Hissing Brown and the ‘S’ word.
Jamie Janes of the 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards
Jacqui Janes is the woman we need in Parliament.
Whichever party has the wit to sign her up as Parliamentary candidate, I vow I will be back in England campaigning for her. I care less which party it is. Tribal politics have served us badly – what we need is people who can think on their feet, who will hammer away at the important points and not be deflected by the measerly, miserly, mots of the professional politicians.
A woman who can extract ’sorry’ from the Prime Minister’s Machiavellian mouth no less than 16 times.
A woman who is not deflected by the Prime Minister going for the sympathy vote as he attempts to blame his poor handwriting – code speak for ‘I’ve only got one eye, you know, I’m a victim, you can’t criticise me’. Oh yes she could.
A woman who had her facts and figures on Merlins and Chinooks burned into her consciousness by the sad loss of her son, and who rebutted the Prime Minister times and again as he tried to claim that ‘our troops’ had all the equipment that they need.
A woman who single handed has achieved something that 646 professional politicians have failed to do for over 2 years – put Gordon Brown on the spot and keep him there until he squeaked.
A woman who without any prior warning, and in the midst of her grief, managed to grill the Prime Minister more effectively than any media luvvy.
A woman who can steer her way through the Prime Minister’s ‘regret’ that she had taken offence and spell out to him that this was only apologising for her having taken offence, not for having caused it.
If we had 646 Jacqui Janes’ in Parliament, we would not be in the mess we are today. This was straight talking, clear sighted thinking, and a display of guts unseen in the current parliamentary piglets, male or female.
HERE is a link to her conversation with the Prime Minister.
Tell you what, I will publicly pledge to pay Mrs Janes’ deposit as candidate. Now who will have the guts to put her up as a candidate? Guthrum?
-
1
November 10, 2009 at 10:48 -
Of course, everyone has equipment readily at hand to record their telephone conversations.
-
3
November 10, 2009 at 11:05 -
With equal respect, this is not a conversation with her son. This is political point scoring by The Sun newspaper. I realise it is a very emotive subject, but every TV interview and reference to this has “Sun Exclusive” emblazoned across it. Ms Janes has my admiration, however I can’t help but feel she has been manipulated by the press.
-
4
November 10, 2009 at 11:10 -
A true story…………
Last year on 11 November I was working on a project for a bank in Saudi Arabia. Determined not to miss observing the two minutes of silence, I gathered a couple of Filipino clerks, a South African IT manager and a British finance guy of similar mind, and proceeded out into the Saudi sunshine to wait for 11am GMT.
At about 10.58, a couple of Saudi colleagues wandered by, and asked what we were doing. I explained, to which one replied ‘I cannot imagine what would have happened to the Arab world if the Germans had taken North Africa – do you mind if we join you?’.
No problem, I said, so at 11am a bizarre handful of people including a couple of white-robed Saudis stood for two minutes of a silence so perfectly and completely you could have heard a tear drop.
Quite the most moving thing to happen to me for many years.
-
6
November 10, 2009 at 11:28 -
This woman is the salt. She has provided her children to our armed forces. I despise Brown and I think him guilty of negligent homicide.
I am however uncomfortable with this.
-
7
November 10, 2009 at 11:32 -
The number of apologies was indeed impressive and unprecedented.
-
8
November 10, 2009 at 11:34 -
In order to get the press interested you need to give them something interesting and exclusive, because that’s how the press works.
I think the manipulation works both ways here – the Sun get their scoop, and Jacqui Janes gets to publicise the squirming idiocy of Brown’s non-apology to the UK, via a hugely popular newspaper.
Agree with Anna’s point on recording phone calls, and actually I’m pretty sure between my iPod, mobile and blackberry I could find a way to put a phone conversation on loudspeaker and record it without too much trouble, and I’m no techie.
When I saw the original article about the letter, I must admit I felt (for the first time ever) some sympathy for Brown, given his vision issues and the fact that he does at least hand-write these letters. All that sympathy is gone now, I am so sick and tired of people apologising for any offence caused, that is not an apology, take some responsibility for your actions.
Another great article in a constant stream of great articles Anna. -
9
November 10, 2009 at 11:38 -
The idea of a newsaper owned by Merdeschlock beating up Gordon Brown strikes me as rather akin to Operation Barbarossa: one wants them to destroy each other.
But the Scottish Play’s penny-pinching on equipment is unforgivable, and the woman herself obviously made of strong stuff.I’ve yet to hear someone explain to me why recording the words of proven liars should be an offence. Or indeed why nuking Roop should be in any way reprehensible.
But like R-D, I’m uncomfortable. Appalling itch. Don’t ask.
Yesterday Man x -
10
November 10, 2009 at 11:44 -
Take a look at Gordon’s signature on that letter – it clearly says Gorm Bum. He can’t write.
-
11
November 10, 2009 at 11:49 -
Like others, above, I’m conflicted.
I agree with every word you say, and every word Jacqui Janes says, but I profoundly disagree with the way that we got to hear this discussion.
-
12
November 10, 2009 at 12:14 -
Saul, the call was recorded by Mrs Janes’s neighbour when the call came through and Mrs Janes switched on the speakerphone (cf. fivelive phone-in). If the Prime Minister phoned me I’d also want to record the call given his propensity for twisting the truth to suit his own ends.
Ms. Mudd, not so much that Gorm Bum can’t write, but he’s had so many letters to send out lately it’s more likely writer’s cramp.
What is appalling is the lack of helicopters for casevac operations. That alone is unforgiveable.
-
13
November 10, 2009 at 12:19 -
many years ago i knew a psychiatrist, who,s first job during the second world war,was to interview /treat members of the black watch who were caught fornicating with sheep,i mentioned this year,s later to an old soldier, who remembered some dutch farmer painting red hackles on his sheep? perhaps gordoon gloom is a product of such a liason
-
14
November 10, 2009 at 12:34 -
It takes a bereaved clear thinking mum to tell Brown what Liam Fox, Cameron, the various newspaper editors, the BBC and assorted commentators should have been doing for the last five years.
The Butcher’s Bill is double what it should be – needlessly inflated by Brown’s twin hatreds : BLair and Army. He thought he could kill two birds with one stone by denying both the funds needed for the propogation of Blair’s war.
He cares not a jot for the Army or the dead -other than trying to assuage his own guilt and harvest a few votes.
-
15
November 10, 2009 at 12:48 -
… and harvest a few votes.
***
Surely Gorm Bum can’t think he can harvest even a few votes, unless perhaps his insight is as atrocious as his eyesight. -
16
November 10, 2009 at 13:16 -
It isn’t illegal to tape record a phone conversation.
-
17
November 10, 2009 at 13:24 -
My itch is getting worse. Will our all-powerful State, I wonder, charge the Currant Bun with illegally recording a conversation? As there’s no longer any need to be up Roop’s back passage, I’d have thought Gorbumchov has nothing to lose by doing that.
The problem is, that would make Gordooom the wronged party, and we can’t have that: his job is to be wrong, not wronged. Perhaps Fondelbum could fake his suicide, and then the Convict could be charged with aggravated something or other.
YM -
18
November 10, 2009 at 13:31 -
Have you tried Pink Ointment for the itch John?
-
19
November 10, 2009 at 14:35 -
Hmm – tricky one this. I oppose the war, I feel heart-sorry for every parent, who has lost offspring in this ridiculous folly and I hold Mr Brown in contempt for continuing with this charade, in order to prop up a corrupt regime – however, I also find his attempt, to respond personally to Mrs Janes’ loss, admirable and I find The Sun’s use of what should be private correspondence (presumably with Mrs Janes’ agreement), in order to try and score political points, thoroughly distasteful. To be honest, I have more respect for GB, at the moment, but, as I have absolutely none for The Sun, that isn’t particularly surprising – the rest, however, is just the same old hypocritical garbage, dressed up as “concern”.
-
20
November 10, 2009 at 14:35 -
Bloody Hell, 25 mistakes, and even I with my bad eyesight can see some of them. Having only one eye is no excuse for this. It is cursory and insulting. No wonder our State School System is in such a state.
The lack of helicopters is appalling. That boy’s life could have been saved. But I have a nasty suspicion that Gorm Bum’s little blunders will do more for Forces Funding than anything else so far.
Jaqui Janes for Prime Minister. She has obviously got her wits about her. And I bet she knows more about The Economy than that lot seem to.
-
22
November 10, 2009 at 16:02 -
A woman who has maintained her dignity throughout.
-
23
November 10, 2009 at 16:43 -
Dear Gloria
I’ve tried that pink ointment ‘Gordolene’ for the itching, but I remain worried about the porkies being told on both sides here. I’ve looked in the Reader’s Digest Book of Home Ailments, and I’m fairly certain I’ve got Pork Scratchings Syndrome.
Do you know, that poor Mr Brown has been accused of taking awful pills for his madness and fibbing about his I’ve Got One Perfectly Good Eye syndrome….and now we have these really quite unwarranted allegations about him holding back much-needed helicopters.
I don’t think anybody that disabled should be subjected to this kind of pressure, I mean he’s only the Prime Minister. It’s just not fair, especially when you consider how he thrust greatness upon himself in such a modest and dour manner.
C. Whelan -
24
November 10, 2009 at 22:48 -
really sorry for the bereaved woman but she tells us that although she now accepts the apology, she has never voted and will not vote in the next general election. ???
-
25
November 13, 2009 at 00:48 -
If the Prime Minister is going to write to mothers of young soldiers killed in action he should make sure that his hand-written letters are a) legible b) free from crossings out and c) checked by a third party to ensure that they meet criteria a) & b) prior to posting.
-
26
November 16, 2009 at 16:37 -
The real intention of the story was to reinforce the idea that this is a war that needs fighting. There are bodies flown home every day, people are starting to ask what’s this war about.
Then
A woman whose son dies complains about lack of resourses and the masses think yeah we need more tanks for this war that MUST be fought for our national security, democracy and all the rest of the BS.People must be distracted from the real reason.
The Taliban destroyed the opium crops in 2000, resulting in a 94% decline in opium production that year – so the US sent troops in against the Taliban immediately – the pretext? Finding Osama Bin Laden.
Osama of course had been working for the CIA, and arming the Taliban who were used by the US to defeat the Soviets – this was a war over the opium trade.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }