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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Sally Bercow on BB.....does she, or any spouse, have a duty to their spouses job/role?

66 replies

ThePosieParker · 18/08/2011 10:47

She's going in BB, her husband is a public, very public, servant does she make his position and role more difficult?

Are we all a little responsible to 'behave' when our partner's employers/public may view us an extension of them?

OP posts:
VictorGollancz · 20/08/2011 00:03

Being? I meant bring her down.

edam · 20/08/2011 00:08

But pointy, selling access to the Speaker would be far, far worse than going on BB. Charging for dinner with the Speaker would be just wrong. And probably unconstitutional (although I haven't checked that with Vernon whatshisface who is always dragged out as the expert on this stuff).

Beyond me why anyone would want to go on BB, tbh. But I really dislike all this 'how dare little wifie not keep her nose clean' stuff in the media commentary and parliamentary gossip. Very old fashioned attitude that a wife is a mere appendage. She's not the Speaker, she has every right to appear on a TV programme if she wishes.

garlicbutter · 20/08/2011 00:36

This thread strikes me as pretty snobbish. So much so, it's hard to tell whether Sally Bercow is being criticised for [a] being loud; [b] having gained a platform with only a modicum of personal effort or [c] going on a crappy TV show ... and possibly [d], [e] and [f], I'm not sure I have enough angst to perceive them all.

Prolesworth, for once I agree with you. My argument may be summarised as "Why not, exactly?" She's doing her stuff. She seems to achieve more good effects than bad. I admit to not being a sleb-watcher, so perhaps someone can enlighten me as to why Sally Bercow is A Bad Thing?

BrawToken · 20/08/2011 00:38

Don't know much about her, don't really care. I do admire her for distinguishing herself from her husband. Just because he's 'important', she shouldn't have to live in his shadow. And, as prolesworth said, doing it for charity and raising awareness about autism. Go Sally!

Original poster
ThePosieParker · 20/08/2011 07:21

She has a short sleb life as I can't see her DH remaining speaker for long....I guess she needs to milk it. Pretty clever really. And anyone in the public eye declaring and acting like a feminist has to be a GOOD THING.

OP posts:
pointydog · 20/08/2011 12:00

Not selling access. Using their contacts.

I don't look at this as anything to do with feminism, maybe that's the big difference. I don't rate highly anyone who strains to be a celebrity on a basis of nothing, other than who you're married to.

She's her own woman? Yes, but by grabbing media attention however possible, well, it's SB who's riding on the back of her husband, not anyone else who's putting her in that position.

What is feminism and how does she illustrate it? I'm baffled.

Shiveringtimbers · 22/08/2011 08:19

How is she her own woman when she is riding 100% on who her husband is?

If accounts are to be believed, John Bercow is seriously, seriously pissed off with her going on BB and tittle tattling about their sex life whilst there ( she says she exhausted him on a dirty weekend to get him to agree), especially when he didn't agree!
I find her an attention seeking twat, personally but she is also, without doubt, a huge embarrassment.

JosieRosie · 22/08/2011 11:21

I really admire her for being loud and proud about being a feminist, and for insisting on being seen as her own person. The Daily Mail have seriously got the sharp knives out for her - there was a story yesterday quoting 'friends' of the Bercows saying that they are encouraging John to divorce her over her unreasonable behaviour! Nice!
I do question her judgment in spilling loads of details about dirty weekend etc. In my view, that's private stuff and it's likely to be embarassing for her husband, which is unfair on him. And this is a very personal thing, and I know not everyone will agree, but I REALLY wish she had kept her own name instead of taking his! I know they have been married for 9 years but surely changing your last name to your husbands only makes it harder to be seen as an independent person!

pointydog · 22/08/2011 17:52

What distinguishes her as a feminist?

Shiveringtimbers · 22/08/2011 19:04

Yes, I'd like to know that.

Is it her using sex to get what she wants?

Is it her revealing outfits?

Is it her 100% reliance on her husband's fame and position?

What could it be? Hmm

Amodmillymum · 23/08/2011 13:39

We are all independent individuals who should be accountable for our choices and decisions. She has the freedom to do as she wants - she is not the speaker of the house or his servant - she is his partner.

I would say that though because I am spend my life saying this to the military. I am not in the military. I am not bound by your rules and half the time I think they shaft people but let's not get into that. Although military/govt - it's not much different really. It's all horsesh*t - while she's on BB whose to say he's not tied up in some dungeon in Westminster by administered the cane by Madam Whiplash (this is a joke - I am sure he's tucked up with his horllicks keeping his vocals good to call 'order, order').

omarlittlest · 23/08/2011 15:45

hear hear amodmillymum, if anything her choices are her own. Also the crowd who keep saying she has done nothing / hanging on coat tails of her partner etc... nice to know that having and bringing up children is nothing . do we all really think he would be speaker if had raised kids as a single dad etc etc
and finally in terms of apparently acceptable political difference Maria and Arni??? it was not considered a deal breaker when he got elected

Insomnia11 · 23/08/2011 17:31

DH is a civil servant in Westminster and is very careful not to post confidential stuff about his work on websites - so neither would I. So in that sense I have a duty to his role, also I feel we have a duty to support one another in our roles.

I follow Sally on Twitter and she follows me after I said that what was shocking to some people about the ES article (where she talked about finding her husband sexy etc) was that some politicians actually like to have sex with their own wives :)

Amodmillymum · 23/08/2011 17:36

Surely, your husband shouldn't be sharing confidential information with you so you shouldn't be able to post it on websites.

However, if you were privvy to other sources not DH which provided you with confidential information then it would be down to you whether you chose to share that not as a duty to him but in line with your own sense of freedom of information.

pointydog · 23/08/2011 17:38

Differences of opinion I understand. Lauding her as a feminist I do not understand and no one so far has come back to explain.

pointydog · 23/08/2011 17:39

She has done nothing to merit fame other than being married to her husband. That's what we've said. Not that she's done nothing.

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