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Gordon grovels
Date published: 29 April 2010
ELECTION 2010
PM’s ‘bigot’ comment regret
Gordon Brown will attempt to lift himself for the third and final prime ministerial debate today after offering a grovelling apology for branding a pensioner “bigoted”.
With just a week left until the General Election and polls showing the parties still deadlocked, Labour strategists have been billing this evening’s economy–themed clash as an opportunity for the Prime Minister to turn the tide of the campaign.
But thanks to his unguarded comments about Gillian Duffy, overheard on a stray microphone, Mr Brown’s personality is again centre stage.
In an email to party activists last night, the premier offered them the same “profound” apology he had made to Mrs Duffy, and promised they would see him in a different “context” in the debate.
The developments came after a dramatic day of campaigning which saw the gaffe overshadow all discussion of policy.
The premier was canvassing in Rochdale when he met retired council worker Mrs Duffy, who asked him a series of questions including about benefits and the eastern Europeans who had been “flooding” into Britain.
The discussion ended amicably, but as Mr Brown was swept away in his car, he told an aide the encounter had been “a disaster”, unaware that his words were being transmitted by a Sky News radio microphone which he had forgotten to remove.
Asked what Mrs Duffy had said, he replied: “Everything, she was just a sort of bigoted woman who said she used to be Labour.”
Mrs Duffy has yet to emerge publicly to give her account of the exchange.
Catch up with the candidates at www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/elections/
Comments
Immigration is the main concern of voters.Yet the Lab/Con/ libs parties continue to bury their heads in the sand .No wonder people are drawn to the BNP party.Mrs Duffy is not a bigot. she is concerned for her grandchildrens future.
I don't know why anyone is surprised by this, calling people names when they don't agree with you has been a standard tactic of the left wing bully boys for years.
Words such as racist, islamophobic, homophobic, etc etc have all been invented to silence any one who fails to see the world the same way as the socialists.
Immigration is the main concern of voters.Yet the Lab/Con/ libs parties continue to bury their heads in the sand .No wonder people are drawn to the BNP party.Mrs Duffy is not a bigot. she is concerned for her grandchildrens future.
Wonderful piece of television. Brown has thrown what little chance he had away.
Be nice to see the old girl make a few quid out of it.
Asking a question about immigration - how dare she.
She has an honest opinion - she must be a bigot.
She's white - she must be a racist!
She quite rightly asked how the debt was going to be paid and again correctly said,"it will be years of tax, tax, tax all to pay the debt"(i.e the bailouts given without consequences to banks).We are to take cuts to pay the bankers and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. Unfortunately Browns' idiotic offensive comments allowed this question to be totally ignored.He almost bankrupted the country and now says that he is the only one who can save the economy.Does he think we are all idiots?
Asking a question about immigration and watch the the fallout,only this time the whole world can see how the what real/normal people have to put up with if they dare mention the boggy word immigration.
Free Speech is dead! Brown's disrespect for Mrs Duffy's view is enough to make another lifelong labour supporter consider voting for the BNP. Immigration is a major concern for those of us who live in towns like Oldham and Rochdale who have witnessed their part of England's green and pleasant land change irrevocably over time. Those who say that ALL immigration is a good thing do not live in areas where there are large numbers of immigrants.
Vote sensibly BUT don't give your vote to a party who side with those your forefathers fought to get rid of. I think you know who that is.
What impressed me was how quick he was at grovelling once his attitude to "a commoner" became public. Wouldn't it be a turn up for the books if our "local leaders" were to recognise that WE are the employers & a little recognition on THEIR part wouldn't go amiss when their arrogance & disregard for our views is exposed - as it will be, in the long run.
Aw come on! Let's not act that surprised at catching a politician being duplicitous - Can any one of them - Conservative, Lib Dem or whichever political candidate, hand on heart, say they have never smiled and fawned over a member of the public and then, when out of range, been as hypocritical as Gordon because if so - I don't believe them. Given all this - I still think Labour's the best of a bad bunch - I remember life under the Tories and especially Thatcher - please, please not again.
I wonder what GB said to Sue? I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that meeting. Just who was Sue who encouraged Mrs Duffy to speak to Mr Brown? Does she still have a job, I wonder?
She got her apology, and still found it irresistible to sell her story.
How low will people stoop these days to make a buck?
Anything goes.
Have Your Say
It was a silly gaffe but I wonder how many candidates and party leaders DON'T say something 'under their breath' when they have just spoken to a voter? The sin is being caught out.
Now, WHY didn't SKY TV turn the microphone off or were they hoping for a gaffe? I do know that SKY have been anti-Labour for quite some time and this was a dream come true for them. All their 'paper reviewers' tend to be to the extreme right of centre. Yes, we get it all over here and don't miss out on the 'fun'.
By dramasingapore @ 29/04/2010 12:15:33