to consider Prime Minister's quip re Torrettes as beyond the pale?

[sovreign]

Everyone has a bad day and no one can be pleasant all the time. I accept that men are sexist and just raised my eyes at the 'calm down dear' in House of Commons. But to stoop to using Torrettes as name calling device for your opposition is surely beyond the pale. Coming from a man who would have us all believe that he tended his son with a disability, the only conclusion I can make is that Cameron is suffering from stress and isn't fit to look after our children.

People always look for something to be offended about

using a mans lost son to make your point is far lower.

Err get a grip. DC is a "person" and people say stupid innappropriate stuff sometimes.
You got from that comment that he didn't look after his profoundly disabled son and he's not fit to run the country.
Over reaction much?

I'm no DC fan BTW.

Also "men are sexist"? Really - all men? Are YOU fit to be raising children with that kind of judgemental attitude?

Yes, I am fit to raise my children, as I am a realist. Both sexes are sexist; that's why you have your hair cut love.

Having a son with Torrettes enforces realism on you as a parent, and as my second child makes society's lack of acceptance even more palpable. So excuse my soapbox ladies, but I believe our PM SHOULD think before he speaks.

During his interview, Mr Cameron said of Mr Balls: "He just annoys me. But I'm very bad, in the House of Commons, at not getting distracted, and the endless, ceaseless banter, it's like having someone with Tourette's permanently sitting opposite you."

Nope, cant see any great insult to people with tourettes there. Infact DC is saying he gets easily distracted in the hustle and bustle of the house.

Get your point but still think it was crass.

Oh well. There we go. Stop the press. A PM with human frailties and the ability to make mistakes. Stop the world I want to get off.

Both sexes are sexist; that's why you have your hair cut love

Bizarre..

Both sexes are sexist; that's why you have your hair cut love

I'm not sure bizarre even begins to cover that. YABU OP on so many levels. Get a grip.

yanbu, I am shocked that anyone can think that his coment was disablist and he is a pratt, it is offensive end of

sorry meant to say "not disablist"

YANBU for thinking he was a bit out of order.

YABFU for saying this 'Both sexes are sexist; that's why you have your hair cut love'

Oh bollocks, I just started a thread about this, because I coukldn't see one, it took me so long to type one handed that this one appeared in the meantime!

I don't think I worded mine in quite such an awful way though, so mine will probably die quite quickly!

Good grief, another stupid gaffe displaying unthinking prejudice? Who'd have thought it.

Of course it's ruddy disablist because he's using a form of disability as an insult and implying that people with Tourettes are irritating. He's generalising about people with Tourettes. Whether you like Cameron or not, it's a fact that he used prejudiced language. And not for the first time.

His son is relevant because you would expect the parent of a disabled child to understand that name-calling and prejudice against people with disabilities is, you know, A Bad Thing.

Quite right, OldMumsy.

He was being unreasonable. He's the PM, he should engage his brain before opening his mouth. (That's if he has a brain).

It was a silly thing to say. He has apologised. End of.

"A man who would have us all believe he tended his son with a disability" - v poor taste OP.

I think it is fair enough to hope that DC might understand why his comment was insulting, because he has experience of living life with a disabled child. But the comment, 'Coming from a man who would have us all believe that he tended his son with a disability...' implies that he had nothing to do with the care of his child which is horrible.

I get fed up with the amount of tourettes jokes, my younger brother has it and from what I have witnessed over the years makes me feel people think it is cool and funny and almost allowed to take the piss out of that disability in particular :(

Oldmumsy, please try to understand. Using a disability to attack someone is not on - it is prejudice. Using disability as an insult is not on - it is prejudice. Please stop doing it. I assume you wouldn't say someone you don't like is acting like a black person - you would realise that is racism. Apply the same thinking to disability.

Sovereign - so are you saying people with Tourettes aren't distracting and don't say inappropriate things at inappropriate times, often in a shouty, outburst?

Edam - the PM wasn't using a disability to attack someone. Ed Balls doesn't have a disability.

What Edam said.

Exactly! He was name-calling and using a disability to do it. He was claiming that Tourettes makes people irritating which is a nasty slur. He was insulting everyone with Tourettes, just as much as someone using 'spastic' as an insult is attacking people with cerebal palsy.

Just shows how ingrained prejudice against people with disabilities is that there are people on here defending him, or saying it's OK because the target of his attack doesn't have the condition used.