Alan Johnson on "the family" - I'm liking the cut of his gib

[Tinker]

Here. At last, someone not banging on about marriage being the cure all of society's ills

[ScummyMummy]

Yes. I think he's right.

[Marina]

Nice to see someone refer to love as central to the success of a relationship for a change, agreed
I do like Alan Johnson actually, hopefully a good appointment in Education at long last

[Tinker]

Yes, I do up he doesn't balls up things somewhere, he's very likeable

[Caligula]

Blimey. Politician uses the word love.



Did anyone see him on GMTV this morning? Anne Atkins was on banging on about marriage and making the usual statistical (unweighted for class, poverty etc.) claims about how much worse off the children of lone parents were.

[Marina]

Anne Atkins is utterly barking

[Tinker]

Anne Atkins [strangle emoticon]

[Caligula]

I quite like her. She's completely bonkers about some things and completely wrong about others. Very good at what she does, but utterly wrong about this. One of the things she pointed out this AM, was that lone parents are more likely to have children who have a cot death. As if somehow the baby becomes physiologically different when the parent is single, and this sort of statistic owes nothing to socio-economic factors.

[Caligula]

The woman from oneparentfamilies was very good - she pointed out that countries like Denmark and Sweden, which have similar rates of lone parenthood to us, but where lone parenthood isn't immediately linked with poverty and stigma, came near the top of the UNICEF league.

[ScummyMummy]

What does she do? Isn't she a professional pontificator?

[SueBaroo]

Anne Atkins is a journo and vicars wife. I always think of her like a rightwing Polly Toynbee for some reason. I think it's the hair.

[Caligula]

LOL at "professional pontificator"

Wonder if that pays well?

[edam]

Anne Atkins is more a commentator than a journalist though - she gives her own opinions rather than doing some research and interviewing people.

I do like Alan J on this, very refreshing. Isn't he the one who once told Tony Blair 'by the time I was 20, I had three children' and TB replied 'Gosh, you are working class, aren't you?'

[OrmIrian]

The Atkins woman makes my DH froth at the mouth. Most amusing when she's on Thought for the Day

[Caligula]

It always wakes me up when she's on Thought for the day

[Tinker]

I retract my strangle emoticon and will save it for Joanna Bogle

[deaconblue]

I really like him too. The first ed sec for a long while I've had any respect for. There's bound to be some scandal about him soon then

[Caligula]

Who she?

[Rowlers]

Interesting - I agree with him - such social problems are a result of (amongst other things and for a variety of reasons) poor parenting, not single or co-habiting parenting.
IMO - Anne Atkins cannot debate an issue - she simply tries to shout everyone else down by repeating her own drivel more loudly than anyone else. Her "arguments" always seem to revolve around statistics of some sort, which, someone should tell her, are very easy to distort and use to one's own advantage.
I find her deathly dull as her views can be picked apart so very easily.

[nearlythree]

Anne Atkins came to attention for her piece on Thought for the Day when she said how she'd been converted from a liberal position on the gay issue to the conservative one. This was ages before the current bigoted ranting started. From there she got her own columns and a slot on the telly...

Can't stand Alan Johnson though, has a very utilitarian attitude to education. But I'm guessing this speech is signalling he doesn't intend to be Ed sec for long.

[Tinker]

JB is wheeled as the Professional Catholic on the likes of the Jeremy Vine show - gets all hysterical and shouty.

[Caligula]

I've never come across JB

Sounds like ignorance is bliss in this instance.

[ipanemagirl]

Tinker - I respect anyone who uses the excellent expression: "the cut of his gib". That has already improved my day.
Bogle/Atkins both a little mad IMO - but they know they're booked to be a little extreme - otherwise no one would ever call them if they were all moderate and balanced. Melanie Philipps is similar rent-an-extremist.

[MrsJohnCusack]

I have nothing sensible to say but would like to join in the congratulations on the use of 'cut of his gib'

it makes the Active Convos page so much more pleasant to look at

[ipanemagirl]

MrsJohnCusack! Longtime No Speak!
My favourite expression along with my favourite mumsnet nickname! This is improving my day even more! Yes to see the '"cut of his gib" out there is a happy thing.
What does it mean originally? I'm going to have to look it up now.
How are you Mrs C?

[DimpledThighs]

thanks for the link - he does seem sensible and I am glad that he is speaking out in a sensible way aganist all the nonsense we have been getting lately about society's ills.