equation.As an example the phrase you have used above,to illustrate a point would be jumped on by many as being a racist comment,even when taken completely out of context.

That is what PC has done to people in this country,dissuaded them from talking about the issues which most concern them,because that's the cop out and the fall back if they dare, then label them a racist or a bigot.

[barrelmaniac]

I think the case of immigraton should be discussed and policies put in place to deal with it. To discuss it and ask questions about it is perfectly acceptable and the right thing to be doing. From that conversation there was no reason to call her what he did.

But as I said before we have all let off steam after difficult situations, I will not be sorry to see the back of Brown - its a rather unfortunate position he is in but its completely understandable that he has caused all this response!

[johnwilly]

Don't you mean the Christmas Party Keith

[tovarich]

God he looked pretty stupid coming out of her house talking to the press, he has well and truly :censored: up in my opinion. Labour party really didnt need this did they. :ermmm I have heard tov is having a street party...not sure if this is true or not? :laugh

Nothing planned as yet. Scooby, but I promise if I do organise anything, you will get the first invite and you can sit at the top of the table! :laugh

[tovarich]

Her views are somewhat bigoted though so what's the problem with calling a spade a spade?

So you think, Mat, like Wally Broon, that she is a bigot? The questions Mrs Duffy was asking our glorious leader (which he failed to answer) sounded to me like she is someone who cares for her country and if that makes her a bigot then you can count me in because I care a lot about what happens to my country and if that also makes me a bigot in your eyes then so be it! And when she complained about half a million Polish people coming here to work and take jobs away from British people his answer? --- that's ok, there's no reason why half a million British people can't go to live and work in Poland. You really couldn't make it up.

The queue will start at the gates of Downing Street at 5.00 A.M tomorrow morning so be quick. :D:D:D

[vegyjones]

She didn't really think the question through though, did she?

Where are alll these eastern Europeans flocking from?

Err, Eastern Europe ? :doh

[scoobydoo]

And when she complained about half a million Polish people coming here to work and take jobs away from British people his answer? --- that's ok, there's no reason why half a million British people can't go to live and work in Poland. You really couldn't make it up.



Tov, you're mate Dave will not be able to stop anyone from Poland coming and working here, he makes the electorate believe he can but we know the truth. They are in the EU, full stop...freedom of movement and all that...there is no argument unless you want to pull out and I dont think even Dave wants that? :doh

[tovarich]

Wrong again Scooby, I don't have any "mate" called Dave. Ive got Bill, Mike, John, Paul, and a few others however I know what your little bit of sarcasm is getting at.

You still seem to think I am a Tory. If anything Scooby, I am anti-Tory, Anti-anti-Liberal and anti-anti-anti-New Labour. I just think that the best way (maybe the only way) to get rid of this bunch of incompetents (wannabe Tories) is to vote Tory.

I never said or suggested that we should try to stop Polish people or Croatian people or Romanian people (or Turkish people if and when they join the EU) because we all know that there are no longer any borders and limits to anyone from these countries is not allowed. Any comments I may have made concerning immigrants is about "ILLEGALS."
Do you know how many "ILLEGALS" are in this country? If you do, tell Wally Broon because he has no idea and as long as they keep coming in this country will sink into the sea. They don't pay taxes, they commit "many" crimes which costs us money for policing, we can't afford to look after their health problems, we can't afford to educate them. I think somebody should do something about it. What do you think?

[bryn]

Well said Tov. The country is in souch a bad state we should look after No1 sod the rest.

[mathare]

as long as they keep coming in this country will sink into the sea.I know you don't like me splitting hairs so I am assuming you don't honestly believe the country will actually sink in any way whatsoever. I assume you know a lot more about geography than that.


They don't pay taxes, they commit "many" crimes which costs us money for policing, we can't afford to look after their health problems, we can't afford to educate them. I think somebody should do something about it. What do you think?I think lots of people who aren't "illegals" fit this bill too.

[barrelmaniac]

I know you don't like me splitting hairs so I am assuming you don't honestly believe the country will actually sink in any way whatsoever. I assume you know a lot more about geography than that.

I think lots of people who aren't "illegals" fit this bill too.


Exactly they do! And that's another debate. It doesn't mean that we should take our eye of mass immigration and the effects of mass immigration just because things are not perfect at home with other issues (which clearly also need to be dealt with)!

Also it's not just the illegal levels of immigration that need to be dealt with IMO but immigration that is legal could do with being lowered a bit. Don't try and tar me with the brush that all Immigration is bad, because it isn't but we should only take the people that are going to help make this country a better place. And before anyone starts accusing me to be a racist- I am not.

[scoobydoo]

You still seem to think I am a Tory. If anything Scooby, I am anti-Tory, Anti-anti-Liberal and anti-anti-anti-New Labour. I just think that the best way (maybe the only way) to get rid of this bunch of incompetents (wannabe Tories) is to vote Tory.


I have never seen you say anything bad about the Tories on here, but plenty about Labour....if you can show me one thing I will gladly admit I am wrong. Get searching! :)



I never said or suggested that we should try to stop Polish people or Croatian people or Romanian people (or Turkish people if and when they join the EU) because we all know that there are no longer any borders and limits to anyone from these countries is not allowed. Any comments I may have made concerning immigrants is about "ILLEGALS."

Well...the reason I was addressing people from Poland was that was what your point was about, I ain't a mind reader tov. :doh

[mick56]

I find it both ironic and sad,that it took the honesty of one elderly lady,to bring the issue of immigration out in the open.
Last Nov i posted on this forum that,i was considering voting UKIP at the next election, immigration was just one of several reasons why ,some of the replies could have been interpreted as labeling myself and any others with the same thoughts as some kind of racist or bigot.

I did not even bother to reply,because so often these days that is the norm.
I have good and dear friends who have successfully immigrated and integrated into our country,and our society.I worked for years with immigrants from many different countries,and in my experiance they are far more racist towards each other than ever British people are towards them.

British people are IMO a tolerant bunch and that is to our credit,but as is so often the case our politicians fail to achive a happy medium,and now the backlash is starting to gain momentum.A few years ago it would have been unthinkable that parties like the BNP could win seats and achieve so much publicity.

But we have hard times ahead and while born and bred British people are unable to get housing decent paying jobs,medical attention and schooling,in part because of excessive immigration then that immigration needs to be stopped.and to think that the problem will disappear by discouraging people from discussing it by labeling them bigots and racists,is a misguided view.

[mick56]

And before anyone starts accusing me to be a racist- I am not.

Hi BM only just read your post ,i was writing mine.but the very fact that you feel the need to post your above sentence at the end of a well reasoned point of view,to me underlines what i have just posted.

[John]

The whole theory of racism in itself is blown completely out of proportion. People know that there's always somebody waiting with a big hammer to punish those who "oh so easily" could "perhaps maybe accidentally" use an offensively discriminating term to describe somebody of foreign ethnicity. And this is why people are so scared to even go near it. Eyebrows are raised even when the term "black woman" or "Asian man" is used. Refer to someone in slightly the wrong way – sometimes accidentally – and you are branded a racist.

(And it's a similar situation with pedophilia. Go near a child or take a photograph of a child and people can, and do, automatically make the assumption. This is off my point about racism, clearly, but it's the same principal).

As for the whole debate on immigration – yes I do think it needs controlling and for Brown to say that numerical barriers shouldn't be put in place is frankly absurd. Plus I agree that not all immigration is bad – a brutally clear example is the number of public and private doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals who are excellent at their jobs, who in large numbers have come into the UK from Eastern Europe and Asia. Yes the flipside here is that there are people laughing at the taxpayer 'til he/she is blue in the face by claiming illegal benefits and all the rest of it. But surely with some more accurate policing in place – whether it be a more rigorous criteria on allowing people to come into the UK – or establishing some kind of system whereby a person has to "kosher" enough, for want of a better word, to come here – whatever it is we need to have a clearer and more concise system and dare I say an overhaul on how it's governed.

[tovarich]

[QUOTE=scoobydoo;531373]I have never seen you say anything bad about the Tories on here, but plenty about Labour....if you can show me one thing I will gladly admit I am wrong. Get searching! :)

Well, Scooby, I've done a bit of searching and can't find any threads either where I've said anything bad about Cameron and the Tories. Now maybe you could do a bit of searching and show me where I've said anything GOOD about Cameron and the Tories. I've said previously that I felt I was being FORCED to vote Tory if only to get rid of this bunch of lying, incompetent, WANNABE Tories . Back in 1995 when four Socialists met in a restaurant in London they agreed that Socialism, as we knew it, was dead and they decided then that a new political party was needed. They could have picked any name for this new party but chose New Labour, hoping to gather in the votes of unthinking people who had been lifelong socialists, and they did, even though they were Tories at heart themselves but din't have the guts to "Cross the Floor" and join the Tory Party. Tony the B***** Liar, whose father was a solicitor, went to Fettes College in Edinburgh which is like Scotland's Eton. Wally Broons father was a vicar, - not exactly working class. Alistair Darling comes from a wealthy Edinburgh family, his uncle,Sir William Y.Darling, was MP in Edinburgh (Tory I think) and also Lord Provost ( Lord Mayor) of Edinburgh when I was young. I've said before that I think everone who is entitled to vote should vote and if anybody out there thinks that Wally and company are doing a good job then go and vote for them (and pray for your future and your children's future).

Refusing to vote is not the answer!

Will Cameron and the Tories do a better job than Wally Broon's barmy army?
I don't know.

Will Cameron and the Tories do a worse job than Wally Broon's barmy army
Not possible!

[vegyjones]

The whole theory of racism in itself is blown completely out of proportion.

I went to a University for an application day, where you sit around with other appliacnts and take part in discussions.

The subject of racism came up, and I said that in my opinion everybody is subconsciously racist, and it's just that some people are better at surpressing their subconscious than others. My theory being based upon immigrants settling in groups (which is particularly apparent where I live in East London which has quite a large bangladeshi community)

I ddn't get offered a position at that University funnily enough!

But I stlill stand by my viewpoint.

[mick56]

Vegy what you say above makes a deal of sense,and if you feel that you where not offered a place because of what you said,which in no way could be interpreted as racist,then that tells its own sorry tale.

[mathare]

The subject of racism came up, and I said that in my opinion everybody is subconsciously racist, and it's just that some people are better at surpressing their subconscious than others. My theory being based upon immigrants settling in groups (which is particularly apparent where I live in East London which has quite a large bangladeshi community)
And you're probably right.

Immigrants do tend to seek out those similar to themselves rather than mix properly into the community. That's why numerous cities have a Chinatown, a French quarter, a Polish quarter and so on. And it's not just in the UK, it's worldwide. Brits who have moved abroad tend to cluster in ex-pat communities.

It's human nature to look for aspects of ourselves in others and to bond more strongly with those we can identify with. That could be based on colour or creed or other characteristics such as kindness, attractiveness and so on. The human mind has evolved to trust those most like ourselves and to be wary of anyone who is different. It may stem from our tribal past where anyone who was different was probably part of another tribe and thus a threat to our land and food source. Thousands of years of living like that can't be undone quickly so we are all inherently racist to some degree as we are human.

[mick56]

The problems we now face with immigrants,are often not the fault of the majority of immigrants,but rather i feel like many other things that are wrong in this country come as a result of our politicians in recent years appearing to be totally out of touch with the thoughts and life style of the majority.

Years ago there was some abuse and discrimination towards immigrants,and it was correct that laws where put into place to prevent this,but now IMO this has gone completely over the top,and rather than aid integration,it is beginning to have the opposite effect.

Increasingly i hear friends,good tolerant people voicing the opinion that they do not feel comfortable in the company of immigrants,they are worried about saying the wrong thing and having there intentions misinterpreted.

I feel we should never have been put in this position in the first place.

Many members will be to young to remember a sit com years ago called Love They Neighbour,it would not be allowed to be shown these days,because expressions used like sambo,and white honky would be considered not PC,yet that comedy probably did more to enhance integration than any politician.The white guy eddie was portrayed as a bigot,and always ended up getting the worst of it when plotting against his black neighbour.

What is needed is some common sense and our politicians appear lacking in this perhaps it should be available as a University course.

[samantha1303]

Ukip are the only party talking any sense regarding immigration, and they have no chance of getting in, especially as they are asking people to vote tory in certain areas ??

[John]

Increasingly i hear friends,good tolerant people voicing the opinion that they do not feel comfortable in the company of immigrants,they are worried about saying the wrong thing and having there intentions misinterpreted.

Exactly my point, it is so easy to accidentally say the wrong thing and then be branded a racist for it without a second thought.

I think it's true that inherently we are all a little bit racist but I think it's largely subconscious. When ethnic communities stick with people of the same heritage, ethnicity or nationality it's because human nature dictates it as safe. Yes we are encouraged as a society to treat everyone the same but inherently we stick with those who are much like ourselves, as social interaction, mutual common ground and bonding becomes much easier. I wouldn't call that racism either, I think that's the wrong term. I don't know what the right term is to describe it but I don't think it would be correct to label it racism outright.

[Win2Win]

A million in... a million out ... so said Brown :ass2

Yes a million ILLEGAL in ... and a million Brits getting the :censored: out of here :D