Gordon Brown 'bigoted woman' jibe caught on tape.

[so_bambiesque]

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been caught on microphone describing a voter he had just spoken to in Rochdale as a "bigoted woman".Sixty five-year-old Gillian Duffy had challenged Mr Brown on a number of issues including immigration and crime

Comments

[marah_sarie]

I swear to God I watched this episode of The Thick of It *JUST* last night.

[so_bambiesque]

I have still not seen the Thick of It. Ever. I keep meaning to and then I don't and I feel so left out of the loop. :(

[orwellian_trash]

In The Loop is good stuff, too.

[so_bambiesque]

I have seen In The Loop, randomly, after I finished the Sopranos and needed a James Gandolfini fix. Didn't completely follow it though :/

[orwellian_trash]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8649308.stm - from about 2.30

After a discussion on people who falsely qualify as being vulnerable to receive benefits Gillian Duffy responds: "You can't say anything about the immigrants because you're saying that you're, you're ra... [trails off] But all these Eastern Europeans what are coming over, where are they flocking from?"

It seems like a pretty bigoted position to me.

[so_bambiesque]

Yep, pretty much.

[sparkindarkness]

yeah, I pretty much reviewed what she said and thought "well, it's not exactly politically useful - but it's fairly accurate"

[ghost_busting]

But all these Eastern Europeans what are coming over, where are they flocking from?

Umm...Eastern Europe?

[so_bambiesque]

Pretty much.
I admit I was wrong about assuming she'd jump on Muslims... Instead it was Eastern Europeans and people on benefits. Ok then.

[synesis]

I actually, you know, agree with him. And in fact, this is the first thing Brown has done that I've found endearing this campaign -- especially after the xenophobic drivel in the debates.

Incidentally, this is why Blair only used Labour party microphone equipment during the 1997 campaign -- to avoid a John Major 'bastards' moment.

[sparkindarkness]

Agreed. I mean, the man called a woman who said something fairly bigoted as, well, bigoted

[so_bambiesque]

Same. Having seen the original video I completely agree. And come on, who hasn't been prefectly nice to someone to their face and turned around and muttered, "God they're annoying." Politicians are people too, they just have to do it with the world watching.

Got to admit though, not the most media savvy moment of the campaign.

[lisaee]

She sounds pretty bigoted to me. All those Eastern Europeans indeed, coming and stealing our jobs and our wimmens.

[so_bambiesque]

And all those damn people claiming benefits. How dare they be ill and unable to work?!

[lisaee]

You just know they're all too lazy to get off their fat arses and work. I'm sure they'd rather sit watching Jeremy Kyle on their massive flat screen telly the council paid for, in the living room of their 8 bedroom council house.

[brownstudies]

Wasn't it Gordon who essentially said that they needed to get off their arses? She talked about vulnerable people not being able to get the help that they need, she said that looking after vulnerable people was "one of three main things drummed into me when I was a child".