Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 November 2009
09:5632748Mrs T, Bern, had an instinctive and very real respect for our Armed Forces and they knew (and know) it. Gordon Brown does not, he has starved them of cash while at war despite every other department getting money dolled out to them like there was no tomorrow. The Forces know that Brown has no real respect and affection for them, they have seen that.
I have just listened to the telephone call between Gordon Brown and Mrs Janes, the transcript and recording is on The Sun's site.
Wow, what a woman. She is not being exploited by the Sun. She is a wife of a soldier, the mother of two soldiers, one now dead who are themselves a 5th generation of soldiers who have served this country.... She has gone to war with her own Government over their treatment of our troops, you can hear her tackling Brown over the way he has denied them the helicopters and equipment they need. She reduces Brown to a bumbling fool. Brown of course was the man at the Treasury who refused year after year to increase the Defence budget to meet the increased commitments his Government placed upon them. He was the Chancellor who cancelled an important order for helicopters that has a direct bearing on what is happening now. She quoted a General who said that the Army's biggest enemy was the Treasury and she was so right. She had the enemy of every serving soldier in her sights and she gave him both barrels. wow - another Dan Hannen moment.
You know, what made this lady all the more impressive was that she refused to condemn the Iraq or Afghan wars, she expressed support for our troops and that includes her sons for being there.... It would have been so easy for her, knowing she was recording that phone call, to make some cheap populist points, but did not do so.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
10 November 2009
11:1332749BarryW I think you are reading too much into this. Everybody has sympathy for the womans plight as it cant be easy losing a son or indeed a daughter, but I think people are beginning to question why this whole episode has been carried out through the pages of the Sun Newspaper, an organ that has recently declared itself to be anti- Labour, and they have been wading in ever since. This whole thing smacks of political motivation.
Taping the private conversation you had with the Prime Minister and then shooting it over hot foot to The Sun is an unfortunate use of a miserable situation.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
10 November 2009
11:4232752As usual our Barryw spouting usual dream world stuff. just hope he doesnt end up bitterly dissapointed.
im with hestletine on a hung parliamnment.
Barryw tories ever having a left wing view i cant stop laughing!!!!!!
Labour will always be here, and the Lib Dems will just always be a protest party as barryw admitted in the past but decided to change
Labour is, and will rebuild and DC is making it even easier for them.
As for the election, thankfully the people will decide yes i fear a tory govt getting control, but i have faith in the people.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 November 2009
11:5632755No keith - I do not want discredited left wing views associated with the Conservatives, you miss the point. I expressed the hope (which I do not expect to happen) that the middle ground moves sufficiently to the right that the Conservatives, as they presently are, in todays spectrum a centre right party, would be the left of the newly aligned spectrum, which is to the right of todays Labour. A new more right wing alternative, maybe UKIP arising. The world would be better off without the curse of socialism blighting Government and damaging the economy. Sadly I expect that socialist style thinking and big Government will continue to form the alternative Government in future via the Libdems if, as I sincerely hope, Labour get destroyed at the next election and a re-alignment happens. Its what labour deserve for their re[peated failures in government.
I expect that in 1922 the Liberals felt the same as you Keith.... We shall see and I can hope...
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 November 2009
12:0032757PaulB - I would agree with you on one thing, The Sun. I would prefer that she went to a more respectable paper to pursue her campaign rather than that rag.
She did make Brown look a fool, not hard to do admitedly, and she made some very, very good points about the appalling way Brown has treated and underfunded the Armed Forces.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
10 November 2009
12:0132758barryw come stop dreaming come back into the real world
tories for 3 general election were in fighting
they re built but the cracks are starting to appear again
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 November 2009
12:0332760You are just expressing a forlorn hope, Keith, and in so doing showing how much you do not understand the Conservative Party and what is happening.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
10 November 2009
12:0832762Its not the conservatives im posting on, its the every day person who would usually be ex labour/tory/lib dem wanting to vote tory
or just one of the many floating voters.
Very disgruntled at the tory party and turning away in droves.
You can ignore it if you wish barryw
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 November 2009
12:1532764once again you make an assertion and have zero polling evidence to back it up.
Come off it keith - you really should try to find out what is going on and post about that rather than what you want to happen.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
10 November 2009
12:2532765no rose tinted glasses here barryw
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
10 November 2009
13:1032770To be fair this is what Gordon Brown had to say about the above matter
Brown said: "I take very seriously my responsibility to the bereaved. Every time I write a letter to mothers and fathers and partners who have suffered bereavement to express my sincere condolences, it is a moment of personal sadness to me. And I am in awe of the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces.
"I send a handwritten letter to every family and I often write to more than one member of the family. I have telephoned Jacqui Janes to apologise for any unintended mistake in the letter.
"To all other families whom I have written to, I can only apologise if my handwriting is difficult to read. I have at all times acted in good faith seeking to do the right thing. I do not think anyone will believe that I write letters with any intent to cause offence."
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 November 2009
14:4132773er, no Keith, it is I who base my comments on evidence and it is you who cannot quote any evidence, it is you therefore commenting in hope and with very rose tinted specs....
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
10 November 2009
17:3032779barryw,you should have gone to specsavers then you might have clearer vision of whats going on around you.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 November 2009
17:5332781So Brian - can you provide polling evidence to back up Keith, or your, assertions that I am wrong?
its easy making a statement but not so easy to back it up, mine can be backed...
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
10 November 2009
18:0332784barryw,you do need to get out of office more often and make some new friends outside of the concervative club,then and only then will you get the bigger picture at ground level,with no spin either way.
10 November 2009
18:3532787For Heavens Sake - a woman has lost her son and is grieving; the Sun are doing what they do and riding on the back of someone elses misfortune or vulnerability to score points and gain readers (I use that term loosely); a man who, let's not forget, has lost his own child as a baby, has written to all the bereaved personally and has made one error in the writing; let's leave this where it belongs.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 November 2009
18:4732790i find the whole thing rather sad bern, the PM clearly meant well and the media circus, showing scant respect for anyone's feelings, have used it against him.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 November 2009
20:2232793Ok Bern - this letter is not a major political issue but it is important for the mother to have proper respect paid by the man who sent her son to the front line under equipped.
To rush off a hasty letter containing around 20 spelling errors in scruffy handwriting is just not good enough. OK Brown has an eye problem and allowance must be made for that. It would, however be more respectful if he accomodated his disability by having the letter typed properly and personally signed, perhaps with a short personal handwritten comment at the bottom. he just dashed something off without a care as to how it read or looked. Its not good enough. such letters should be the kind of thing that is treasured by those bereaved and perhaps even be framed and/or passed down through the family. That is often what happens. Brown has a duty over the care in which he presents himself and his Government but it seems he just dont care.
Guest 667- Registered: 6 Apr 2008
- Posts: 919
10 November 2009
20:3832795The P.M. has taken time to write to the families in an act of compassion when service personnel have been killed in action. Yes he has made some errors in writing one letter, errors for which he has then apologised with a personal phone call to the mother and an apology she has accepted.
While I do not think Political gain should ever be made from such an error as that in its self is disrespect to that family. However while some on here are doing some political bashing, I for one have never known any prime Minister take the time to write such condolences and I wonder if Mrs. T did during or after the Falklands, I doubt it as she was too busy wrapped up in her own glory at the victory.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
10 November 2009
20:5532796I WILL REFRAIN FROM FURTHER POSTINGS IN RESPECT OF THE FAMILIES