Gordon Brown and the "bigoted woman"

[scandal 951]

The prime minister was confronted by Gillian Duffy, 66, who complained about levels of immigration and difficulties experienced by people who are unable to work in claiming state benefits.

“You can’t say anything about the immigrants,” she told him. “All these eastern Europeans coming in -- where are they flocking from?”

...

{However, a microphone picked up his words to an aide as he drove away in a car.

PM Brown: "That was a disaster.

"You should never have put me with that woman.

"Whose idea was that?"

PM Brown went on: "It's just ridiculous."

His aide then asked: "What did she say?"

PM Brown replied: "Oh, everything,

she's just a sort of bigoted woman

who said she used to vote Labour."}

[Darnell 8,478]

Oh Snap - did he lose the Hungarian vote? (J/k)

[scandal 951]

Oh Snap - did he lose the Hungarian vote? (J/k)

What he'll most probably lose is the election.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

What he'll most probably lose is the election.

I doubt he will lose it solely because of this. He wasn't exactly a front runner to begin with.

The BBC coverage of this was hilarious. They showed the whole thing in chronological order.

[Pooky 3,348]

I doubt he will lose it solely because of this. He wasn't exactly a front runner to begin with.

The BBC coverage of this was hilarious. They showed the whole thing in chronological order.

Gordon Brown is a disaster. He has about as much charisma as a day old pile of horse manure and, as Chancellor of the Exchequer while Tony Blair was PM, deserves much of the blame for the severity of the economic downturn in the UK. Add in this, where he "off-camera" takes a really nasty swipe at one of his own party's supporters, not to mention his PR staff, and there aren't many in the UK who will want him back in 10 Downing Street.

Good riddance.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I think the only way he will "win" is if there is a hung parliament. But even then there's no guarantee his own party won't try to ditch him.

[Peikko 1,575]

I liked his honesty, there should be more of it

Why does a prime minister need 'personality'? Whatever the good and bad of GB, I care nothing for his personality one way or another. Which of the other two has the desirable personality for a Prime Minster? What was it Paxman said about Cameron? He's a smooth #######?

Kate Adie was good on this incident in the 'Vote Now Show' - and she had some great ideas to import from the Greek election process, rattles, yeah!

[SMR 368]

The prime minister was confronted by Gillian Duffy, 66, who complained about levels of immigration and difficulties experienced by people who are unable to work in claiming state benefits.

“You can’t say anything about the immigrants,” she told him. “All these eastern Europeans coming in -- where are they flocking from?”

...

{However, a microphone picked up his words to an aide as he drove away in a car.

PM Brown: "That was a disaster.

"You should never have put me with that woman.

"Whose idea was that?"

PM Brown went on: "It's just ridiculous."

His aide then asked: "What did she say?"

PM Brown replied: "Oh, everything,

she's just a sort of bigoted woman

who said she used to vote Labour."}

What's wrong with that? He made a specific statement about a woman that he interacted with. You can't believe that politicians don't have these types of conversations.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Probably because politicians seeking re/election are concerned as much by presentation as by substance?

Beyond the entertainment value of seeing a political figure reduced to a national laughing stock, this story isn't important.

[Heracles 417]

Hey hey it's Cleos best mate.

Nice dodge of the question of the impact of workers coming from Eastern Europe.

'Brits move to to Europe too'. Riiiight, so an equal number move to Poland do they.

Edited April 29, 2010 by Booyah!

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I watched clips of this on YouTube yesterday and frankly don't get what all the fuss is about. She is a bigot. So what's wrong with identifying bigotry when we see it? People should be doing more of that, not less.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Poland is part of the EU. It's legal for Poles (and anyone else from an EU country) to travel and work in any other.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I watched clips of this on YouTube yesterday and frankly don't get what all the fuss is about. She is a bigot. So what's wrong with identifying bigotry when we see it? People should be doing more of that, not less.

Come on, you can't have forgotten what it was like here during the 2008 election. Obama got hauled over the coals for calling Pennsylvania voters small-minded people who "cling to religion and guns".

This is more or less the same thing.

[Heracles 417]

So the lady's concerns are bigoted are they? Sure as hell explains your views on illegals here and your attempt to criticize any measure proposed.

Naturally, much in the same way illegals are not affecting hard disk changer on here or your own position, you have this blank what's the big deal attitude.

[mawilson 2,133]

'Brits move to to Europe too'. Riiiight, so an equal number move to Poland do they.

No, they all move to Australia where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.