[karajorma]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8649853.stm

Gordon Brown has said he is "mortified" after being caught on microphone describing a pensioner he had just spoken to as a "bigoted woman".

Gillian Duffy, 65, had challenged him on issues including immigration.


[SNIP]

As he got into his car, he was still wearing a broadcast microphone and was heard to say "that was a disaster".

Mr Brown later went to Mrs Duffy's house in Rochdale to apologise and sent an e-mail to Labour activists to say he "profoundly" regretted his comments.

You know what, this actually gave me a little bit of respect for Gordon Brown before he spinelessly climbed back down and apologised. I'm not entirely sure what she said but if she did express a load of bigoted views I'd have far more respect for a politician who called her on it than one who simply grinned and waved at a racist as if they could be a friend.

[Goober5000]

I'm not entirely sure what she said

Then we can't really answer the title question, can we?

Also, it sounds like he didn't say it to her face, it was a muttered comment to one of his aides that happened to be picked up by the microphones.

And if she was talking about taxes and the national debt, like the article said, I don't know how you'd get from there to bigotry.  Can anyone dig up a transcript?

[Mongoose]

The most amusing thing about outcries like this is that each and every one of us has muttered various unmentionables under our breaths after walking away from an unpleasant conversation...only we didn't have an unfortunately live mic attached to our collars.

[Klaustrophobia]

nor were we a head of state.

[karajorma]

And if she was talking about taxes and the national debt, like the article said, I don't know how you'd get from there to bigotry. 

Gillian Duffy, 65, had challenged him on issues including immigration.

You only need to phrase that sort of challenge slightly incorrectly to sound racist.

[Wobble73]

She only mentions the immigrants/Eastern Europeans once in the whole exchange.

See here.


I think Gordon's comments afterwards to his aide was more because he felt she had him being very defensive. His angry comments I think were unjustified, but I thought he did rather well during the actual exchange.

[Shade]

Gordon Brown has said he is "mortified" after being caught on microphone describing a pensioner he had just spoken to as a "bigoted woman".

What I'm curious to know is this - Was he mortified that he said it, or that he was caught saying it?

[Dilmah G]

If he wins the actual election, I'll take my pants off.

[Wobble73]

If he wins the actual election, I'll take my pants off.

He's not going to win, but I thought he did well during the exchange.

[headdie]

If he wins the actual election, I'll take my pants off.

He's not going to win, but I thought he did well during the exchange.

thing is it wont matter who gets in.

1. dont matter which party it is we will get screwed over in some way or other we are just choosing the type of tourcher
2.  its likely to be a hung parlament so nothing will change because parlament will be constantly deadlocked so acts will be passed with a tiny majority after being ripped to pieces in negotiation with other ministers leaving a watered down mess at best and at worse something that hinders things

and on the subject of brown he is a spinless arse but no worse than camaeron and probably clegg

[Wobble73]

If he wins the actual election, I'll take my pants off.

He's not going to win, but I thought he did well during the exchange.

thing is it wont matter who gets in.

1. dont matter which party it is we will get screwed over in some way or other we are just choosing the type of tourcher
2.  its likely to be a hung parlament so nothing will change because parlament will be constantly deadlocked so acts will be passed with a tiny majority after being ripped to pieces in negotiation with other ministers leaving a watered down mess at best and at worse something that hinders things

and on the subject of brown he is a spinless arse but no worse than camaeron and probably clegg

You need to use spell check more often, but you are right in a way, reminds me of the old saying,

"Doesn't matter who gets in, they'll still be the government."

[Goober5000]

See here.

Mmmmm.  Worth watching.

This article is also salient...

There is intense anger among large parts of the electorate at what is happening to this country, and in Mrs Duffy that discontent found its voice. In her encounter with Gordon Brown, she raised the two issues – the deficit and immigration – that have until now hardly featured in the campaign, even though they are of overwhelming concern to millions of voters. Rarely has the gulf between the political elite at Westminster and the people they are supposed to represent been more graphically illustrated.

Such encounters used to be the stuff of election campaigns and, in truth, Mr Brown handled the exchanges perfectly well. It was his extraordinary private remarks to an aide afterwards, picked up by an open microphone, that did the damage. His own insecurity was exposed when he described the encounter with Mrs Duffy as a "disaster". It was not; he was courteous and they parted on good terms. Mr Brown's curious over-reaction seems to confirm the view, widespread in Whitehall, that he regards a contrary point of view as a personal affront.

But it was his characterisation of this Labour-voting pensioner as "just a sort of bigoted woman" that is genuinely shocking. What message does it send when the Prime Minister (who once talked of "British jobs for British workers") brands as "bigoted" anyone who dares raise the issue of immigration in a conversation with him? Such arrogance plays straight into the hands of the British National Party.

[Aardwolf]

Go-go-gadget Nick Clegg.

[S-99]

She probably was a bigot. I can't help but notice that there's more coverage of the guy who called her a bigot, and not hardly much of any material on the news to show that she may actually have been one.

My conclusion through the news painting a different picture, she was a bigot.

[Goober5000]

She probably was a bigot.

Did you even watch the video that Wobble73 linked to?

[Liberator]

There is a difference between being a bigot and being a racist.

We're all bigoted in one way or another.  Example #1 on this board would be the rather pronounce bigotry against Christianity and religion in general. 

I myself will admit that I am bigoted against people(small groups) who would manipulate government to suit they're own ends(positive or negative) instead of the ends of the nation as a whole.

On topic(slightly), the reason that Britain has such a high illegal immigration rate is because you have a guaranteed minimum lifestyle supported by ever-rising taxes on a shrinking workforce, which is what we in the conservative movement in the USA are trying to prevent from happening here.

[Qent]

Bigoted means stubbornly holding to one's viewpoints to the point of intolerance. Seeing as the Christians and other religious are still on this board, I'd say the people here are tolerant, and therefore not bigoted.

As for that woman, obviously one conversation with a politician isn't enough to determine whether she's bigoted.

EDIT: I just realized that Lib and GB have the same title.

[Wolfy]

Ah, the election... "I agree with Nick" is all I have to say on the matter...

[General Battuta]

EDIT: I just realized that Lib and GB have the same title.

LIQUIIIIIIID

BROTHERRRRRRRRRRRRR

[S-99]

She probably was a bigot.

Did you even watch the video that Wobble73 linked to?

Yeah, and i'll wait that buffer all day long on dialup. My point of view was from watching nbc nightly news which is obvious they tweak stuff for their own ends.