UK Premier commits political suicide?

[good2bhappy]

Gordon Brown was caught on a micraphone calling an elderly female Labour Party supporter a bigot.
When questioned about it on a radio chat show and the tape was played back to him he hung his head in his hand!
He went back to the lady concerned and in a private meeting he apologised prefusely to her(or so he said).
A PR disaster.
Bound to dog him at the next live debate.
Not sure he can wriggle out of this one.

[Fuzzy Bob]

What a berk

[StrontiumDog]

Yeah, here's the BBC take on it. The way he says it, he doesn't actually and sincerely apologise at all. It's all a bit minimised and disingenuous. For example;

Brown: 'I apologise if I've said anything that has been hurtful'

"If"...? If!

It's almost as if he's detached from reality.

BBC News - Gordon Brown 'bigoted woman' comment caught on tape

Gordon Brown 'bigoted woman' comment caught on tape


Gordon Brown describes pensioner as a 'bigoted woman'

Gordon Brown has apologised after being caught on microphone describing a voter he had just spoken to in Rochdale as a "bigoted woman".

Sixty-five-year-old Gillian Duffy had challenged Mr Brown on a number of issues including immigration and crime.
As he got into his car, he was still wearing a broadcast microphone and was heard to say "that was a disaster".

Mr Brown later phoned Mrs Duffy to apologise after the tape was played to him during a BBC Radio 2 interview. After listening to the recording, with his forehead resting on his hand, he said: "I do apologise if I've said anything that has been hurtful."

The Prime Minister is now travelling to apologise to Mrs Duffy in person.
The comments were made after the conversation with Mrs Duffy which ended with him complimenting her and her family.
As he went to get into his car, Mr Brown told her: "Very nice to meet you, very nice to meet you." But off camera, and not realising he still had a Sky News microphone pinned to his shirt, he was heard to tell an aide: "That was a disaster - they should never have put me with that woman. Whose idea was that? It's just ridiculous..."

Gillian Duffy: "I want to know why I was called a bigot"

Asked what she had said, he is heard to reply: "Ugh everything! She's just a sort of bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour. I mean it's just ridiculous. I don't know why Sue brought her up towards me."

Mrs Duffy said after hearing of Mr Brown's comments: "I'm very upset. He's an educated person. Why has he come out with words like that?

"He's supposed to be leading the country and he's calling an ordinary woman who's come up and asked questions that most people would ask him... It's going to be tax, tax, tax for another 20 years to get out of this national debt, and he's calling me a bigot."

Mrs Duffy, a widow who has a daughter and two grandchildren, said she used to work with disabled children for Rochdale council before she retired.
She had earlier told reporters she was a lifelong Labour voter and described Mr Brown as being "very nice".

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said it was a disaster for the prime minister because it showed the gap between his public face and private face.
"For those of us who have known Gordon Brown for many years, what we have seen is no huge surprise. He has got better and better at handling himself in public, but quite often he flares up in private, expresses frustration," he said.

Nick Robinson added that the irony was that if his comments had not been picked up, it would have been a lively election exchange which would have been seen to do him credit.

Brown: 'I apologise if I've said anything that has been hurtful'

Speaking on Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show, Mr Brown said: "Of course I apologise if I've said anything that's been offensive and I would never put myself in a position where I would want to say anything like that about a woman I'd met.
"I blame myself for what is done, but you've got to remember that this was me being helpful to the broadcasters, with my microphone on, rushing into the car because I had to get to another appointment and they have chosen to play my private conversation. These things can happen, I apologise profusely to the lady concerned."

Mr Brown later telephoned Mrs Duffy to personally apologise for the comments, telling her he was very sorry and said she "is a good woman".
When asked did this in any way make up for the comments she said "no - absolutely not".

'Resilience'

A spokesman for the prime minister said: "Mr Brown has apologised to Mrs Duffy personally by phone. He does not think that she is bigoted. He was letting off steam in the car after a difficult conversation.
"But this is exactly the sort of conversation that is important in an election campaign and which he will continue to have with voters."

The Conservatives said Mr Brown's comments spoke for themselves.
Shadow chancellor George Osborne said: "That's the thing about general elections, they do reveal the truth about people."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: "You should always try to answer the questions as best you can. He has been recorded saying what he has said and will have to answer for that."

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said Mr Brown was "mortified" over the hurt he had caused Mrs Duffy. He told the BBC: "It is very unfortunate that this remark that he didn't believe got picked up. But he should be judged on how he responded. And that's why he apologised immediately." Chancellor Alistair Darling said Mr Brown's apology was profuse and he was well aware he should not have made the comments.

"The election campaign will be decided not just on individuals but what the party stands for. There are big issues at stake. Gordon is a man of considerable strength, considerable resilience and considerable substance," he said.

"I hope people will judge him in the round. The fact we are coming out of this recession is down to him in no small part."

[PaddyGreen]

To ad cream the Labour voter was Duffy
perhaps time for
Mercy remix or
syrup honey
wonder what the real Tories call Mandy Cleggy and Dave behind his bag probably what Veggy calls Toxy

The Milly Band must be dancing in the volcanic ash.

[crazy dog]

aint there meant to be a link to the story ie dailymail?

ah well done SD

[November Rain]

Bit more about it on this blog.

Just to pad out the story, like.

Brown's 'bigot' gaffe may be unpleasant, but those attacking him should look in the mirror.
A short while ago Gordon Brown was caught making unguarded comments about Gillian Duffy, a voter he had chatted with, while campaigning in Rochdale. The media response is already fevered, not least of all because journalists hate talking about economics and the economy was the only other issue on the news agenda today.

The prime minister spoke pleasantly to Mrs Duffy, asking about her children and telling her how great her family was. It was after he got into his car that he branded her a bigot. Later, listening to the recording during a BBC Radio 2 interview, he looked utterly beaten and there's a danger the image will haunt him longer than the comments themselves...

Talking Elections - UK Elections 2010 - Yahoo! News UK

Also vid of him talking to the lady on the link.

[The Ghost Of The Moog]

Whats wrong with calling a bigot a bigot.

There are so many of them in the UK. Many read the Daily Mail. All hate immigrants.

If any of you guys tried to bring your Thai wives to the UK, these ghastly people would be grumbling about it, (grumbling is putting it mildly)

Britain is full of people who are not nearly as receptive to multiculturalism as you folks.

[Mr Brown]

He's fucked, Labour are fucked

They'd be more than happy to get behind the Lib Dems now aiming for a coalition

[bangkokbonecollector]

Brown and Labour are done for, Cameron has had a stroke of luck as he begins a couple of days in the Labour heartland looking for a Portillo like turnaround seat.

COME ON CAMERON GET STUCK IN THERE !

[Mr Brown]

If any of you guys tried to bring your Thai wives to the UK, these ghastly people would be grumbling about it, (grumbling is putting it mildly)

This is true, even my own parents

[JoeMoer]

Would it have been better if he called her a faggot?

[StrontiumDog]

aint there meant to be a link to the story ie dailymail?

ah well done SD

Sorry mate, I wouldn't even wipe my arse with that joke of a newspaper.

I thought the BBC might be a bit more reliable.

[StrontiumDog]

Brown and Labour are done for, Cameron has had a stroke of luck as he begins a couple of days in the Labour heartland looking for a Portillo like turnaround seat.

COME ON CAMERON GET STUCK IN THERE !

Sorry mate, love your posts elsewhere, but I utterly despise Cameron and any tory politician. Incompetent, lying shits everyone.

[SiLeakHunt]

He was out canvassing for the Tories !

cheers

[crazy dog]

Well she might be a bigot but she voted for the gormless one so he should show her a bit of respect. That must finish off any slim chance he had of winning next week anyway.

[bangkokbonecollector]

He's fucked, Labour are fucked

They'd be more than happy to get behind the Lib Dems now aiming for a coalition

I think both the Lib dems and Labour are royally fucked. Labour because...well 13 years speaks volumes by itself as does old life long Labour voting grannies, laugh yes but she would have lost Labour thousands of votes today, maybe hundreds of thousands of votes today.

All these polls showing Lib dems gaining an advantage are just people who will vote on an online poll or asked a question on the street but will not actually go and vote when it comes to it.

Con's are up to 35% voting share in a few poles today, they need 38% to just shade it I reckon. You will see a larger turn out of con voters on the day than you see in the polls running up to the election, that will at least add another 1-1.5%.

Basically if Cameron carries on as he has done, which I might add has been an excellent steady display, has a decent final debate, then think he might just do it ! fingers crossed.

[Mr Lick]

It has to be said that the Labour Party had ample opportunity to replace the most inept and nauseating PM the UK public has had the misfortune to have thrust upon them in recent decades.
Unfortunately, with the backing of Mandy Mandelson he became all too powerful with party members putting him before the interests of the party. A serious error of judgement which IMO is about to bite them in their backsides very soon.

[bangkokbonecollector]

It has to be said that the Labour Party had ample opportunity to replace the most inept and nauseating PM the UK public has had the misfortune to have thrust upon them in recent decades.
Unfortunately, with the backing of Mandy Mandelson he became all too powerful with party members putting him before the interests of the party. A serious error of judgement which IMO is about to bite them in their backsides very soon.

They should have pushed Miliband to the forefront a long time ago, that bloke even appeals to me and I am as far right as you can get before being a racist twat !

[The Ghost Of The Moog]

^Miliband gave serious thought to joining the Tory party. He took the view that Labour would give him the best chance of attaining power.

So about as ideological as the people running Thailand.

[WhiteKnight]

Con's are up to 35% voting share in a few poles today, they need 38% to just shade it

Should you mean to win then you are wrong they need 43% which they haven't got a chance of getting (thank heavens), although labour are getting around 28% they will get the most seats. See bbc website under Election 2010, numbers crunched.

[WhiteKnight]

Sorry mate, love your posts elsewhere, but I utterly despise Cameron and any tory politician. Incompetent, lying shits everyone.

Couldn't agree more, if that silly bastard was elected he would straight away cut 6 billion out of the economy and the country really would go tits up! The effect would wipe out no end of jobs, people would lose their homes as a result, many would not be able to pay for dental care and social unrest that would result would be unthinkable. In addition he would soon change his mind about keeping the 50p tax for his rich piggy friends.

[Spin]

It's almost as if he's detached from reality.

Understatement of the decade!

Is Maggie Thatcher still alive?

We need somebody with a pair of bollocks in charge, she'd do the trick.

[Smug Farang Bore]

Not that I give a shite but why didn't the the burk use his brain and say....


.....No its just my accent - I said why did you put me with such a big heart...Not a bigot......!



..............next

[Smug Farang Bore]

Just been trying to explain what a bigot is to my misses, she looked at me for a few seconds then said .......

.....and what probllem....

[bangkokbonecollector]

Con's are up to 35% voting share in a few poles today, they need 38% to just shade it

Should you mean to win then you are wrong they need 43% which they haven't got a chance of getting (thank heavens), although labour are getting around 28% they will get the most seats. See bbc website under Election 2010, numbers crunched.

Seriously mate I am not an amateur, I am fully aware of how the British electoral system works, I worked it out on the first day the BBC put it on their site.

With Lib dems at 26.1%, Labour at 25.7%, other at 10%, cons can win with 38.2%.

Majority of 2 seats.

Labour 13 years of shit, want another 4 ?

Lib Dem, what exactly are their policies, do what the EU tells us to do.

NO THANK YOU !