Angela Rayner changes her mind!

Yes GillT ( you are completely missing something!)

It has nothing to do with the man who murdered David Amess.

janeainsworth

GillT this is the connection between AR’s use of the word ‘scum’ and the killing of Sir David Amess. From the BBC court report:
The officer said: "He informed me that following the death of Sir David Amess MP, he felt angry at the victim who - he states - described a member of the Conservative Party previously... as 'scum'. "He stated he wanted to vent, and felt that somebody needed to tell her she was partially responsible for the attack following her use of language."

So as you can see, it’s not anyone on Gransnet who has made the connection, but the perpetrator himself.
Whether that should have been used in evidence as mitigation is open to question.

Let's be clear that 'the perpetrator' talked about here is not the suspect being held for the murder of David Amess. It's the man who made violent threats to Angela Raynor.

As far as I understand it the murder of Amess had nothing to do with what she said.

And, Annieb, she was referring to the tory government in her comment, not tory voters.

And this man is in my view using the death of David Amess to justify threatening children. Unpleasant on many levels.

My bad. I thought the man referred to was the man charged with killing Sir David Amess, now realise jane was referring to the man convicted of harassing Angela Raynor.

If it hadn’t been for the murder of David Amess, and the subsequent threats she received, I doubt very much that the apology would have been forthcoming.

IMO she’s sorry only because it’s come back to bite her.

By bite her do you mean having herself and her children threatened.

I'm amazed and perturbed that people aren't putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of the vile specimen who threatened her and her children.

it is ridiculous isn't it?
I think by Friday my patience has deteriorated somewhat

It's pretty disheartening.

This is Raynor's full statement, in case anybody hasn't read it:

"I have been off work over the last couple of weeks after losing a close loved one. Grief is the burden we bear for love and losing someone close is something that we all experience at some point in our lives, but that knowledge doesn’t make it any easier when it happens to you. So I can’t imagine what the family of Sir David Amess are going through, but I know they will be hurting. I send my heartfelt condolences to them. Sir David was a fine parliamentarian, a proud advocate for his constituents and above all such a kind, generous and warm-hearted man. He will be missed on all sides of the house.

As a society we need to offer better support to people who are going through bereavement, loss and other traumatic or difficult experiences in their personal lives. I hope that the fact that I took time to deal with a bereavement will encourage other people to do the same when they are going through grief or trauma.

While I have been away from the cut and thrust of parliament I have reflected on our political debate and the threats and abuse that now seem to feature all too often.

I have also reflected on what I said at an event at Labour party conference. I was angry about where our country is headed and policies that have made life harder for so many people I represent. But I would like to unreservedly apologise for the language I used, and I would not use it again.

I will continue to speak my mind, stand up for Labour values and hold the government to account. But in the future I will be more careful about how I do that and in the language that I choose.

All of us in positions of leadership have a responsibility for our language and rhetoric, whether towards political opponents or anyone else in society, especially those already most vulnerable. As deputy leader of the Labour party I take this responsibility with the utmost seriousness and I am sure that politicians from all parties, the media and others with a prominent role in our public life will also reflect on this shared responsibility.

I want to address the threats I have received recently. In the past I have been reluctant to speak out about the abuse that I receive because I fear that doing so will only make the situation worse. However, in recent weeks the threats that I have received against my life and the lives of close family have been so terrifying and explicit that I could not stay silent and simply continue to take it as “part of the job”. They have had a devastating impact on me, my children and others close to me.

It shakes you when you get these threats. You worry about the safety of your home, your office and everything in your life. And it takes its toll on the people who work for me too.

My staff come to work and do their jobs with dedication and professionalism. They bear the brunt of much of this abuse and then get on with their working day. Dealing with death threats and liaising with the police about their safety should not be a standard part of the day-to-day working life of a member of parliament or their staff.

So I want to thank the police officers from Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire police who have arrested a number of people in recent days and demonstrated the utmost professionalism, courtesy and kindness both in carrying out their investigations and in supporting me, my family and my staff during what has been a very difficult time. I and my team will continue work with them to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice.

After attending a funeral on Monday I will be back to work, rolling my sleeves up and standing up for my brilliant constituents in Ashton-under-Lyne, Droylsden and Failsworth – along with everyone who needs a Labour government."

The former Conservative MP, Gavin Barwell, tweeted:

"This apology reflects very well on
@AngelaRayner
So sorry to hear about the threats she and her family have received, which have no place in a democratic society, but pleased to hear she will continue to speak her mind - we need more people from her background in our politics"

Good for her. Her apology and statement were a brave move which she did not have to make.

Nobody in public service should have to suffer threats of this type.

I admire her and wish more politicians were as honest and straightforward as her.

I don't remember Johnson's apology for this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kCaEbBddeY

Surely no one in public service should use gutter language in public, what people say in private is of no interest .

youtu.be/sw6uvKpceBU

youtu.be/WFArl3EM8Bk

She has apologised for her language.

It interested me when Boris Johnson (then a journalist with the Telegraph) plotted in private to have a journalist beaten up. I believe the journalist is still waiting for an apology.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/14/journalist-stuart-collier-boris-johnson-phone-call-darius-guppy-demands-apology

Anniebach

Surely no one in public service should use gutter language in public, what people say in private is of no interest .

that is all very well, but a man has threatened her life and that of her children Annie

Scones

She has apologised for her language.

It interested me when Boris Johnson (then a journalist with the Telegraph) plotted in private to have a journalist beaten up. I believe the journalist is still waiting for an apology.
www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/14/journalist-stuart-collier-boris-johnson-phone-call-darius-guppy-demands-apology

I think quite a few people are waiting for apologies for things Johnson has said, but somehow what he says has become normalised.

I'm not really a supporter of Rayner. Nevertheless, I agree with her sentiment, despite thinking she didn't express herself well, but maybe that's the appeal to some. How many times have we read that people should say things how they are?

She's apologised for using the words she did, which is more than many others have done. The apology sounds like a statement made by a human being who made a mistake.

There is absolutely no justification for the threats she and many other MPs receive on a daily basis, but which the Prime Minister thinks are "humbug".

So, if I see someone on here swear at another user, it's ok for me to threaten to kill them and their family...

JaneJudge she use that language before the threats , in no way
is it a reason for the threats but I really don’t understand why anyone who wants a Labour government can excuse what she said. She keeps about the north, even referred to Barbara Castle as ‘a ginger northerner’, we need more than northerners
to win the next election. Is she going to wow middle England?

Anniebach You seem a little confused. The man who threatened Rayner claimed that Amess was murdered as a result of what Rayner said, so of course she used the language before the murder and the threats.

This is what he wrote to her:

“Promise you c***,” it said. “There’s so many people in this country now, after your poster boy murdered an Englishman, who are coming after you now c***.

“You were easy to find btw. I already found your personal home address.”

There was a Twitter campaign against Rayner after she used the word "scum", which far exceeded anything she had said. I doubt if the person who murdered Amess was influenced by what Rayner said because it appears he had been planning the murder for some time.

She's admitted she made a mistake and has apologised. Maybe you should have the good grace to accept that apology at face value.

Considering Rayner is a ginger northerner herself, she used the phrase as a term of affection.

Incidentally, Rayner referred to herself as a ginger northerner.

That's a dangerous man.