HIGNFY - Sheila Hancock

What exactly are Leftist views apart from caring about others? That’s literally all there is to it. Why people think it’s a bad thing baffles me.

I didn't think she was diminishing the art or the sacrifice made by the forces, but she was diminishing the people who had paid to receive one of the poppies, especially those who had done so to commemorate a lost relative.

As for renaming the site BitchNet, should Sheila Hancock be immune from criticism of her stated opinions just because she's an actress who has been fortunate enough to live a long time? A pretty random metric by anyone's standards.

keepingquiet

This is Gransnet. Two threads about women in their 90s who have active lives and something to say.

Why can't we just salute them for what they have both contributed in different ways, but to the same industry, all these years?

I'm starting to think this site should be re-named BitchNet!

We are discussing her views, which is quite different from criticising her for her looks and how well she has aged or otherwise which would not be kind.

She has always expressed strong political views and we are allowed to agree or disagree with those as we see fit.

Colls

Aveline

That's nice to hear about your son Autumncolours but absolutely enraging to hear about her saying a tank should be driven through that beautiful poppy installation.

She wasn't commenting on the art but said at the end of the exhibition, to reflect the real brutality and destruction of war, "a tank should roll through the display, leaving the ceramic flowers "shattered and broken"."

Exactly, I don’t think she meant to diminish the sacrifice made by our troops. She didn’t mean it literally. It was just to force us to remember what happened to those lives.
We really enjoyed her on HIGNFY in this household…three generations!

Keeping quiet I agree with you

Estrellita

What do you mean by that?

Who? Moi?

My post is perfectly plain.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Same here easybee
I saw Sheila Hancock being interviewed by Jenni Murray years ago in a Manchester theatre. She was very entertaining but of a very leftish persuasion and so I can completely understand why her views would chime with some on here!

?

What do you mean by that?

Rosie51

I went right off her when in an interview when the Tower of London 'poppies' were installed she thought they should drive a tank over them and destroy them rather than dismantle and take some around the country. It was pointed out that a portion of them had been pre-sold to ordinary people who would receive them when the display was dismantled. Her response was 'so what, just drive the tank over them?'
I was one of those who had paid to receive a touching beautiful tribute to a fallen soldier, mine in respect of a family member who fell on the first day at The Battle of the Somme, leaving a widow with three young children. I found her attitude extremely dismissive. Shame as previously I'd paid to see Sister Act when she was playing Mother Superior because I liked her.

Does she not realise those poppies each represent a life of someone who had died, sacrificing their lives to fight the very populism she professes to so detest?

She says she was evacuated in WW2 and wrote about it last year in an article in The Guardian:
Eighty-five years ago, in 1940, a silently weeping seven-year-old lay on a cracked leatherette sofa in urine-soaked pyjamas, looking through an alien window, praying that that same moon would protect my mum and dad from the killer bombs falling in London.

Her father was a publican in Bexley Heath and an air raid warden.

She said:
"Please God, don’t let us betray them. We must not forget and we must never let it happen again."

She said last year we must thank veterans by “making sure that we make a better world” ahead of the Victory in Europe (VE) Day 80 concert.

The poppies were there for that very reason, Sheila.
Lest we forget.

Some muddled thinking going on there, methinks.

Luckygirl3

It is interesting how people interpret what they see and hear so differently.

Far from patronising Sheila, I was impressed that they were so sparky with her and did not patronise her.

She has compassion and a sense of community. If that makes her a lefty then that is fine. These are qualities that it would be good to see in people of any political persuasion but sadly every man/woman for him/her self seems to be the order if the day.

She has seen the misery that populist brings ... we need to heed her warning.

👏

Fartooold

I thought she was brilliant, such good light relief after such a depressing day!

Hear hear. I thought she was great.

This is Gransnet. Two threads about women in their 90s who have active lives and something to say.

Why can't we just salute them for what they have both contributed in different ways, but to the same industry, all these years?

I'm starting to think this site should be re-named BitchNet!

Franbern, dont be so naive,

An attractive lady and a good actress ,but she can be unpleasant.
I've met her .
I don't think that Keely Hawes is a fan either .

Aveline

That's nice to hear about your son Autumncolours but absolutely enraging to hear about her saying a tank should be driven through that beautiful poppy installation.

She wasn't commenting on the art but said at the end of the exhibition, to reflect the real brutality and destruction of war, "a tank should roll through the display, leaving the ceramic flowers "shattered and broken"."

It was good. I shall never forget her taking part in a tv discussion just before Brexit. I thought she had swung it, sadly not. She is a very bright, articulate, interesting person. Overused phrase, but a National Treasure.

I really enjoyed the programme and thought Dame Shiela made a great contribution. Loved her books too

Rosie51 that's disgusting! My mum couldn't stand her. Sounds like she steamrollers other people's opinions. I used to like her, until I read something about how nasty she was to one of the actresses she was appearing with in some production or other. I've definitely gone off her.

That's nice to hear about your son Autumncolours but absolutely enraging to hear about her saying a tank should be driven through that beautiful poppy installation.

son not sin - should have previewed!

Straight after graduating when my sin was a junior at a London law firm he took on a case got Sheila Hancock. She kindly took the trouble to contact one of the partners to praise my son for his work. There was no need for her to do that but it made a huge difference to his confidence when starting out so I’ve has a soft spot for her since then.

Franbern

What a wonderful lady. Watching her on HIGNFY last night so cheered me up. At the age of 94 years she has more intelligence, good humour and a care for the world than most politicians. I actually found myself clapping my hands when what she had written in her book many years ago about Donald Trump was quoted.
We need to heed her warnings that populist voting could lead to a British version of what happened in Germany in the 1930's

I AGREE …thought she spoke her mind, as we elders tend to to do after a certain age… and I praised her for it!
I don’t know that being ‘very left’ is bad, it shows we’re human!
Unlike the corrupt REFORM …. We will rue the day if the current load of hypocrites actually ever get to govern! There may of course be the odd good un’ amongst the local MPs just in, but if they are all Racist like most of them , I fear for our country. Yes immigration needs a restructure, the NHS also needs a lot of help, etc etc, but perhaps we should give the current group a little more time… they are attempting to right the wrongs of decades of various leaders …do we want to be known as the country that changes political leadership every year?…or less?

I agree, they were just being polite on HIGNFY. I found it irritating and embarrassing.

I did think they deferred to her on HIGNFY and it was strange when towards the beginning she made a comment that didn't really fit with a satirical entertainment program, one that is not deadly serious.

I went right off her when in an interview when the Tower of London 'poppies' were installed she thought they should drive a tank over them and destroy them rather than dismantle and take some around the country. It was pointed out that a portion of them had been pre-sold to ordinary people who would receive them when the display was dismantled. Her response was 'so what, just drive the tank over them?'
I was one of those who had paid to receive a touching beautiful tribute to a fallen soldier, mine in respect of a family member who fell on the first day at The Battle of the Somme, leaving a widow with three young children. I found her attitude extremely dismissive. Shame as previously I'd paid to see Sister Act when she was playing Mother Superior because I liked her.