Sunak in PMQs - thread 2

For those who dont understand PMs questions - it's not about answering the question, it's political point scoring.

Notes can be passed to those in the chamber so it's feasible that Starmer knew the bereaved mother was not actually in the gallery and was deliberately lying to make it look like she was. Sunak may or may not have known where she was.

Starmer knows Sunak regularly baits him over not knowing what a woman is. He invited Brianna's mother to be present at PMs questions rather than a different day. It was a planned trap, designed to try and stop the baiting, Sunak walked into it. Starmer sprang the trap. Gutter politician for deliberately setting a trap using a bereaved parent.

My opinion of both of them was already pretty poor but of Starmer has dived to bottom of the pond.

I agree with you @JanesLittleGirl ! What else is there to say about this that wasn't said on the first thread?

The specific incident itself is chip paper now, now that Labour have u-turned on its green spending pledge.

Esther Ghey herself has said she does not wish to comment on reports of wording or comments recently made. So I don't think the OP is being at all "respectful" by starting another thread on it.

Will probably get accused of shutting down discussion though (how ironic...)

Leave it out.
Give it a rest.
I've had enough.
I've had all I can take.

We had 1,000 posts on the first thread which was largely people talking across each other. We really don't need a re-match.

@PatatiPatatras on the last thread:
"Women are the mothers of everyone, the good, the bad and the downright ugly. We are the mothers of those to be proud of, those to protect, those to be ashamed of and those who society should be protected from.

Don't use our pain when things don't go according to plan to hold society to ransom. This is our pain. We get to decide what to do with it. Don't white knight to shield us from suffering which you yourself don't seem to grasp. In most cases, the point of the suffering is for the child to see it and change its ways not for the world to see it and sedate the mother by appeasing the child.

It's the mothers who get to decide how to deal with their pain."

Brava!!
And thank you.

Politicians exploiting a grieving mother is never a good look. It's completely understandable that Esther Ghey wants to be heard in the face of such an appalling tragedy. But as she's finding out, she'll only be useful if they can use her grief for their own political ends.

Starmer's 'sensitivity' has worked out well for the grieving mother hasn't it!

Most people on the previous thread, the R5 call-in and comments below newspaper articles are in line with that - Sunak: not very good, Starmer: really bad.

Oh, and an interesting point that everyone (especially Starmer) assumes Ester Ghey would be upset to hear TWANW (I paraphrase). Appropriating how a grieving mother is going to respond to anything is pretty crass

Jo Bartosch in the Critic, pretty even handed

https://thecritic.co.uk/crocodile-keir/

Tldr both sides suck.

I don't rate Sunak much as a politician. If he was more nimble he could have amended an obviously pre-prepared attack. However, I don't think he had to. Because democracy means no subject should be beyond discussion. Ironically because I think Starmer is a better politician (which isn't a compliment) and just a cleverer man, I just him more harshly in this exchange. Sunak put his foot in it because he's not very good, but in doing that did nothing wrong. Starmer cold bloodedly and explicitly decided to exploit a mother, her tragedy, her grief to score political points. I hope he's proud of himself.