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sauce
offlineMember
Mr Sauce is of the opinion that the Beeb was unfair in making Brown's gaffe public; the comment was, after all, to his aid in the "privacy" of their car.
Now, he was wearing a mic that he knew about so he was a prat for forgetting to switch it off. It's not like covert recording, big lenses etc.
A fine line? A grey area?
What do you journo types think of the ethics on this one?
Scroat
offlineMember
This smacks a bit of the story about the PM's letter to the widow of a soldier killed in Afghanistan. So great was the opprobrium heaped upon him about his alleged spelling mistakes and bad handwriting, that he actually came out of it quite well.
I think the same will happen with this. It seems the greater the media outrage, the better he seems to bounce back. Very odd.
I don't like any of them much, but Messrs Brown, Cameron and Clegg must be pretty knackered now - and they've got another week of campaigning to do and the big TV bash tonight. You can't help feeling for them. I know it's largely self-inflicted, but the pressure and stress must be incredible. Hence the gaffe.
The All New Jeni B
offlineMember
I personally agree with Mr Sauce. It is relatively easy to forget that you are wearing a mic, as several politicians around the world have found to their cost, and it was said in the privacy of his car.
While the lady in question did raise some relevant points, it was made in a somewhat xenophobic manner, and GB is entitled to his own opinions.
I agree with Scroat that this may actually help rather than hinder his campaign.
There, that's my tuppence worth.
Dickens or Shakespeare
offlineMember
It's been done to Ron Atkinson, Carol Thatcher and countless others. Why not Gordon? At least they weren't after your vote. It was fair game in the light of the Andrew Raunsley book serialised in the Observer following which No. 10 denied that GB had temper tantrums or kicked nuns in the shins.
His apology was instant and does him credit. Until you realise he was really apologising for being caught out.
The All New Jeni B
offlineMember
Isn't that what almost everyone apologises for? Very rarely an apology is for the actual misdemeanor. Tiger Woods is a prime example of apologising for getting caught.
allmyownstunts
offlineMember
We switched off the gloating, nasty news coverage last night. I thought we were being played. I'm sure all of them have a good old rant when they finally manage to flop into their cars and I'm amazed, and slightly impressed, that his language was so clean.
MrChigleysAunt
offlineMember
A tricky one. But if you were sitting in your garden and you overheard your neighbours, in the privacy of their own garden, plotting a bank raid, you'd be right to tell the police. But, if you overheard them discussing their perfectly legal, but extremely naughty, sexual preferences, you'd be right to keep it to yourself (whilst obviously thinking of ways in which you might get photos).
So, it's probably down to how you feel about what he said.
That doesn't help at all does it?
edward hack
offlineMember
It's what he says when he knows the mic is switched on that worries me.
I think he is a truely passionate man in it for all the right reasons.
He is a superb right hand man....he is not a leader.
The job is too big for him.
It is too big for all of them.
The best we can hope out of all our combined failure (as a nation) is change.
The All New Jeni B
offlineMember
She somewhat loses sympathy (and dignity) in the alacrity with which she signed up a PR Agency and obtained a deal with a newspaper.
Mary Evans
offlineMember
Hmmm. Tricky one, ain't it. I think what bothered me more than the bigotry remark was the fact that GB was so outraged that someone allowed him to be confronted by a member of the public demanding an explanation as to why she should continue to vote for him. But I agree that the news coverage was so goulish that it almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost.
And...er... if you and and MrChigley'sUncle could keep the discussion and execution of your bedroom antics down a bit, we at number 23 would be really grateful...
andhrimnir
offlineMember
I find it interesting that the beeb chose to leak this yet haven't commissioned my idea for a late night quiz show "Have I got poos for you" in which the panel have to guess which famous person is taking a bio break having forgotten they are mic'ed up. If the (un)sound engineers can play it at their christmas party why can't we all have a go?
Incidentally, the idea came to me many years ago when I struck up conversation with Stuart Hall whilst we were stood at the urinals in Deansgate. He said "this water's cold" to which I replied "very deep too".
Ludicity
offlineMember
If it had been a BBC mic then their guidelines prohibit such off-air remarks from being publicised. But it was a Sky mic and once the story was out then the beeb had little choice but to cover it. Blair used to insist that he was only wired up with Labour mics.
The ethics of all this are highly questionable but the media (and, to some extent, the public) are more excited by gossip and gaffes than a considered analysis of the policies. Ah for the good old days when leaders were asked: 'So Prime Minister, is there anything you would like to say to us?'
The All New Jeni B
offlineMember
I think that the continued Americanisation of British politics has led to people being more swayed by personality and soundbites than policy. Sadly, there is a distinct section of society who wouldn't know the difference between one party's manifesto and a hole in the wall, and these are the sort of people who's voting will have been decided by who wears the coolest suits etc.
I wonder if the time has come for some kind of basic test to ensure the voter's have at least a basic grasp of the importance of their vote?
The All New Jeni B
offlineMember
"Can you spell your own name?"
"How many fingers, on average, do each member of your family have?"
"Do you think that Jordan makes a good role model for your children?"
"In your opinion, should the British Government be elected via a phone-in vote?"
sauce
offlineMember
If it had been a BBC mic then their guidelines prohibit such off-air remarks from being publicised. But it was a Sky mic and once the story was out then the beeb had little choice but to cover it. Blair used to insist that he was only wired up with Labour mics.
The All New Jeni B
offlineMember
I like to think so Sauce. Democracy is all very well, but when you think of some of the people it allows to vote....
Des Custard
offlineMember
No sympathy for Brown on this one at all. When you've finished a conference call on the speaker phone, the first thing you do is double check the connection has been cut; then you can say what you want. Raised eyebrows are always useful unless you're on video.
It's Armando Iannucci I feel sorry for. This was straight out of The Thick of It and he got no royalties at all.
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