Diane Abbott’s take on drownings in Med

The vast majority are Young, fit Men.
Not all.

silverlining48

I think Diane Abbot’s comments were to reflect and shame Anderson’s crass comments.
She will have deleted perhaps because she has been the focus of threats for years is years which must have be terrifying.

I agree silverlining48.
Diane Abbot has suffered abuse, misogyny, racism and threats for years and it’s a wonder she’s still brave enough to be an MP.

Urmstongran

Oreo

I do Gloianny
They could apply for asylum in France if they had worked for the allies in Afghanistan for instance.To gamble your own and your children's lives in that way crossing the Channel is madness.

Totally agree Oreo.

Hang on I thought it was all single men making the journey. So now you are accusing them of not caring about their families. Talk about victim blaming!!

Oreo

I do Gloianny
They could apply for asylum in France if they had worked for the allies in Afghanistan for instance.To gamble your own and your children's lives in that way crossing the Channel is madness.

Totally agree Oreo.

My biggest disgust about the BLM movement was the misappropriation of the funds that were raised. Those crusading families and their mansions, staff, security and bling for themselves and their hangers on beggared belief.

And Starmer has, only very recently, decided to confirm what a woman is. Good job the majority of us already knew.

And Diane Abbott is a muppet.

I think Diane Abbot’s comments were to reflect and shame Anderson’s crass comments.
She will have deleted perhaps because she has been the focus of threats for years is years which must have be terrifying.

I do Gloianny
They could apply for asylum in France if they had worked for the allies in Afghanistan for instance.To gamble your own and your children's lives in that way crossing the Channel is madness.

Oreo

Anyone fleeing death and persecution shouldn’t cross several safe European countries and then pay huge amounts to get on tiny leaky overcrowded small boats to cross the Channel.

Do you include in that the people who worked for us in countries they have been forced to flee because they were abandoned when we pulled out?

I miss the days when politicians acted and talked appropriately, in public, remembering their position

This yobbo style behaviour is unbecoming and, frankly, nasty

I agree. We should expect better standards of those who serve us and the bar is becoming lower and lower.

Anderson was wrong and Abbott's tit for tat language is totally inexcusable when people have died in such a dreadful way.

DA ‘s heart is always in the right place, but she suffers from foot in mouth syndrome, - she speaks before she has fully thought it through.

There are lots of posters, including myself , suffer from the same syndrome.

Anyone fleeing death and persecution shouldn’t cross several safe European countries and then pay huge amounts to get on tiny leaky overcrowded small boats to cross the Channel.

It’s Diane Abbot isn’t it? Nuff said.

Germanshepherdsmum

They stopped fleeing when they reached the first safe country. Their choice to risk their lives crossing the channel.

As I said your comments reflect your views and your perception of people fleeing death and persecution. "Not our problem" is a frequent excuse.

I disagree Starmer jumps on ‘woke’ issues. He knows full well what a woman is, he’s also aware of the divisive nature of the trans debate. He was a senior lawyer and is an experienced politician attempting to avoid gender becoming an even bigger Thing. I’m relieved other ministers have been clear on this.

BLM - well they do. The legacy of slavery and colonialism live on. Independent research confirms walking the streets as a teenager, or driving a car - when black results in far more police stops than with white men/boys.

‘Woke’is an offensive term, it seems to have replaced the equally abusive term for those who object to racism, misogyny and believe those fleeing war/famine/persecution should be supported

Sparklefizz

pascal30

I found her comment quite shocking, not because she quite rightly, IMO, called out Anderson, but because it was so insensitive to the tragedy of yet more migrants dying.

Exactly my thoughts.

This.

Iam64

I’m no fan of Corbyn but seriously - are we expected to believe our public services would be worse off if Labour had won the last election.

Maybe not. Labour might well have levelled up public services. Good stuff. But what about gender identity issues? They’d have gotten worse under Starmer. Black Lives Matter anyone? He and Rayner took the knee in his office remember? Jumping on woke bandwagons would (have been) right up Labour’s street I think. Gah!

yggdrasil

Diane Abbott's reply is justified. The Mail would twist anything she said. This was sarcastic but true.
Why no condemnation from the Mail for Lee Anderson's tirade?

Because it is a manipulative rag.

pascal30

I found her comment quite shocking, not because she quite rightly, IMO, called out Anderson, but because it was so insensitive to the tragedy of yet more migrants dying.

Exactly my thoughts.

Dianne Abbott seems to have an unending knack for wrong words at the wrong time, and a grasp of financial matters that borders on the bewildering. Whatever her motives, a life in the public eye seems less than a good choice for a woman lacking a filter for what is acceptable.

They stopped fleeing when they reached the first safe country. Their choice to risk their lives crossing the channel.

I don't object to the language- really what is the point? it's just in everyday use now.
The sentiments behind the statements reveal their real views though. Anderson plainly fails to understand that refugees are frequently escaping from death and risking their lives. Abbot realised and reacted to his words instinctively, then realised it was inappropriate. One couldn't care less about some people the other was revolted by him and cares so much.
Perhaps the reactions of those posting on GN reveal their own views. People fleeing death, risking their lives deserve proper respect and asylum. Imagining they are doing this so they get a room on a boat, or in a hotel is ridiculous.

Iam64

I’m no fan of Corbyn but seriously - are we expected to believe our public services would be worse off if Labour had won the last election.

Now there's a thought. We could, of course, have had equal but differently based issues.

We might prefer the dispossessed to prosper rather than corrupt or even the not-corrupt capitalists. However, any extreme will leave generations picking up the pieces, undoing the bad and, very slowly, moving to some level of balance that goes back to growing the economy, society and the individual.

I'm guessing that still wouldn't be your choice for a candidates credentials?

Abbott is an independent.

GrannyGravy13

I think both Mr. Anderson’s and Ms. Abbott’s comments came from frustration, albeit from different angles.

Our elected representatives are human it’s time that we stopped expecting them to be superhuman and never make a mistake.

I think it's only the politicians belonging to the parties we don't support who we expect to be perfect!