David Cameron apologises for 'sexist' remarks

[RowanMumsnet]

Morning all

The Sunday Times is today reporting that David Cameron is apologising for 'using words that could have been interpreted as sexist' in his replies to two women MPs during Prime Minister's Questions; he's also saying that the Conservatives must to more to appeal to women voters.

The full article is here (£), but - at the risk of bringing the wrath of News International on my head [buttock-clench emoticon] here are the most relevant parts:

'David Cameron has issued a heartfelt apology for disrespectful remarks he made to two female MPs and admitted that the Conservative party must do more to appeal to women voters.

The prime minister acknowledged making a 'terrible mistake' in the House of Commons by using words that could have been interpreted as sexist.

In a highly personal interview, he insisted he was not 'one of the lads' and had not meant to cause offence... Cameron acknowledged he had 'screwed up' at prime minister's questions during exchanges with Labour's Angela Eagle, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, and one of his own backbenchers, Nadine Dorries. He insisted that he had been misunderstood.

'What I find frustrating is that I'm not a sort of 'All right luv, I'm down at the pub tonight' whatever. That's not me. But obviously I've come across in this way,' he said.'

Do let us know what you think.

Thanks
MNHQ

It's telling that he doesn't want to help women, and asking how he can do this through policy. He's asking how he can reassure women and win their votes.

It's all about him and his party. It's like bloody sport - they've won because they're in power and they want to stay there. It's the wrong way round - I wish politicians who genuinely wanted to help women ended up in power in the first place.

They are in power, but didn't actually win the election. They're only there because Clegg hasn't read Dr. Faustus.

I am not at all PC, but if Cameron is not careful he will lose much more female support than he has already lost. Plenty of racists and sexist dress up their comments as "jokes". We all know that and as Prime Minister he has to be "whiter than white" as it were......

Women face these "jokes" every day. They are usually made by those worried about the comparative size of their penis who fear women. They won't matter ultimately as plenty of us women now easily outearn the prime minster. However he does need to be much more careful about women.

When his cabinet is more than 50% female we will take him seriously as representing our interests. There is no shortage of good female candidates. It is senior cabinet posts being female which count not how many paid or unpaid hanger on female servants he brings in to serve him in his office.

Most women's complaints will be about the loss of tax credits, child benefit and the like and I have never earned as little as to qualify for tax credits.. Those of us women who own and run businesses would like much bigger "cutting back fof the state" (a much smaller state) and real commitment to cutting red tap and quangos. Wales is advertising a £91,000 old people's representative this week in the Times. We are supposed to be radically cutting costs. We have hardly started. Coupled with the cutting back the state eventually we need a culture of low tax and no reliefs and tax simplicity.

It is easy for any man to demonstrate a lack of thought about the positon he holds in relation to women, and they express that 'lack of thought' differently.

So a Tory PM shows himself to be a patronising oik. This isn't news just in is it?

And it isn't "heartfelt" is it? It's contrived and, as has been said, designed to limit damage. Just a bit of posturing, and a bit of a [yawn].

MNHQ a serious political force?

The percentage of women intending to vote Conservative has dropped from 38% to 34%, according to today's Independent on Sunday.

Funny how Dave has suddenly woken up to the fact that Us Women might actually be important ...

DC doesnt give the tiniest shit about women voters, esp SAHMs....why else would he be getting rid of CB for those with partners over the £45K income bracket??? (my dh is just over and we have been a single income family for 9 years now)

The idea that the saving this will make - about £85 million - will in any way help the economy is so fatuous it makes me want to spit.

Remember that promise that CB as a "universal benefit" was "incredibly important" to sahms and would be kept????

Anyone?

As a poster above said, as soon as his cabinet is 50% women and he and his govt introduce policies to actually help women i.e. decent afforable child care, more help for carers (the vast majority are women), more help for mothers of dc with SN/SEN (as I am), more equality in the workplace, more stringent rape, DV and harrassment legislation is all a good place to start............

Women sadly still seem not to earn very much therefore reforms which hurt people at those income levels hurt women. He needs to do more to attract women. At the next reshuffle if he could bring in 3 or 4 more women to senior cabinet posts and take men out that would be a start. 30% minimum women on boards would be good too.

Unlike the last leader we now have a leader with a working wife and Clegg's wife earns more than Clegg as a lawyer. This is a great example to the nation too although it would be much beter if Cameron and Clegg were women.

Cameron needs to think about women and how he is perceived in relation to them.

Thank feck we have the SNP up here working to benefit the whole of Scotland.

Cameron is a posh twat who has absolutely no idea whatsoever about any part of society that doesnt include the mega rich, what actual experience does he have of real life??

His "alright love I'm off down the pub" comment clearly shows he has no idea about working class people.

The general disdain with which he refers to Scotland and it's people is clearly evident.

FFS there is 1, yes 1 Tory MP in Scotland, we don't vote Tory, they are not relevant to the people of Scotland.

Bring a sexist cunt is the least of his worries tbh.

I'm not sure RowanMumsnet would ever be a puppet of the Tories.....EVER.,

My first reaction too, stripeybump:

I think his comment that he's not an 'alright luv I'm off down the pub' type man is the most telling part.
Newsflash - it's not just working class men who can be sexist dicks Dave, misogynism doesn't have an accent.

I reckon he's a wonderfully shiny example of the 'entitlement' that gets up so many noses. He's male, white and posh - therefore (iho) he's damn near perfect and a superior being to everyone who hasn't got those qualities.

Sexist language is an imperfection, therefore it must belong to the inferior classes. He's sorry he used the language of 'inferiors'. But still hasn't got that he needs to be sorry he looks down on voters and MPs who are not posh, white males like him.

I'd love to know why he thinks his 'inferiors' are better able to carry the nation's debt than posh, white men are. Whatever happened to "With privilege comes responsibility"?

This belated and lame "apology" is so transparently in response to the story that the Tories are losing ground with women voters that it has the opposite effect of that intended. Imo.

As others have pointed out, you only have to look at their policies to work out what they really think about women.

And Cameron's faux working class "Alright luv..." remark is rather revealing.

If Tories want my vote they need to address stuff that I care about.....predominantly making society more fair. Having some convictions may help too....I may not agree about their family values crap but they don't seem to either, it's all stuff and nonsense.

And tbh if Tories want more women to vote for them they need more decent women in their cabinet/party.....That God awful 'Muslim dinner party prejudice' and Dorres are two of the worst people in politics.

I enjoyed the media coverage of Milliband's rambling conference speech. It shows the electorate isn't as bedazzled by bullshit as the Tories (and Blair) thought. We like to see some common sense and honest policy in there.

I second everything FannyFifer said, and, for the record, I do think DC is a sexist, patronising cunt too

He cannot say 'we need to do more to appeal to women voters' and expect to be given seriously when he heads a government who we could be forgiven for thinking has the sole aim of shitting on women from a great height.

It is just a cruel, horrible joke.

And another thing: if he wants to appeal to women voters - fair play to him if he does - for god's sake Dave, just READ the reports, CHANGE your policies, and BE DONE.

None of this PR is working. Not a jot of it is worth what you're paying for it. Principally because at the moment your policies are unspinnable, misogynistic and transparent.

I haven't read the Times article either, but I have read a 2-page spread in the Observer on "why are women voter turning away from the Government?", and seen a report that Tory support amongst C2 (skilled manual) women is imploding.

The Tories can't get a majority without women. Could this possibly be behind today's "apology"?

Yeah, and while you are at it Cameron you can shove your "big society" up your arse as it seems to involve sacking a huge amount of women and then expecting them to volunteer to do the same job but for free.

And whilst I am having a rant every time you have to make a bad news announcement, please, do not make Theresa May do all the talking as she is the toekn woman in your cabinet. Why the hell did she have to handle all the media interviews regarding the CB cut to HRTs seen as how she is the Home Secretary? Just try having more women in your cabinet not all you mates from Eton/Oxford.

I agree with all the posters who can see what Cameron really is - a hypocrite who is only apologising because of the worry about women voters. IF he was truly sorry why did he not apologise at the time. He must think we are all half wits who can't see through his reprehensible tactics.

I thought it a reasonable thing for MN to ask us and I haven't read every post but as a guestimate I would say that most of us are well and truly against Cameron and his ilk, and can see through his hypocricy and that MN will be able to feed this back to him.

The hard truth is that despite what I am desperate to think and feel, we (well, not me, you ) have elected a group of people who are known for not having the moral background that many of us have.

Cameron knows his apology is worth nothing. It costs him little to make the apology, and he doesn't care about the response to it. He knows we know that he doesn't care, and that we know we are shafted. I suspect there's a good bit of enjoyment going on here.

Ah, MNHQ finds yet another excuse to moblise anti-Tory MN opinion. Nice one.

The Tories are interested in 2 things: keeping themselves and their upper class chums in luxury (abolition of 50% tax rate anyone?) and making sure they appease Joe Public just enough to keep us quiet.

D C et al will never get my vote. They could write me a cheque for a million pounds and I'd still not put an X in their box. Thinking that saying sorry for calling someone 'dear' will make it OK shows just how detached they are from reality IMO.

Damsel - feel free to set up a pro- Cameron thread. It will be interesting to see how much support there is for him on here.