Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
having had our very own local politician not dealt with for making racist comments
followed by at the national level d abbott doing the same
you would think the prime minister would have learnt
but no he made the disgraceful comment at mr balls sayoing he sounded like some one sufferingf from tourett's.
do they deserve to be leading our country?
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
The Prime Minister has the uncanny knack of putting his foot in his mouth every so often. We saw the 'calm down dear' row..then the 'frustrated' Dorries row..he then had to apologise to women generally, now he has done the 'Ed Balls is like a Tourette's sufferer' gaff..another foot in the gob. This was while on an interview with the Daily Telegraph as i understand it, so it was not exactly a live on TV gaff.
Tony Blair..he who the current Prime Minister tries to emulate...never put his foot in his gob in this kind of way. So, a long way to go before Mr Cameron reaches the PR skill levels of Mr Blair.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
political mish mash with u-turns and apolagies thrown in,and we sussposed to be the mother of all parliments.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
Nothing at all wrong with saying that - specially as its is absolutely true.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
The Prime Minister apologised again for this this morning. Saying it was an off the cuff remark...so he himself clearly thought there was something wrong with it. A lot of these clangers are being hashed up on Twitter so people everywhere are running scared of even the smallest slip. Im not a Twitterer myself but I know its all the rage, but clearly it peddles massive amounts of fake indignation and gosh does that bandwaggon roll...there is probably a little bit of real indignation in there somewhere too at times.
Guest 663- Registered: 20 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,136
We really do have to watch every word we say, its becoming hard to know what is right or wrong I also do not use Twitter, but from what I can see its getting alot of people into hot water to say the least.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Jan,
Twitter and such like, do not get people into trouble, people get themselves into trouble by the way they act and what they say.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Exactly Gary! And Barryw, what is your exact expertise in Tourettes?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
dave has the sensitivity of a charging rhino, at least he had the sense to apologise.
there is nothing funny in laughing at disabilty.
Guest 663- Registered: 20 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,136
Yes true Gary but twitter and such like send it far and wide thats the problem.
But if we know that and still post, that really is our look out!! It isn't Twitter that nabs us.........
Guest 715- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 2,438
I believe Balls has overcome a speech impediment so the remark was a real low blow.
Audere est facere.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
I imagine that any and all heir to that particular family name have endured and overcome much that life can throw at them.
One does hope (against hope) that in adult life one can leave the playground taunts behind. However large the particular behind has become.
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 671- Registered: 4 May 2008
- Posts: 2,095
Jan.
Yes, I see where you are coming from, these sites do get you to more of the general public, than ever before and silly things can be said and regretted.
I detest not being able to reflect on things from our past that were completely innocuous and still are as far as I am concerned.
When remembering that famous icon on the side of a pot of jam and recalling some of our nursery rhythms, I can see no problem at all with using those words when put in the right context.
When used to insult any person, then I think it is the lowest form of decency and in many cases a form of bullying.
Had Mr Foster called those rioting yobs any number of other expletives, nobody would have reacted at all and I am sure that the remark he made would not have upset them anyway or would I care if it did upset them,no.
The point is, for me, that using an offensive word to condemn a few thugs is not offensive to them but is offensive to the innocent.
What Cameron has just done is the same thing. I don't suppose Ed is offended that much but I bet many Tourette sufferers are.
"My New Year's Resolution, is to try and emulate Marek's level of chilled out, thoughtfulness and humour towards other forumites and not lose my decorum"
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
For me, such insults aimed at, but not necessarily striking, this or that target group are lent credibility through MY tacit approval. This, for me, is why such defamatory statements require explicit condemnation.
"For evil to...etc."
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
You would think that through his personal experience of disability with his son that Cameron would have a bit more empathy and, with his experience of politics, a bit more savvy.
No reply from Barry to Post 8 yet - is Conhome down at the moment?
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,883
When you have a disability or are close to somebody who has a disability you can develop a black humour that outsiders might not understand so they tend to think it is wrong.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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True. The word Crip can be misconstrued......unless you are one. To slang or not to slang.....people who have the side effects of the Thalidomide drug call themselves flids or thlids but would probably take a dim view of a stranger doing so. There is something about owning the words.
But Cameron made a direct reference to a specific disability in perjorative terms in order to belittle someone. That is different.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Gary, I would not be offended by being compared to a Tourette's sufferer. But being compared to Ed Balls? I'm not surprised people are up in arms.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
