[Archived] Election

[BiggusLaddus]

Her comment about Finnish nurses a few years ago was equally impressive.

From wiki:

In 1996 Abbott was accused of racism when she suggested that "blonde, blue-eyed Finnish girls" in her local hospital in West London were unsuitable as nurses because they "may never have met a black person before". Abbott's comments were supported by Bernie Grant, a fellow black MP whose constituency, Tottenham, borders hers. "She is quite right," he said. "Bringing someone here from Finland who has never seen a black person before and expecting them to have some empathy with black people is nonsense." Conservative MP Ian Bruce stated that he had "never heard such racist rubbish from a Member of Parliament in recent years". Abbott was also accused of ignorance by the Anti-Racist Alliance executive member Marc Wadsworth, who is half-Finnish, pointed out that at that time the Miss Finland, Lola Odusoga, was black, of Nigerian and Finnish descent. "She's a black Finn like me," he said. Abbott apologized for her remarks and said her main priority was to ensure that her constituents received medical treatment from the very best people "irrespective of race".[25]

[thenodrog]

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL ...............

Jaw dropped when I watched my pre bedtime thursday night cosy sofa chat program

Fat, greedy, thick, ugly as sin and a brazen hypocrite to boot. Neild went right for the jugular and quite right too. He obviously thinks less of her than I do. She is a weekly embarrassment. I can understand how she was selected by Labour in her neck of the woods but how the (Please don't use that word again) she got on that sofa in the first place amazes me. This leadership election should see her off I hope.

[broadsword]

I'll fall off my chair laughing if by some miracle she's elected leader. Not my cup of tea at all.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Can't stand the woman. She's a nasty piece of work. As long as the Labour Party has people of her ilk in positions of authority we're going nowhere.

[BuckyRover]

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL ...............

Jaw dropped when I watched my pre bedtime thursday night cosy sofa chat program

I saw it also.

I was speechless. Her face was a picture. A proper grilling, that's what you get when you play with the big boys.

[LeChuck]

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL ...............

Jaw dropped when I watched my pre bedtime thursday night cosy sofa chat program

I think the racist thing is overplayed there, there is nothing wrong with recognising differences between cultures...even if she has got it completely wrong.

Even taking away the possibly racist element, that's one of the most uncomfortable videos I've sat through in a while! What a horrible woman. I saw her on Question Time recently and she didn't come across very well in that, but nothing like that clip. I'm amazed she's even made it into the Labour candidacy race, an act of tokenism perhaps?

[Amo]

What a bigot.

EDIT: And what's with the talking to the ceiling?

[BiggusLaddus]

I think the racist thing is overplayed there, there is nothing wrong with recognising differences between cultures...even if she has got it completely wrong.

Even taking away the possibly racist element, that's one of the most uncomfortable videos I've sat through in a while! What a horrible woman. I saw her on Question Time recently and she didn't come across very well in that, but nothing like that clip. I'm amazed she's even made it into the Labour candidacy race, an act of tokenism perhaps?

She said it herself when she said there was no difference between the rest of the canditates "all white men". Race and gender shouldn't need to be mentioned at all.

[adopted scouser]

'African mothers would go to the wall for their children'(but I'm making sure mine go to private school so they don't end up in gangs committing knife crime)

I really hope she is elected the new Labour leader.

Another Labour hypocrite, love it. Jim ?

but how the she got on that sofa in the first place amazes me.

How she gets off it amazes me

[thenodrog]

I really hope she is elected the new Labour leader.

Surely even that lot would never allow that to happen would they?

But wait!!!

Electing a new Labour leader is an odd process but she has put the cat amongst the pigeons good and proper. Since Bliar rose to power in 97 New Lab has been committed to emulating the Tories and Mrs Thatchers enormous popularity by publically committing to increasing the number of women MP's at the expense of their male counterparts (personally I find this discrimninatory in itself, it should be the best candidate no argument). To vote down Dianne Abbott in favour of a man would therefore be totally against their current selection policy.

Taken from New Labs own site http://www2.labour.org.uk/women

Thanks to Labour’s pioneering All Women Shortlists, Labour now has 95 women MPs: more than three times the number of all the other parties put together. Fawcett estimate that at the current rate of change, it will take Labour 20 years to get to a 50-50 gender split in the Commons. They estimate it will take the Lib Dems 40 years. And they estimate it will take the Conservatives 400 years. In the Scottish Parliament half of Labour’s MSPs are women. Half of our members on the Greater London Authority are women. In the Welsh Assembly, the figure is more than half. In the European Parliament nearly forty per cent of Labour Members are women.

So thats that! Eat your hearts out Millibands, Balls and Burnham. You have dug your own graves.

btw ... "400 years for the tories"... but hang on they must be in the lead now they already elected a female leader and Prime Minister. How on earth can Labour brand them as discriminatory? Does the Labour spin machine have no limits to it's crass stupidity? Who is in charge of spin? Billy Brag perhaps? Wolfie Smith even?

Add to the fact that she is black and Browns recent political suicide when he declared anybody who dares object to ethnic issues a bigot and I think electing anybody else other than Diane Abbott to head up New Labour is quite simply against their own doctrines and would highlight their inherant prejudice and hypocrisy.

Abbott is bound to front the sexual / racial discrimination stick for all she is worth. This could be fun!

[Paul]

Only 4 hours and 10 minutes to kick off.

[SouthAussieRover]

Excellent post by Paul.

[thenodrog]

Excellent post by Paul.

No it wasn't. It was 4.09.

[Ozz]

Under Labour we had two World Cup quarter finals, English teams did well in Europe and won the Ashes twice. This Coalition govt. has failed to provide anything like the sporting success the previous incumbents managed, if we lose the cricket this winter then I will be calling for a vote of no confidence.

[SouthAussieRover]

No it wasn't. It was 4.09.

[Neil Weaver]

Under Labour we had two World Cup quarter finals, English teams did well in Europe and won the Ashes twice. This Coalition govt. has failed to provide anything like the sporting success the previous incumbents managed, if we lose the cricket this winter then I will be calling for a vote of no confidence.

Oz, be prepared to join the queue behind Jim

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Normal Service Resumed No 3- " George Osbourne's austerity budget will result in the loss of up to 1.3 million jobs across the economy over the next five years according to a private Treasury assessment of the planned spending cuts".

" "Unpublished estimates of the impact of the biggest squeeze on public spending since WW 2 show that the government is expecting between 500,000 and 600,000 jobs to go in the public sector and between 600,000 and 700,000 to disapear in the private sector by 2015 "

" The Tories did not have to take these measures. They chose to take them. They are not only a real risk to the recovery, but hundreds of thousands of people will pay the price for the poor judgment of the Conservatives fully supported by the Lib-Dems. It shows the risks they are prepared to take. If they get it wrong, those people losing their jobs will not get back to work "

You've got to love the financial markets- " Having panicked governments, including ours, into crash deficit reduction, the markets are now worried about the impact on growth. All of which shows it's dumb to allow the financial markets to dictate policy."

Tories and Lib-Dems = old dogs with new collars.

[tashor]

Normal Service Resumed No 3- " George Osbourne's austerity budget will result in the loss of up to 1.3 million jobs across the economy over the next five years according to a private Treasury assessment of the planned spending cuts".

" "Unpublished estimates of the impact of the biggest squeeze on public spending since WW 2 show that the government is expecting between 500,000 and 600,000 jobs to go in the public sector and between 600,000 and 700,000 to disapear in the private sector by 2015 "

" The Tories did not have to take these measures. They chose to take them. They are not only a real risk to the recovery, but hundreds of thousands of people will pay the price for the poor judgment of the Conservatives fully supported by the Lib-Dems. It shows the risks they are prepared to take. If they get it wrong, those people losing their jobs will not get back to work "

You've got to love the financial markets- " Having panicked governments, including ours, into crash deficit reduction, the markets are now worried about the impact on growth. All of which shows it's dumb to allow the financial markets to dictate policy."

Tories and Lib-Dems = old dogs with new collars.

If my aunt had a cock she'd be my cousin twice removed...........

[Paul]

Anyone watch Newsnight this evening? 1.3 million job losses predicted as a result of government cuts. Don't worry though as the private sector is going to create 2.5 million jobs in the same period, despite only creating 1.8 million during the boom period.

Now "prison works" no doubt very popular with some voters and within weeks Clarke tells us this is a Victorian attitude. Saw a billboard saying 400 police officers to go. Clearly the answer to reducing the prison population is not catch criminals in the first place? I'd got used to seeing police officers in the community, a very good move which will now disappear.

Didn't Cameron ridicule Brown for releasing inmates early to ease overcrowding? Now Cameron won't bother to catch them in the first place.

So which election promise will Cameron and Clegg break next? 2.5 million jobs in five years, these guys are on another planet. They need to talk to small business employers and understand the reality. People are looking to expand but it will not create real employment, just temporary short contract work.

[jim mk2]

Tories droned on for years about rising crime under Labour (not true) so their solution to the "problem" of "broken Britain" (Cameron's weasal words before the election but conveniently forgotten now) is to put fewer neer-do-wells in prison, slash Labour's prison building programme and cut police numbers. The hypocrisy of the Tory B'stards beggars belief.

Meanwhile, it has been announced today that the Tories' public sector cuts will result in a 1m - plus rise in unemployment that will devastate families and communities, particularly in the north, inevitably depressing consumption while increasing the burden on the state. Our neo-liberal chancellor has always believed that high unemployment is a price worth paying, in order to keep the markets and the city happy. Seeing his arrogant, Bullingdon sneer makes me sick - especially to think of the families, couples and individuals who will face misery thanks to his selfish, brutal ideological politics.

[modes98]

Don't worry the Tories have it all worked out. They are going to make people unemployed, which will lead to a higher crime level. So to solve this they won't send people to prison instead they will get them to work in communities where they can eye up what they are going to steal next! Fool proof.

It is just laughable that Cameron can stand in parliament and say that there will be less unemployment following these cuts. George Osbourne sat next to him in PMQs couldn't seem to close his mouth, not a good look for someone who we are meant to trust to stop us falling back into negative economic growth and supervise the overzealous cuts imposed by a government that seemingly lacks direction or a backbone.

At least my job is secure for the next few months then who knows. Depends what more financial constraints they wish to put on the NHS, which of course they "aren't doing".

[thenodrog]

Ha! Same old names, same old embittered attitudes.

Ever thought you lot that if we can do without those jobs in the public sector then they shouldn't have been employed in the first place?

Job cuts happen all the time in the private sector when trading conditions dictate they must and without all this continual bleating so why should the public sector be any different? The last govt blew all our money (and more) in creating them remember.

[roversmum]

the figures are on this site, under the 'publication' page where you will find all you need to know.

The public services are top-heavy and inefficient, therefore not providing the service - as a former public servant I can categorically state that. A massive overhaul is needed. These services are paid for by us, the tax-payer - and they need to be simplified. Too many chiefs who have little idea of life at the cutting edge.

[thenodrog]

the figures are on this site, under the 'publication' page where you will find all you need to know.

The public services are top-heavy and inefficient, therefore not providing the service - as a former public servant I can categorically state that. A massive overhaul is needed. These services are paid for by us, the tax-payer - and they need to be simplified. Too many chiefs who have little idea of life at the cutting edge.

cutting edge mum? I think 'coal face' might be more applicable.

[Rover Down Under]

Job cuts happen all the time in the private sector when trading conditions dictate they must and without all this continual bleating so why should the public sector be any different? The last govt blew all our money (and more) in creating them remember.

Of course all those who lose jobs in the public sector could go out and compete for jobs in the private sector.

Will they?

Of course they won't.

The real world would be far too frightening for them and would eat 'em alive in the time it takes to say 'return on investment'.

Look on the bright side Jim et al, once the coalition have rid us of the crippling debt loaded onto us by Labour we might have enough cash for some free kippers on the morning Highland Express.