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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Sally Bercow refuses to attend Thatcher's funeral and predictably gets pilloried...

17 replies

Lottapianos · 15/04/2013 14:51

I am no fan of Sally Bercow's - I think she comes across as a loud-mouthed, air-headed person with a highly inflated opinion of herself - but I have no problem with her decision and can't understand all the fuss. Unless you believe that a man's wife becomes one of his appendages rather than a person in her own right, I can't see why anyone would have a problem with it. The Speaker will be there, his wife won't be - so what? They are two separate people last time I looked.

I heard discussions on the radio this morning where callers were 'outraged' by her decision not to attend, saying that she should accompany her husband and 'show respect' (to her husband? or to Thatcher? Or both?!) This gave me a case of and had me wondering what century we are in.
She also got accused of attention-seeking but apparently Sally Bercow is saying that this story was leaded to the press by the Tory party to undermine her. No idea whether that's true but that's her side of it anyway.

Any other thoughts?

OP posts:

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DisorganisednotDysfunctional · 15/04/2013 14:58

I don't see what the problem is. If she doesn't want to go, who cares? Not me.

DreamsTurnToGoldDust · 15/04/2013 15:01

Im not getting the problem either, I would imagine theyll be an awful lot of people going who dont care either and wish that they were somewhere else. Another reason why it would be so much more dignified to have had a private funeral where people who loved her could say goodbye together, and a memorial later in the year where the hangers oners could go and be seen.

LineRunner · 15/04/2013 15:02

Isn't Lord McAlpine meant to be going? He's allegedly after her for fifty k for a fairly silly tweet. Maybe she doesn't want to be further sued for looking at him in a funny way.

Who cares? She's not John Bercow's appendage.

LadyBeagleEyes · 15/04/2013 16:01

Why should she go?
She's sticking to her principles.
I'm one of the few people that seem to actually like Sally Bercow though.

LIZS · 15/04/2013 16:06

Fine but she doesn't have to make a song and dance about her "stance" does she . Even if she didn't publicise it herself she could just confirm she want be there without making any political point.

LineRunner · 15/04/2013 16:54

I'm sure she'll send a few sausage rolls to help keep the costs down.

SirChenjin · 15/04/2013 16:57

I don't care one way or another - but good god, that woman is so predictable and boring. She's becoming as bad as Katie Hopkins (well, maybe not AS bad, but certainly as irritating as KH)

Gerrof · 15/04/2013 16:57

I am nonplussed at all the outrage.

But a think perhaps it is 50-50 between dislike of Sally for being opinionated and for John who is loathed by the Tories anyway.

IslaValargeone · 15/04/2013 17:00

Why does she have to be so public about it though?

I do wonder however; presumably John Bercow would not have reached the position he is in if she hadn'd ben pretty damned supportive along the way?
Now he is there she looks to me to be enjoying the trappings of his position yet being as arsey as she can on the back of it whilst maintaining she is fesity and independent. I don't really buy it.

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 15/04/2013 22:44

Did they both go to the royal wedding?

Really, it's more why was she (or any spouse)) invited rather than why she doesn't/shouldn't want to go.

ihearsounds · 15/04/2013 22:52

Since when did people have to go to funerals? Doesn't matter if its MT or some bloke down the road.

EldritchCleavage · 18/04/2013 11:10

If she doesn't want all this fuss, she could stop tweeting absolutely everything that she thinks/does/decides. That would be the simplest way of ending it.

badguider · 18/04/2013 11:12

loads of people didn't go. neil kinnock didn't go. what's the issue?

Lucyellensmum95 · 18/04/2013 11:18

For some reason, imquite that niel kinnock didn't go - yes they were political adversaries but isn't that the done thing?? Whatever she did (and god knows she did some bad things) im sure she did it for what she thought (wrongly) was the best - This is the thing isn't it, politicians, by the very nature of their job tend to be pretty much loathed, there will be always folk that dislike them, to say the least, but still, they do the job because it is what they believe in - You have to respect that, surely? I mean, i even grudgingly respect David cameron - i don't like him, but there is a grudging respect

grimbletart · 18/04/2013 12:13

I believe Kinnock didn't go because he was at another funeral.

Lottapianos · 18/04/2013 12:51

Very true Eldritch

OP posts:

SirChenjin · 18/04/2013 12:53

Please someone say Neil Kinnock was at his own funeral

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