Fiona Bruce ‘to step back’ from her role at Refuge

Bridie22

Are we really going to slate a woman who for 25 years has campaigned for and supported the women's refuge, a refuge needed by women the likes of SJ wife!!
Maybe her tone wasn't perfect ... another of Johnson victims.

If it had been a one-off, I would say no. It was a stupid thing to say, but taken in context could be excused as thoughtless rather than representative of her feelings. But it's far from the first time FB has been less than impartial on QT. When Mick Lynch was a guest she literally spoke for the (Tory) treasury minister, saying 'I'll say this for you, Rachel, as you are being quiet as a mouse about inflation' or similar.

To have her chairing a discussion about impartiality of sports presenters is incongruous, particularly on the very programme where her own bias as a political presenter has come through.

I think that QT must be difficult to chair. There are too many panellists, and too many questions, so there is no real discussion any more. When Robin Day did it there was time for a much more considered debate and it felt as though the panellists were being called to account. With Dimbleby it became more entertainment than political debate, but it has continues in that vein. Now discussion has to be moved on far too quickly, and there is an obsession with 'balance', which simply means counting the number of appearances from representatives of all of the parties. But this is all the more reason to have a better presenter, not to keep making excuses. I think Emily Maitlis would be much better.

There is no proof HPQ. People have said this and that. Being a proponent of muscular fatherhood is not proof of being a wife beater. We don’t know all the facts, nor do we know all the circumstances. We know only what we have read in newspapers, People have succeeded in defamation cases on flimsier evidence than we have about this allegation.

Germanshepherdsmum

I believe she had no option but to make the comment she did in the circumstances, to head off a possible defamation case. Presenters often have to interject like this when someone makes a comment to the effect that something that has been rumoured and speculated on is a proven fact. And before anyone leaps on me, I know exactly what has been said about SJ. I have no reason to doubt his wife’s claim but it rests purely on what was told to journalists. I dislike Stanley Johnson and Fiona Bruce, but she had a professional duty to perform. It’s a shame that she is stepping down from Refuge after many years of good work for them.

I must admit I saw it like that too. But I will be interested to see how others interpreted it.

Normally I would roundly condemn anybody normalising or trivialising domestic abuse but I don’t think that’s what Fiona Bruce did. I think she was reading from something she’d been given, possibly by the BBC legal department, as there is no documented proof that the repulsive Stanley Johnson was a regular wife beater.

I do think that whoever wrote that statement to be read out could have worded it far better and pointed out that such violence is unacceptable.

In the meantime Fiona Bruce is vilified and nobody is condemning Stanley Johnson.

I don't get the 'had to say it' argument either, or she'd have said 'I have to say this...' I think she was minimising it. She is lousy on QT too, the people they have when she's away are better. But the BBC has its favourites who can do no wrong, thats how Jimmy Saville got away with his activities for so long. The whole BBC needs to be impartial

paddyann54

Fiona Bruce is right wing and shows it every week .BBC impartiality is a myth .They should not allow presenter in political programmes to show their bias ...and sadly she's not the only BBC person who fronts a show that is clearly right wing .
Strange they get away with it when Lineker didn't yet HE'S freelance and not in a political show

Weird innit? Some people say the BBC has right wing bias and many others say it has left wing bias😂
I think it’s probably well balanced tbh.

DaisyAnne

Germanshepherdsmum

I believe she had no option but to make the comment she did in the circumstances, to head off a possible defamation case. Presenters often have to interject like this when someone makes a comment to the effect that something that has been rumoured and speculated on is a proven fact. And before anyone leaps on me, I know exactly what has been said about SJ. I have no reason to doubt his wife’s claim but it rests purely on what was told to journalists. I dislike Stanley Johnson and Fiona Bruce, but she had a professional duty to perform. It’s a shame that she is stepping down from Refuge after many years of good work for them.

I must admit I saw it like that too. But I will be interested to see how others interpreted it.

I think you’re right Germanshepherdsmum

Thank you both very much.

But it doesn’t make sense

‘FannyCornforth murdered a person’

‘Friends of FC say that it was ‘a one off’’

Come on!

What doesn’t make sense?

I think she was worried about legal action, that was certainly my interpretation of it. I think Stanley Johnson is an unpleasant man who hit his wife and has other allegations against him, I am quite clear what I believe about those allegations. That's easy for me to say on here.
Yes there is some irony that Johnson senior hasn't been asked to step down (as far as I am aware) from any positions he may hold, whilst a woman has had to.
I do however agree that Fiona Bruce's handing of impartiality on QT has been below standard for some time.

Germanshepherdsmum

There is no proof HPQ. People have said this and that. Being a proponent of muscular fatherhood is not proof of being a wife beater. We don’t know all the facts, nor do we know all the circumstances. We know only what we have read in newspapers, People have succeeded in defamation cases on flimsier evidence than we have about this allegation.

I dont think this is quite correct I haven’t read her book but I believe quotes of him being a beater over many years was a quote direct from the late wife words
Stanley Johnson's ex-wife, the late artist Charlotte Wahl, previously told Boris Johnson's biographer Bower, that her former husband "hit me many times, over many years"

Fiona was not making a comment, she was reporting the exact words a journalist had written as she was contractually obliged to as Johnson senior was not there to defend himself. This was to establish impartiality. You are judging her on the inflection of her voice not the words.

Maybe she hit him also? Some marriages are a bit like that.
You can’t judge if you honestly don’t know the truth of it.
Drink often has a lot to do with it.

Germanshepherdsmum

What doesn’t make sense?

Sorry, it wasn’t addressed to you.
It was a general comment.

Gin

Fiona was not making a comment, she was reporting the exact words a journalist had written as she was contractually obliged to as Johnson senior was not there to defend himself. This was to establish impartiality. You are judging her on the inflection of her voice not the words.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Oreo

Maybe she hit him also? Some marriages are a bit like that.
You can’t judge if you honestly don’t know the truth of it.
Drink often has a lot to do with it.

I hate this expression, but educate yourself.
There is plenty online about Stanley and Charlotte Johnson.
Also books

Poor Charlotte.
I’m regretting starting this thread.

Oreo

Maybe she hit him also? Some marriages are a bit like that.
You can’t judge if you honestly don’t know the truth of it.
Drink often has a lot to do with it.

I don’t know what to say to this …

Obviously Oreo hasn’t got a clue

Me neither!!

What you quote is hearsay BlueBelle.

I didn’t suppose your comment was addressed to me FC. Perhaps others understand it - I don’t.

That was in reply to Maybee 70

FannyCornforth

Oreo

Maybe she hit him also? Some marriages are a bit like that.
You can’t judge if you honestly don’t know the truth of it.
Drink often has a lot to do with it.

I hate this expression, but educate yourself.
There is plenty online about Stanley and Charlotte Johnson.
Also books

You can’t know what’s true and goes in in marriages.
Books will give one sided opinions.

Not that I’m remotely interested in anything Stanley Johnson does or is alleged that he does.