Who feels sorry for Gordon???

[MrsForgetful]

I do.

ninna, the whole country is getting older. The disrespect and contempt that politicians, particularly Labour ones have for the older generation was shown by that Labour candidate in Scotland, who disgracefully referred to older voters as coffin dodgers. It is very important for us the public to get a glimpse of what the high and mighty in politics really think of us. That way we know whether they are lying to us when they tell us they are the listening party and that they have our concerns at heart. It could make all the difference in whether we get shafted or not.

The idea that it's a non-story is wishful thinking, really. If Cameron had been caught the same way mn people would be saying "aha this shows what he's really like we knew we couldn't trust him so how can we trust him on policies" etc etc etc

It's natural of course to feel loyal to one's political party but, completely dispassionately, it really is a story. So much of this election and the future of the economy is about confidence, confidence, confidence. That starts with trust, and this gets to the heart of it. Yes, the journalists were completely untrustworthy but you don't vote for them and they won't be running the country.

With confidence comes consumer spending. With confidence comes business investment. With confidence comes an improved credit rating. The importance of this unquantifiable chimera, confidence, might be deplored but tough luck. It's central to the next year of policy and investment.

That's why Brown's advisors don't agree that it's a non story. They know it's enormous.

I do.

I was not going to vote Labour anyhow, but I do feel for him. It was not a public statement, merely an opinion expressed to a colleague. Blown out of all proportion.

I think his grovelling apology made it worse.

I've only read the OP. No, I don't really feel sorry for Gordon. What I find strange about the whole episode is that the chat with that woman actually went well I thought. And when the press spoke to her immediately after it she said she'd be voting for him. However, he seemed to think it was a disaster. Quite odd.

Her views were bigoted. Nothing wrong in commenting on this to his colleague in private. He is not condemning his electorate. He is calling a spade a spade. The only wrong in this, is turning it into something newsworthy.

My dh is East European. He has created many jobs for Brits during his time in the UK.

I take offense to anybody labelling foreigners in the way this woman did. I am one myself. I remember standing on a bus stop listening to some woman ranting to me about all those foreigners coming taking jobs, and what not. I told her, "I am sorry, I dont want to listen to this, I am a foreigner, and I am not taking anybodys jobs, I am paying a fortune in tuition fees for the privilege of being her, as opposed to "Home students" ". She said "oh but you are ok, I cant see that you are foreign".

I hail Gordon Brown for recognizing bigotry in the face of it, and for responding to her with dignity in front of the camera. It is not like he said to her face: "You are ill informed, bigoted and racist." Now, THAT would be newsworthy.

he's screwed up our pensions; cost me loads each year in extra tax; thrown our money at the health service with no thought for reform or efficiency improvements; encouraged councils in the south to raise council tax to excessive levels. and done very little to improve my life. why should i feel sorry for someone who's obviously two faced and not up to the job

" It is not like he said to her face: "You are ill informed, bigoted and racist." Now, THAT would be newsworthy."

Hehe. I'd like to see that.

But mrssceptic why would eavesdropping on a politician making a private remark and expressing an opinion suggest they were untrustworthy or make me lack confidence in them?

I don't understand that at all. The fact that politicians have private thoughts on people they meet which they express privately only strikes me as deeply normal.

Cartoose, you are right the chat went very well for him. He was obsequious in his praise of her, describing her as a very good woman. He is a control freak, he wasn't satisfied with how it went, she dared to question some of his policies, he couldn't control that. He can alledgedly throw phones at his minions, but this was "some old woman", it was being recorded for TV, his rictus grin was being used to full effect. He thought it was a disaster because he expected grovelling subservience, unfortunately he met a real voter. Unfortunately, even Labour supporters like Mrs. Duffy, who disagree with him, are all bigots to him. The great Gordon sees the ordinary voters as bigots, he is like Julius Caesar in 'Carry on Cleo' with his "infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me".

I don't feel sorry for any politician. They are there to do a job and at a time like this should be acting professionally and decently! What an idiot!

However, the media love to turn nothing into something....BUT Gordon Brown is very aware of this so should be being a bit more careful.

I actually quite like Gordon Brown as a person, but his politics are wrong (in my opinion).

You know what, I was swithering a bit, but was probably going to vote Lib Dem as per usual, but I've now decided to vote Labour.

I like the fact that he was cheesed off with the bigotry of that woman.

If I wasn't already going to vote for him it would actually make me more likely to vote for him. He proved that he really is a committed anti-racist and when he mistook that woman's sentiment (if he did? ) he was actually genuinely upset and angry about what he perceived to be small-mindeness. I love the fact that he is passionate about fairness and openness in society

I'm just sorry he apologised so profusely

She was a bigot. Good for Gordon Brown. Is it wrong to have a crush on him...? Still voting for 'my mate Dave' though.

QuintessentialShadow I know exactly what you mean. I am of foreign birth. Now I carry my 'English' married name and have what is perceived as a 'posh' accent.

Once I was in the pub with my friends Dad, and he went off on a huge rant about 'foreigners' who were stealing jobs/education/benefits before going back to 'their own country'. My friends cracked up laughing, and told him he was talking to one of them. He then back tracked excruciatingly, trying to say that I obviously wasn't one of those foreigners.

Poor GB, just as well us ordinary folk don't have mics attached to us when we walk away from people, I'd have been in big trouble every day this week. Clearly a set up by good old Sky, the Murdoch corperation doing their best to scupper the Labour campaign.

Hundred: he lied. He was two faced.

"Who wouldn't hate those kind of "get ambushed in the street" things?"

Given it was a Labour supporter, rather than some "plant" wanting to make trouble, it seems rather odd that he would feel "ambushed". Certainly it sounded like she had asked pertinent questions (I am perhaps the only person who has not seen any of the TV coverage, but did hear the piece of conversation from GB in his car, as it made radio news for hours, of course).

Seems like something of an "own goal" as he apparently left giving her normal pleasantries and then like a hypocrite, slagged her off once he thought he was out of earshot.

It's understandable he'd be contrite, if only because otherwise all Labour voters might consider him two-faced and be worried about anything he said in public, and whether he means it truthfully, or not.

He was polite. If you think about it, most politeness can also be termed "twofacednes".

KIF- we live in an area that is beginning to be known as a 'polish' community (the label ignorant people give to all east European)

and they are lovely people....but people still ask me 'whats it like living with so many foreigners'.

it REALLY pisses me off....

in our local asda...there are 2 wonderful twin sisters on the tills who i think are Croatian... they are so lovely to all the customers...the miserable natives on the other tills do nothing to show me why WE (the natives) should have the jobs that THEY (the foreigners) are 'taking' from us.... THEY often put more effort in...THEY are glad to have the jobs that we look down on.

Yes. I am polite to fuckwits at work as to not be so would make me unprofessional.

But I often put the phone down and mutter 'oh piss off you twat'

Tis normal.

watch the full 5 minute video and read the full transcript, and you will see how innocuous it was, and how Brown tried to use it as a way of shining. The fact that he described the interview as "ridiculous" and a "disaster" and Mrs. Duffy as "some old bigoted woman" gives us a very important insight into his character. It is this character that his spin doctors are now working overtime trying to rehabilitate. All of the good work done by the spinners over the past few years has been undone by this episode. Brown has been revealed to be what he always was, beneath his media mask and his tutored grin
www.channel4.com/news/articles/vote_2010/when+gillian+met+gordon+the+full+transcript/3629187

You know what, bollocks.

I grew up in a place where there were no ethnic minorities. Actually, I lie. There was 1 chinese family (who owned the Painted Fan) and 1 Bangladeshi family (who owned the Rajah Tandoori). There were 2 ethnic kids in my school.

I now live in a really multicultural city. I like the fact there people of all nationalities in the street, there is little racial tension here and everyone rubs along together. It's a good thing in my book.

Although there are lots of people who are worried about immigration, there are also lots of people who genuinely do not care, and think that there are many other issues on policy which need to be looked at before immigration.

Kif. I understand exactly where you are coming from. I pass for English until I open my mouth. It's amazing what people will say to you if they don't realise you are foreign.

I feel no sympathy at all and am astonished that some of you would choose as Prime Minister someone you 'feel sorry for' - because of his incompetence and lack of understanding of ordinary people. Would you still feel sorry for him if this lapse had occured during crucial talks with other world leaders?

Yesterday's constituency visit was obviously mismanaged. 'Sue' allowed an unvetted ordinary woman to speak to his preciousness and the media failed on this occasion to either bury or spin the incident in Gordon's favour. Nothing here to make a fuss about, move on to tomorrow's manufactured story.