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News

My handwriting is appalling.

28 replies

OrmIrian · 09/11/2009 13:16

I now realise that I should never write a letter of condolence to the bereaved as it will be taken as a personal insult.

Would you prefer a handwritten letter (even if in a poor hand) or a beautifully crafted typed one(possibly by someone else)?

I have no desire to offend anyone as I can imagine people have strong feelings in this area, but does anyone else find this strange?

OP posts:

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MmeLindt · 09/11/2009 13:18

Why would a letter of condolence be seen as an insult?

I would find a personally written letter, in the writers own words, much more comforting that a wonderfully crafted missive that had no personal feelings in it.

PeachyInCarnivalFeathers · 09/11/2009 13:19

AS it said on the other thread- he ahs VI,of couirse his handwriting is appalling.

If she were not grieving i'd be critival of her for sure, as it is I guess you have to say poor woman, not thinking straight and thats it.

Shame he got flack for it though; I think a hand written letter would have meant a lot to me tbh.

OrmIrian · 09/11/2009 13:22

Sorry mmdL - I should have linked. It isn't just apropos of nothing.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8349757.stm

OP posts:

OrmIrian · 09/11/2009 13:23

Ohhhh there is another thread is there? Didn't see it.

OP posts:

BecauseImWorthIt · 09/11/2009 13:23

Trouble is, Gordon Brown can't do right for doing wrong at the moment.

If he'd sent a typed letter he'd have been criticised for a lack of a personal touch.

What I was really annoyed about was the woman's claim that he had misspelt 'comfort' when it was clearly just his handwriting.

I think it's magnificent that he takes the time to write a personal, handwritten letter to all those who die serving their country and I was ashamed that the BBC stooped so low to report this in the way that they did this morning.

That said, if he did get the name wrong then that was a mistake - and I would have expected someone at No 10 to be checking for that.

throckenholt · 09/11/2009 13:24

I would have been amazed at just how bad his writing is - and would have (I think) felt touched that he was prepared to write personally even though his writing is so bad.

It would be so much easier to get someone else to write it and he just sign it.

But anyone suffering in the throes of fresh grief is not likely to be objective. The media however should be and stop blowing it up out of all proportion.

MmeLindt · 09/11/2009 13:30

Ah, I see.

I feel very sorry for GB at the moment, it seems that nothing he does is good enough for the press.

For him to take the time to personally write a letter, not just have one typed by one of his staff is lovely and it is a shame that the family of the soldier who died did not focus on that.

The grief and sorrow of the mother excuses her for her actions. The press have no excuses and are using this as another means of bashing Brown. They should be ashamed of themselves, exploiting the bereaved like this.

paisleyleaf · 09/11/2009 13:32

He apparently spoke to her on the phone this morning (was on R4 news).
BIWI is right, he can't do right for doing wrong.
And as Peachy says, she is grieving and I guess not thinking straight. But it's a shame someone in her circle couldn't have helped her from taking it as an 'insult' or 'disrespectful'.

BecauseImWorthIt · 09/11/2009 13:35

.... and a shame that the Sun thought it appropriate to make a story out of this.

Although hopefully it will have backfired and will have only generated sympathy for Gordon Brown.

catinthehat2 · 09/11/2009 13:42

But how can a leader get to the stage where nobody can say "No" to him? No you can't send that, you have mispelled names, it's not legible etc, you really need to get your handwritten draft typed and just sign it yourself,Gordon old chap. Most bosses recognise their limitations and get upset if their staff don't help them look good. GB's staff must have deserted him.

PeachyInCarnivalFeathers · 09/11/2009 13:44

but a handwritten letter isnt the sameasatyped one

maybe hedashed it off and popped it in the post, in a human sort of way.

I didn't realise he sent letters to the famillies and in all truth, the aw factor of him doing that was what I have taken away from this.

paisleyleaf · 09/11/2009 13:49

There is an aw factor. GB with his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth, trying to do good writing.
Maybe the Sun's report will backfire.

Flightattendant · 09/11/2009 13:51

I hate to say this but giving a child a very confusing alliterative name i am sure it isn't the first time someone has assumed it was the more common version of the surname iyswim

All due respect to the bereaved mother, of course but it would have been an easy mistake to make with full eyesight.

PerArduaAdNauseum · 09/11/2009 14:04

I'm appalled by the whole story - heard the mother on R4 this morning, and just thought - why? Does she have some sort of grudge against the PM? Yes she's grieving, but does she think that this is going to make her feel any better?

Poor Gordon. the media's decided that whatever he does shall be wrong - not unlike Jimmy Carter in teh 70s.

hellsbelles · 09/11/2009 14:19

I was touched to hear that he wrote personal letters and am very shocked that someone could take what is obviously a well intentioned letter and turn it into yet another thing to whip him with.

While I understand the poor woman is grieving - surely the last thing on her mind should be contacting the Sun with this story.

MmeLindt · 09/11/2009 14:26

Tbh, the fact that he has written dozens of letters (not sure how many have died since he has taken office, but altogether over 200 letters) counts in his favour.

It must be one of the hardest parts of his job, knowing that his politics have put these young men and women into a warzone and they have died because of his decisions.

edam · 09/11/2009 14:31

I've been confessing to having appalling handwriting on the other thread. Agree the fact he writes the letters himself and takes the time to send them to every family is quite touching (although given he's sent their sons to die, quite right too).

Wonder if ds's teacher thinks 'aw, edam has such bad handwriting, I'm glad she made the effort to put a note in ds's reading book' or 'gosh, edam is really thick'?

GrimmaTheNome · 09/11/2009 14:46

Poor old Gordon - I'm sure he does indeed feel mortified by this.

I guess he needs more help with his visual impairment. There's no reason why he can't do his job properly so long as he has enough support. In this case, a proofreader to check the names are correct.

gerontius · 09/11/2009 14:51

What I disliked the most about that story was how she said "if he can't be bothered to spell things right". As though he spelt things wrong on purpose.

frostyfingers · 09/11/2009 15:09

I am not a GB supporter at all, but I do think this is a little unreasonable. If she'd not received a letter, or it had been typewritten I suspect the outcry would have been just as much. I haven't seen the letter, but yes, ok perhaps it would have been sensible for someone to give it a quick read through, but for heavens sake give him a break.

I understand she's upset, and to her it is a big deal - having a name spelt wrong is irritating and if it's your deceased child's name then it must be very upsetting, but I don't think taking it to the press serves any purpose at all.

Nobody's won on this occasion.

GhoulsAreLoud · 09/11/2009 16:13

Oh good, I came here for a bit of sanity about this.

I don't blame the mother for being upset, and I think GB's heart was obviously in the right place.

I won't vote for GB, but I'm bloody sick of the media tearing him apart for every single thing he does.

edam · 09/11/2009 16:24

So, do we think this story will actually increase sympathy for GB, rather than being bad for him? Nice to think it will backfire on The Sun. Although I suppose MN is atypical.

MrsForgetful · 10/11/2009 09:51

I am not a 'fan' of Gordon Brown.... but this has definitely made me respect him.

I cannot begin to imagine the mother's grief (which i am sure has affected how she has interpereted Gordon's expression of condolance)....however...personally speaking....I'd always rather have a personal handwritten letter/card over a mass produced/'insert name here' 'template' letter.

can you imagine recieving sympathy cards after a death where noone actually wrote in them and had their messages printed inside? (Hmmmm....wonder how many sympathy moonpig cards are sent)

I feel extermely sorry for gordon after all this...I still won't vote for him...but I'd love him to pop in for a cuppa!

dilemma456 · 10/11/2009 12:37

Message withdrawn

noddyholder · 10/11/2009 12:40

I can't bear the way everything and every aspect of peoples lives are now fair game.It is definitely an overhang from the Big Brother/X factor nonsense.The woman concerned could have made a private complaint but it seems everything is for sale now

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