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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think Katie Hopkins has gone too far this time to tweet about low life expectancy in Scotland.

144 replies

Cuddlydragon · 01/12/2013 16:51

She's a hired gun, I get that she's paid to be provocative but tweeting about a low life expectancy in Scotland in derogatory terms yesterday of all days is a comment too far. There's a twitter storm about her comments and a petition asking tv channels to not use her services again. I hope they take notice.

OP posts:
MrsWedgeAntilles · 03/12/2013 16:01

I didn't really know who she was before this so if her aim was to gain publicity it worked really well. However, I'll now turn over anything she's on and boycott anything advertised in between times on that show.

Liverpool stopped buying the Sun and has never gone back to it. It'll be much less of a wrench for Scotland to lose Katie Hopkins.

MrsWedgeAntilles · 03/12/2013 16:08

Profundo, I don't think an apology would work. If the tweet had gone out on any other Saturday, yes, possibly but she's very cynically used the timing to gain herself maximum exposure.
To be fair to her at the time she tweeted no one knew how many people had died but it was still clear that something awful had happened and it appears she tried to use it to her own advantage. Its hard to imagine what kind of apology would be effective.

ProfondoRosso · 03/12/2013 16:17

Its hard to imagine what kind of apology would be effective.

Yeah, I agree with you there, MrsWedge. Whatever she said, she would only be back tweeting racist nonsense about Scots (and plenty of others, but especially Scots) in a few days.

Weegiemum · 03/12/2013 16:32

Yes, Glasgow has problems. Some huge problems.

I work in literacy in the charity sector. 31% of women giving birth in Glasgow for the first time aren't literate enough to fill in a CB claim form. It's a disgrace, but it's bourne out of years of poverty, illness, neglect, poor housing. Many of these women are asylum seekers that Glasgow welcomed. I was at a community meeting once (about immigration) where a wee old lady stood up and said "aye they are furriners! But they're OOR furriners!!"

Yes, HLE in Glasgow is shockingly low. But if you live in Pollok, or Castlemilk, or Possill, you are condemned to it, especially if you are male, from an early age.

But I've never lived in a more community focused, caring, amazing place (our very middle-class family voluntarily relocated to Castlemilk to be involved in community poverty reduction schemes). It's only been reinforced by what we've heard/seen since then.

Yes, Glasgow is poor, unhealthy, divided. But we know how to pull together (and I'm only an honorary weegie. My dc are not born, but certainly bred here!

So stuff KH and her attitude. I've signed the petition because of the awesomely bad deliberate timing of her tweet. But we don't care about her, and I doubt we ever will!

ProfondoRosso · 03/12/2013 16:35

Hear hear, Weegiemum. Ours is an awesome city.

And your work sounds really valuable and honourable.

Weegiemum · 03/12/2013 16:44

I wasn't born here - I'm an East-Coaster.

But now as Weegie as I can get. And my kids were born in the north but are fully paid up Weegiekids!

I'm proud to call Glasgow my home - even more so since last Friday. And even my dh (who is from Belfast) considers himself honourary Glaswegian.

I can't imagine us ever leaving.

ProfondoRosso · 03/12/2013 17:02

You know, that is a nice thing about Glasgow. I'm Weegie, born and bred, but so many of my pals weren't born here but have adopted the city after university because they love it so much. And I'm glad to say most of them seem to feel they are loved back, and don't feel like outsiders.

I have a Somalian pal with the broadest Glaswegian accent you could imagine. He considers himself thoroughly Somali-Weegie.

Man, we should turn this into a We Love Glasgow thread, rather than get any more upset by the troll.

BumPotato · 03/12/2013 17:20

I'm loving "OOR forriners" weegie . I'm not a Weegie but have spent a helluva lot of my time there due to being married to one. We have a 2nd home there and try to go as often as we can. We were there last week and came away on Friday afternoon. I've always loved going and the community spirit that exists in Glasgow.

thebody · 03/12/2013 17:42

trouble is shes getting just what pays her bills.

publicity.

Tardigrade · 03/12/2013 18:01

But there is such a thing as bad publicity - and it's now being tweeted that ITV have 'no plans' for her on This Morning. She wouldn't be suddenly so contrite if she wasn't seriously worried about her 'career'.

fancyanotherfez · 03/12/2013 18:08

I would love to be part of a campaign to get her off air. I have signed the petiton, but it looks like there are several petitions about her. To no avail. She is so dismissive and hate filled about Mumsnet and women in general, it would be sweet justice if we got her booted off air. She could rant away to herself without inflicting her odiousness on the outside world. Bring on the Mumsnet advertising boycott!

fancyanotherfez · 03/12/2013 18:15

Exactly Tardigrade. She was still tweeting insult after insult. It wasn't as if she had been on another planet and hadnt realised that being offensive about Scotland immediately after a disaster was badly timed. She carried on until she realised her 'career' was in jeopardy. She's only sorry about that.

Weegiemum · 03/12/2013 18:20

I've started, as was suggested, a "proud to db weegie" thread

here and proud!

LadyBeagleEyes · 03/12/2013 18:23

I was born and brought up in Edinburgh but never went to Glasgow until my niece and now my son moved there.
I've been to loads of cities in the UK and abroad and Glasgow is the warmest friendliest place I've ever visited.
And that's some confession coming from an Edinburgher.

MrsClauswearsspanx · 03/12/2013 18:26

^ exactly that.

MrsClauswearsspanx · 03/12/2013 18:27

Oops, too slow. What fancy said.

DownstairsMixUp · 03/12/2013 18:29

She's just so thick it hurts. Ignore her like a bad smell and she might go back under a rock somewhere.

WhereYouLeftIt · 03/12/2013 18:38

Followed the link given earlier by diaimchlo

www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/remove-katie-hopkins-from-all-programmes-and-interviews?share_id=OiCnoVPnvy&utm_campaign=share_button_mobile&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition

Currently at 77,389 signatures, another 72,611 needed. More than halfway!

BlueSkySunnyDay · 03/12/2013 18:46

She is such a complete waste of space - my guess is when she was in "business" she was one of those hot air and no action kind of women who make lots of noise but actually get f*ck all done

Anyone who makes a living by making life harder for children with unusual names and ginger hair is pretty low in my book.

When she tweeted the picture of Peaches Geldof's buggy accident to mock her id have tweeted back the photo of Katie shagging her married colleague with "your kids must be so proud"

I think she has a limited career, give it a year I expect we will all have forgotten about her.

fancyanotherfez · 03/12/2013 19:31

Yes I bet she was. When her 'job' was as a social commentator or 'speaker' to businesses or whatever she was meant to be the out of date and plain wrong information she came out with would have got any business who hired her sued for discrimination in about 5 minutes flat. I get the feeling that the only businesses that employed her were the same businesses that complain about employing women because they might go on maternity leave or would have employed her as a bad taste joke. Either that, or her 'business' was a complete and utter failure, hence her new job as a rent- a- gob.

MrsClauswearsspanx · 03/12/2013 19:49

www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/03/katie-hopkins-petition-scotland-glasgow-twitter

Newest article citing the petition numbers (and link if you care to sign it)...basically referring to herself as "brave for speaking her own mind."

MrsClauswearsspanx · 03/12/2013 19:52

www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/03/katie-hopkins-petition-scotland-glasgow-twitter

Newest article citing the petition numbers (and link if you care to sign it)...basically referring to herself as brave for "speaking her own mind."

fancyanotherfez · 03/12/2013 20:28

That made me laugh her talking about mums at the school gates- what - those people you despise and think talk about nothing important? And I hope the BBC didn't pay her to go on and she had to go on for free to do a bit of damage limitation!

BumPotato · 03/12/2013 20:50

Anyone able to link or post THATpicture of Haty Kopkins just for this thread and Peaches ?

duchesse · 04/12/2013 00:07

I know people who are mums at her school gate. I'm not sure anybody talks to her there.

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