to thank Emily Thornberry profusely

[longfingernails]

She has just shown how much Labour detest the aspirational working class, the swingiest of swing voters. Labour will be hit with this again and again and again; ever denial and denunciation will just bring Labour's true views to a wider audience. Fundamentally, it will only reinforce the undeniable fact that Miliband's centre of gravity is firmly ensconced in Islington.

She has made a Tory/UKIP coalition, perhaps the best possible electoral outcome, much more likely. Thank you Emily!

Well that pic could appear in a news bulletin as an example of people's strong feelings, an election atmosphere or patriotic feeling. It's entirely possible it was just "an image from rochester" i.e. an interesting sight she saw on her way around.

I'm not being naive – I can understand the "sneering" interpretation. But I think that interpretation comes from the way the viewer sees it.

If you actually look at Thornberry's twitter feed there are a lot of pics in a similar vein as well as the very similar 2012 one. Kind of "out and about canvassing in xxxxx" showing all kinds of things.

But proving her previous good character doesn't actually matter. The point is she didn't say anything, positive or negative. She is now being persecuted not for what she said, but for what other people have decided she meant. Doesn't that worry you? I find the shades of communist China and 1984 a bit concerning.

the time will come soon when no-one on the front bench is allowed to say anything at all, lest they alienate the moron vote.

this^

And yes to see sneering in that pic, you have to already be of the opinion that white van man and his house is something to look down on.

the only good thing about the rise of UKIP (and there's a phrase i thought i'd never write...) is that it seems to have pushed up support for remaining in the EU

hackmum thank for letting me and my liberal DH know we are likely to be "racist troublemakers". WTAF.

As I tell my teenager, be very careful what you put on line , it is not a private conversation between friends. And surely a large part of being a politician is being aware of how things seem to others?

I can scarcely bear to type it, but I find myself agree with IDS, I thought she was sneering at the patriotic working class.

Already there is a feeling that a kind of intellectual urban liberal snobbery now typifies Labour, who are increasingly detached from the electorate, no longer the party of working people, disinterested in their concerns and opinions and unwilling to give them a voice. This tweet was so ill judged because it seems to justify and validate that view. It will only encourage former labour voters to either abstain, or consider parties that superficially and rhetorically represent their interests.

If there is no credible political opposition and people feel unrepresented, they will turn to whomever appears to be listening. Fringe and extremist parties and movements will grow. This situation is very very dangerous and Labour MUST up their game, and take responsibility for addressing the concerns of the electorate rather than mocking people. It is very dangerous thing to do politically and they should be ashamed.

I honestly don't know why she resigned.

There have been much, much worse blunders than his and people have kept their jobs. What does her resignation achieve? Making Ed M look a little less spineless?

If we want to talk about really shocking behaviour, why not discuss some of the UKIP resignations?

As Paleodad said "Labour are the only mainstream party that represent ordinary working people. It has always been thus."

This sort of incident makes no dent at all in my belief that Labour must win.

Chareth I have to vote Labour next GE as I'm in Scotland and it's backs to the waLL time!

that's just it.
Do i think Milliband is a bit of a wally, has no charisma, and scared to death of the media? Yes
Do i think Labour are a bit out of touch? Yes
Do i think they still represent the only hope for this country, and for the betterment of the majority. Absolutely.

Voyages: it's more convoluted than that. You start off by being disillusioned with the Labour Party and assuming due to experience that the default position of a senior person is contempt for voting fodder. At that point it's possible to interpret Emily's tweet as a metrocentric dig at people with white vans who didn't get the memo that the flag of St George is an odd thing to fly.

I live in an area where I see a fair sprinkling of Saltires. Where I grew up flags might come out for football competitions. I don't see it as loaded with racist connotations but know others do see it that way.

I would interpret the house (with a West Ham flag too) belongs to a football fan and a politician has overlain that with her own prejudice against the English flag, but that is one of many interpretations I know.

I understand that it's possible to interpret it that way. That doesn't mean that to punish her for that interpretation is OK.

Should she not have awareness of how she can be interpreted? Or is she too arrogant for that..

Politics is about getting messages across, not tweeting snide crap to your pals. Shows a lack of nous.

All her colleague Douglas Alexander could muster was he didn't know what she meant by the tweet.

So answer me whether her 2012 tweet linked below by two of us, is snide crap. I think that tweet shows the spirit in which she actually tweets.

Was it during a UKIP dominated by election?

OK ten second view: The other house has a smiling man outside, does to my eyes have an eyecatching portrait at a window and I also recall the window ledges having something unusual going on. (So already my interest in decor is piqued!)

Then there is an overwhelmingly happy and unambiguously positive caption.

I can see a vast difference, can't you?

'that's just it.
Do i think Milliband is a bit of a wally, has no charisma, and scared to death of the media? Yes
Do i think Labour are a bit out of touch? Yes
Do i think they still represent the only hope for this country, and for the betterment of the majority. Absolutely'

Completely agree Paleodad. Another 5 years of those heartless Tory bastards does not bear thinking about. I am properly scared for the future.

Voyages, Sandfish's post makes the point better than I ever could.

Labour are on the back foot and ukip gaining, because Labour have become distanced from working class voters while ukip have convinced the working classes that they genuinely care about their lives and issues.

In thus context, Labour should be hyper vigilant about not coming across as patronising or superior. This tweet can be interpreted in many ways, but 'sneery' is definitely one of them and Emily Thornberry should have been aware of that. How obtuse and insensitive does she have to be to not see it?

One should take ownership for ones actions, but this applies to the reaction too. Thornberry is very dim to have not anticipated this interpretation.

it's quite interesting what we all see in this picture.

JUST from the picture, it is a house with a white van and England flags. The white van implies someone who works shifting things, building things etc. (I wondered why vans are usually white, but it seems it makes company logos show up). Note 'works'. Gets out of bed and earns money.

the flags? There has just been a football match, perhaps he is a supporter. Or he never got round to taking them down after the world cup.

of course there are all sorts of subtexts - and it is desperately sad that hanging up the national flag is something that undesirables do. But we know NOTHING about whoever lives there beyond that he drives a white van and has hung up England flags. We have no proof AT ALL that he is an undesirable of any sort!

Thornberry may well have been implying insults - and the fact that she has resigned so quickly tends to bear that out.

What a load of toffee!

I just looked at the pic and it's ridiculous to resign over this!

I have just experienced the Scottish Referendum and many many many houses were far more 'decorated' than this - many in my village still are - in a deliberate manner to state political / racial allegiance.

She didn't make a comment even - it is all left in the mind of the viewer what she 'may or may not' have meant.

Milliband is a muppet and labour need to ditch him.
But God save us from another 5 years of the Tories/UKIP alliance

And, I have seen far more 'disrespect to voters' from other people in other parties in recent years than this...

that's just it.
Do i think Milliband is a bit of a wally, has no charisma, and scared to death of the media? Yes
Do i think Labour are a bit out of touch? Yes
Do i think they still represent the only hope for this country, and for the betterment of the majority. Absolutely.

Totally agree, Paleodad.

I did write a big rant about the media and its portrayal of working class people, the lack of engagement of the working class in politics and the lack of a mainstream Labour voice but I just depressed myself.

I'm pretty at her tweeting that photo actually. If what she wanted to do was express 'surprise' yeah right at a house with several England flags and a van, she only needed to wander round the corner from the labour office in Islington, to where the not-so-rich live.

Very odd.