Maybe Dame Ann, I did watch it, but I think the difference is she is simply a member of the public,  while he is supposed to be the leader of our country. If nothing else it shows his total incompetence. But I felt the fact that one moment he was smiling and  telling her it had been nice to meet her and two seconds later saying what he did, was almost worse than the bigitory comment, and  just confirms the insincerity I have always felt he exudes. And to stand there saying he was mortified and a  penitent sinner, while grinning inanely for the cameras,  just underlined it for me.

Me too Baz. 

I listened to the whole bloody event all bloody afternoon on 5Live. The woman was rude and completely unwilling to listen to his responses to her barrage of questions. It would have tried the patience of a saint. Who of us has not made an angry or bitchy remark behind the offender's back out of frustration?

If this is the sort of thing on which the future of this country is judged then may your god help us.

Oh, and IMO Mrs Duffy was totally able to deal with the press attention. She probably already has a lucrative contract with Max Clifford!

LOL... very true Xoch.... guilty..... but then how many of us are running the country

leader of the country or not i thought he was great with her.  Who hasn't been talking to someone and all the time wishing they would shut up, but you had to be polite only to walk away and say 'thank god that they've gone *****!!!'  Mr Browns biggest mistake here to me was to talk to her too long, and give her air time (she saw the camera filming her) without walking away.

Lots of really good points here. I still think he's stuffed. Game, set and match News Corp.

Checkmate in Rochdale.

My thoughts exactly.

His face when he heard the tape

I have said before that I think he is very badly advised - it is almost as if his people want him to look silly. Why did no-one whip that mike off straight away?

Rexi, I've just seen that on the news


I heard him on Jeremy Vine today - Vine hardly let him get a word in edgeways

What with today's unfortunate developments, plus the various reports of him bullying members of his own party, I am left with the feeling that Gordon is utterly opposed to anyone whose opinion does not tally with his own.  That, ironically, in itself is bigotry.

Politics and everything else aside ... it was squirmingly funny, wasn't it?

Bloody brilliant

Why was it worse saying what he thought, he wasn't rude to her and in all honesty he thought he was doing it in private. I agree he doesn't come across well, but neither does Cameron come across as genuine. I'm voting for the party and not the style of the leader to be honest, and that party happens to be Labour who in my opinions made a far better job than the Tories did. I'm sure the damage is done now, but it's a pity because our County suffered dreadfully in the last Tory government, and I'm dreading what's going to happen this time Baz.

must admit Dame Ann - i do agree with you

" I am left with the feeling that Gordon is utterly opposed to anyone whose opinion does not tally with his own.  That, ironically, in itself is bigotry".....Spidermonkey.


Good point, but I still have this admiration for Politicians that seem to be 'unspinable'. I find Gordon earthy, gritty, realistic and kind of authentic. I'm fairly sure that there have been many attempts to make him as slick and smarmy as his predecessor, but he seems so human compared to Blair. We all make mistakes, we don't all walk around with a mic and a film crew following us.

rosgirl

Dame Ann I know what you mean the GB haters have pounced on this and blown it up
  What about Dave Cameron he's got his public face as they all do. I bet they all have said worse than this. It's really laughable  We suffered the same with Tories ..say no more

I agree with your post Dame Ann

He was not rude to her said what he thought in private like they all do apologised under the circumstances, did what any of them would have done,she was going on about immigrants and did sound like a bigot IMO.

This thread, like the country, is a democracy.... so I will bow to the views of the majority.... but I still hope any party but new labour get's in..... *exits, sharply, stage left*

Thanks Marguerita and Grannyg, what I can't understand is GB's comment about her being a bigot in private were worse than her making the bigotry remarks on National Television. I'm astounded in fact, my jaw dropped when she said what she said.

We support who we think best serves us Baz and I'm not knocking anyone for voting any of the parties that they think will best serve them  

If it was answers that she wanted it's a pity she didn't give him chance to reply and listen to what he said. There was no sincerity at all she simply wanted to spout off without listening to anything GB had to say.

My sentiments aswell....


She sounded as if she'd been rehearsing for a long time....

I'm still gobsmacked at her remark stonks

I think I'll judge him on the way he handled her points and the way he won her round, in the end, before the private comments.
For instance, her worry about her grandchildren and whether they would be able to afford to go to university, when Labour has made it possible for far more kids to go, and made grants much more accessible to kids from less privileged homes. She got a reminder of just what good things Labour had done and had to back down.

She was "Mrs Duffy" when Gordon Brown went into her house and "Gillian" when he came out.

ooh er!

Go Gordon Go  He's gonna be knackered if he has to repeat that over and over again.

Murdoch has done a job on Brown but if Brown wasn't such a petulant insecure oaf this would never have happened. 



Paradoxically, this has convinced me how important it is for Labour to win the election.  I can't help feeling that if Cameron had made a similar gaff to Sky staff, Murdoch would have ensured it never got into the public domain.



Brown for all his massive character flaws is still the man best able to take the country out of recession without loading all the hardship on to the working class.  Brown isn't a nice guy at all and increasing the 10pc income tax rate proved that beyond doubt. Brown is a selfish careerist politician.



However, the thought of Cameron being elected and handing over British broadcasting to an American national, Murdoch is the biggest threat to democracy and British culture we've faced for many years. 



A vote for Cameron is a vote to hand British culture and impartiality over to the control of the cretinous ultra right wing Murdoch media empire.

From what I have understood Rexi, Brown had agreed to keep wearing the microphone (which was apparently supplied for the press by Sky News, part of the Murdoch empire as you all know) in order they could supply news feed at his next engagement without having to kit him out again.

In addition, it appears that Max Clifford has recently announced that Mrs Gobby now has a contract with the Sun newspaper for £100,000. Hmmm... wonder which news corporation is backing Cameron?

A very good point.
I think most observers would have thought the meet and greet with Gillian had gone quite well, but Gordon thought it a 'disaster' none the less.

I'm not even putting Sky News on at all today. I haven't got the stomach for Kay Burley's self-importance.

if you talk about immigration youre a bigot?
blimey!
im glad the sour faced wankstain got caught out-he's a power mad idiot,
mind you they all are
none of them are in it to do good-just to fill their bank accounts
i worry about the influx of immigrants but im certainly no bigot-i just think we're not a big enough island to cope with so many people

I couldn't agree more Suzy. Say what you like about Gordon Brown but he is what I think of as a proper politician. I would rather we had a parliament full of Browns and Haighs than Blairs and Camerons. We need the country to be run by the smartest people, not the ones that look better in a suit. I think it's ironic that politicians have pandered to the whims of corporate media and PR in order to make themselves seem more accessible and human and in the process have managed to alienate themselves completely and lose all public respect and interest.

She popped out to get a loaf of bread and was grabbed by GB's people because she has always voted Labour, hardly rehearsing in front of a mirror is it?

Yep Queenie, all that....I'm afraid it's the modern way. Someone like Michael Foot probably wouldn't make it on a short list for Prospective Parliamentary Candidate today. It's our loss collectively, IMHO.

 Did anyoine read the John Crace digested Brown/Duffy spat? If I can't find a link I'll have to type it out.

I agree suzy, Michael Foot was one of the most fair minded politicians ever to grace Westminster, sadly he didn't have the 'look' and it really was to our loss when you think what followed.