What do yo think of Williamn Hague's statement re his marriage, miscarriages etc

[squeaver]

here

I don't think it is really about the number of his special advisers, because MPs can usually ride these type of things out. That wouldn't warrant him telling the public about Ffion's miscarriages as a form of deflection. I think this is about the gay rumours and not about public money spent on advisers.

Thanks badgerpaws should have known the real story would be in the Independent

I think it very sad too as such a painful thing to endure. Some wicked people have been saying that the infertility element has been done for the sympathy vote and I'm absolutely sure only the very callous would lie about something like that. If you read the comments on Guido Fawkes's blog (not his so much as his readers'), it paints a very, very sad picture of our society.

"Some wicked people have been saying that the infertility element has been done for the sympathy vote and I'm absolutely sure only the very callous would lie about something like that."

William Hague had two choices:

1. Explain why he needs double the number of advisers as his predecessors and double the number that his party promised to set the limit at. Further more explain why a young lad three years out of university with little political experience was able to fill the much needed hole.

or

2. Play for sympathy and choose to reveal to the press the details of his wife's miscarriages.

It's not that he lied, it's that he appears to be trying to close down and control the debate about his staff by using his wife's pain.

Fio

TBH, I don't think a politician's private life should be dragged out into the press, if they're doing their job properly (I think it should be dragged out if say they're sending millions of $s that was paid to them as bribes to one of their wives who was a student in the US, like a Nigerian minister was doing). There's this question - who would you prefer as a leader
a) a teetotal vegetarian or
b) an alcoholic with a drug problem.

a is Hitler, b is Winston Churchill. I know who I would prefer as a leader (to clarify, not a)

"I don't think a politician's private life should be dragged out into the press"

It wasn't the press that dragged Hague's private life out it was Hague himself who put it out there.

The press correctly raised the issue that Hague had double the number of advisers that you would expect, that the newest adviser is seemingly under qualified and that it so happened that Hague was sharing rooms with that same adviser.

Rather than deal with that Hague choose to throw his private life out there.

Hmm. I think William Hague is fundamentally decent, but also a bit weird. It is weird to appoint a special adviser who has so little experience. If all he is doing is junior level research, then he's clearly not handling political hot potatoes, so why can't civil servants do that job?

Maybe he's had a relationship with him (who cares?) but I think it's more likely that he thought he was a bright young chap with lots of potential to whom he wanted to give a job. Fair enough if it was a party appointment, or as his parliamentary researcher, but not in a government role.

But I genuinely don't get why he's felt the need to make this statement. Just makes it all weirder.

"Rumours about their closeness had been swirling around Westminster and the internet after photographs were published showing Mr Hague and Mr Myers walking and laughing together, dressed casually and wearing sunglasses."

Gosh well, that proves it, doesn´t it-laughing together, dressed casually, but it´s the wearing sunglasses that really clinches it

Thats me convinced.

I didn't interpret the statement as

"I am not gay we have had miscarriages"

I interpreted it as

" the reason we don't have children you ignorant fuckers is that we are struggling terribly with fertility and would desperately like children but have suffered a great deal of hearbreak, now please fuck off and stop asking us stupid questions"

As someone who has suffered the very obvious loss (as in everyone knew) loss of my son, I am repeatedly asked "when are you going to try again".

Sometimes I can brush that off, sometimes, especially when I am struggling I want to scream "the reason we don't have another is that my DS was stillborn, I had a MC and I am now awaiting the results of the tests that will tell me whether this baby is likely to survive. now just fuck off.

I can well imagine that that is how Ffion must feel and the pain of going through what she apparently has whilst people snigger "well of course the reason they don't have children is that it is a lavender marriage...."

I am sure she was absolutely behind the release of that statement.

Sorry - rather to many fucks in that above post.

I'm feeling unaccountably angry on their behalf.

badger he put it out there after years of speculation as to his sexuality, the state of his marriage and why they don't have children.

It was hardly random.

Were reporters really asking why he doesn't have children or were they asking about the relationship with Mr. Myers? It's not news that Hague hasn't got children, we all knew that for many years.

great post Nancy.

That is how I interpreted it too....

Nah, that's how he wants you to interpret it nancy. Agree with BadgersPaws' analysis.

I wonder if the the Special Adviser advised on this statement?

the advice for this statement will have come from a lot higher level than Mr. Myers, which is why it was a surprising thing to do, as Max Clifford said

I understand what you're saying nancydrew the only reason I think its more calculating than that is that Hague has been making political speeches since he was 15. I don't believe that he suddenly slipped and became a normal human responding normally. If he really needs to have people back off and stop asking him stupid questions he should take sick leave being asked stupid questions (and being questioned about your judgement) is part of a politicians job.

Its strange because my response is the opposite of yours, I'm also recovering from a recent loss and I find myself angry that this has been dragged (by him) into the public domain to save his political career. I don't want to have my heartstrings plucked, they're wobbly enough already.

I wasn't being serious re Special Adviser. He'd have been a bit crap if he'd advised this.

The thing about William Hague as a politician is that he is simultaneously very good and very crap.

Even his greatest supporters cannot deny that he frequently looks like an idiot (do you remember when he was showing off about how many pints he used to drink when he was helping deliver lemonade for his dad's factory?). And as for the baseball caps, oh dear God.

However as politicians go he tends to the more direct, more straightforward end. I know lots of you will hate him full stop because he is a Tory but whatever his faults are I do not believe excessive deviousness is one of them.

I think he just has an element of bloody-mindedness in his personality that sometimes makes him throw caution to the wind and think 'Right, I don't care, this is who I am and this is the truth and I am just going to say it.'

Just because he is a politician doesn't mean he is going to find infertility any less painful than the average person, hence it probably is a huge, agonising thing in his life right now, hence the most likely thing seems to me that there is very little calculation behind this statement, it is just a case of Hague opening his mouth and saying what he is emotionally driven to say.

yes I didn't think you were being serious. I agree with you that the advisers who did advise this are crap, and that is surprising as they must have been high level advisers, the best ones that the Tories have, presumably.

I'm afraid I agree with BadgersPaws too.

I feel desperately sorry for Ffion, but I'm afraid Hague's statement whiffs of expediency to me.

"Even his greatest supporters cannot deny that he frequently looks like an idiot (do you remember when he was showing off about how many pints he used to drink when he was helping deliver lemonade for his dad's factory?). And as for the baseball caps, oh dear God."

but all of the politicians are the same, they are all advised what to say. Remember Clegg and his 'Ripping Yarns' tales of his exploits, and Brown and his love of the 'Arctic Monkeys'.
It's probably the same 25 year old adviser that advises the lot of them.

I think it is all about public spending. He has more advisers than is the apparent norm - 3 instead of 2 - and the young good looking one is not well qualified. I assume that is why the rumours started. As for his private life his statement has been reported as giving him no 'wriggle room' meaning that if rumours are later shown to be true his political career will be over.

I wonder if Brown could name a single 'Arctic Monkeys' tune, but some adviser probably thought it was worth a few votes. I'm sure the 'Arctic Monkeys' weren't too pleased, their sales probably dropped after Brown announced that he was a fan.

I think it's hilarious. Made my day. Old Haguey frolicing about with the young lovely. True blue shenanigans and no mistake.

I particularly liked: "It may have been ill-advised to share a room." Perhaps they wanted to stay up all night discussing Hague's sad marriage.