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

And - anyone with a passing nod to Refuge couldn’t have thought what FB said, much less said it

There have been multiple references to Stanley Johnson’s physical violence . Tom Bower’s 2020 biography of Boris Johnson stated “Stanley’s violence has forever haunted Boris”.

Domestic violence has long term impact on children growing up, as it seems the Johnson children did.

Understanding the research on domestic abuse doesn’t make us left wing Oreo, it makes us well informed. A ‘one off nose breaking’ episode of domestic abuse is about as likely as a unicorn wandering into my garden.

Unbelievable paddyann! I know several women who have suffered from physical abuse by OH, and none of them was left-wing!

Grammy Grammy You have to be left wing to believe violence against women is wrong? Even if it was "just once" once is one too many ,or do "right wing" grans think a broken nose isn't important enough to count as DV
I was told the broken nose story was told BY Bojo' mother in her book so not just a rumour straight from victim ,or do Tories want photographic evidence?

LadyHonoriaDedlock

How many times do you need to break your partner's nose for it to become domestic abuse?

The claim that what FB said was legally required was nonsense.

If you mean me I didn’t say it was ‘legally required’. I said it may have come from the legal department. It’s the kind of statement often made (for instance on HIGNFY) to preempt any complaints. I do often post nonsense though so feel free to ignore me.

DaisyAnne

westendgirl

So she should. Her comment was inexcusable.

Why? What did she say?

She said nothing other than the report. She has been forced to cancel herself by the loonie lefties ( many of whom are on this thread)

How many times do you need to break your partner's nose for it to become domestic abuse?

The claim that what FB said was legally required was nonsense.

As I said there are many ways of minimising domestic violence, channel 4, BBC and all the others who legitimise Johnson by asking his view on everything from Brexit to Eastenders, I wonder what consequences they will have. They have been legitimising him for years.

Cut the woman a bit of slack.
Who’s so perfect they’ve never said the wrong thing or used the wrong tone of voice?
Let those without sin cast the first stone.

I watched the programme and literally gasped when Fiona Bruce in ‘contextualising’ the comment added the rider, that ‘friends of his (Stanley) said it was a one-off.’ She had no need to add that and her comment appears unscripted. Anyone, like me, who has worked within the field of domestic abuse surely knows that such a statement would be unacceptable, so I find it inconceivable that Fiona Bruce could be ignorant of the furore her comments would create. Unless she had an agenda that got in the way of her thinking clearly.

I'm sure she didn't intend to minimalise the act, nor excuse it. She was simply repeating what had been said.

She didn't say "it was just a one off" - but the choice of words implied it. And that's the problem.

I don't personally like FB, but I think a bit of rationality is called for with regard to her comment. She didn't choose her words carefully. When you're caught on the hop - even as a presenter - sometimes, your words just don't come out right.

And hers certainly didn't. Given time to think, she may have worded her comment differently.

The words you quoted are, in law, hearsay.

Germanshepherdsmum

What you quote is hearsay BlueBelle.

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

How can it be hearsay if the woman wrote it herself ???

Let's hope, Galaxy that as others have said, it puts an end to Johnson Senior getting honours now his disgraceful behaviour is more in the public eye.

As you say, it was poorly handled MayBee70 she could have phrased it differently.

I think all those of us who heard it "live" (before all the media discussion) would have been taken aback. I certainly was.

Yes I think it is minimising but when I watched it I thought she panicked, now that might not be a quality that you want in a current affairs presenter but there is just something about there being no consequences for the man who hits his wife, and yet consequences for the woman who talks about it. Also Stanley Johnson is used in many TV programmes, both BBC and other stations, perhaps it might be useful for those organisations to think about the fact that that minimises domestic violence in a different way.

Isn't the point that only doing it once is not a defence against wife beating, or any other sort of violence? If she had said 'I have to say that Mr Johnson is not here to defend himself, and he was never charged with anything' and left it at that, it would be one thing, and could well have been to protect the BBC against defamation charges. But it is the mitigation and minimising that make it a resignation offence - they go way beyond that.

I’ve just watched QT which, I must say is far more balanced than it was when I used to watch it ( ie when Farage seemed to be on every week). And to be fair to her she did only use a quote to explain to people who might not have understood what the question was about. Having said that she could have explained it by not using a quote that seemed to trivialise what Stanley Johnson had done. I’m trying to work out what my feelings would have been listening to it at the time and I think her comment was uncalled for in that she chose a quote that minimalised what Johnson had done. Can’t help but feel that Johnson Snr and Jnr both seem to get away with things that other people don’t because they have a way of charming people. Even Ken Clark disappointingly said what a jolly nice fellow he was as if it’s quite normal for a man to break his wife’s nose.

Oreo

Have noticed that a few posters on GN just love a bit of goss.

goss? really. Not that is shameful and totally deliberate. Nasty.

Of course not Bridie.

Oh I dont doubt for a moment it's true, do I think the BBC would have won a defamation case around that term, that's a very different issue.

GSM...it doesn't make it not true either.

It’s not gossip.
Charlotte was hospitalised after Stanley broke her nose.
Her son, Al (Boris) witnessed this.

Have noticed that a few posters on GN just love a bit of goss.

FannyCornforth

Obviously Oreo hasn’t got a clue

I certainly do have a clue about marriages where both parties in the marriage are a bit on the violent side, my best friend was in one for years.Too much wine and it all kicked off at times.
I don’t like hearsay or gossip so won’t speculate on what went on with the Johnsons at times.