Sarah Champion

She was pushed ,

No. Yes. Pushed. Yes.

Should she have resigned? Yes. She should have been a lot more careful in her choice of words. It's not about political correctness it's about political sensitivity in an area where tensions between communities are already high. Was she pushed? I have no idea but I'm sure she knows she made a mistake, which is a shame because what Rotherham needs is a strong MP ready and able to speak out.

But is there a problem with Pakistani men abusing vulnerable young girls? I think events have shown that there is. It was political correctness that impeded progress in trying to catch the abusers.
She must have been pushed. Hard!

Who's got the power to push her, she's got a right to express her views, I've read the article and it makes sense to me.

Are we not going over the top with PC, bring back the days when you called a spade a spade.

I think she was pushed as she immediately became toxic. There is still a propensity for both political parties to pussyfoot around this major issue and not see it for what it's is. I don't align with her politics but I have an enormous respect for Sarah Champion as a hardworking, principled MP with her ear to the ground in Rotherham.

It was never going to go well after resigning from the front bench last summer but coming back voluntarily, and then, writing for the The Sun newspaper.
Shame, as she was one of the 'real' politicians on the front bench.

Yes, it is the Sun that is toxic. She might have got away with it writing for a different paper. (Except the Mail of course)

She's the Ann Cryer of her day. Another hard working honest MP who was called a racist. Let us not forget MPs represent ALL their constituents. The parents of the girls abused and the girls themselves have been desperate to get this problem out in the open for so many years now. It's been discussed ad infinitum how political correctness has hindered or even closed down previous enquiries. A problem that's still ongoing, yesterday Rochdale, Rotherham, Oxford, Newcastle etc. etc. Tomorrow somewhere else.

She said somewhere that the Sun had "misrepresented" her words.

How can saying "Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls" be acceptable? I'm at a loss.

Is that all British Pakistani men? Is it only British Pakistani men? What did she hope to achieve by saying this? She didn't help herself by trying to distance herself from the article afterwards when her office had signed it off (only quibbling about the choice of an unflattering photo).

Not politic correctness, loss of votes

The Sun changed what she had written slightly, her aides approved it without checking with her. Given that it was for a toxic newspaper with an anti-Corbyn and anti-Labour agenda, she and they should have been much more careful. I don't think it was the subject matter that was the problem, she's ( rightly) been a standard bearer for that ( like Ann Cryer) it was the blanket comment - had the word 'some' been inserted, it would have expressed what she says over and over again to her great credit. It was next to another article by Trevor Kavanagh I believe which quoted from her article - she didn't know this was going to happen and it shows how dirty the Sun plays - but she should know that. He used the phrase 'the Moslem Problem' which is an echo of 'the Jewish Problem' well used elsewhere. I think she'll be back and that meanwhile, she'll carry on with her sterling work

If Britain doesn't have a problem with this then I am at a loss nightowl or hearing different news to you - and I ask if you have ever met anyone involved which could put a different perspective on this.
It is not the only problem but it has been a problem and thank goodness it is recognised at last.

She was pushed but perhaps this was not the right paper to choose - but then would the pc Guardian print her views anyway?

There was a leaked email yesterday that she was purported to have sent to the Sun thanking them for printing the article and complaining that the photo they used was not a good one.

"Some" or a "small minority" have to be key words when discussing any problem that occurs within communities and it's obviously crucial to make that point at the outset. I have not read the article in "The Sun" I don't read that paper either on line or otherwise.

I do think it's very, very important to discuss uncomfortable issues it just makes everything far worse. Especially for the girls and their parents, particularly when they have to face perpertrators and their supporters mocking them and then find out that two of the Rotheram abusers are getting even more legal aid to fight their deportation. I'd like to know who decides the eligibilty for that because some of the brave interpreters who worked with our army were turned down

Meant to say it makes everything far worse if we don't.

certainly not ALL Pakistani men are abusers ,so she should have qualified her remark As to calling a spade a spade isn't the non pc language thats occuring now a huge problem when racism rears its head and believes its justified.Same in the USA with all the right wing rhetoric being bandied about ..maybe time to think being PC is the way to go,certainly less trouble if we all take care with what we say

I have not met anyone from Rotherham who was directly involved Jalima (although it's my home town and very dear to my heart) but have met and worked with many survivors of abuse from many different communities. If you can't see what's wrong with her statement I'm sorry. She has done nothing by her choice of words to help us develop a greater understanding of where racial/ cultural factors might play a part in organised abuse, but instead has indeed demonised a whole community. That's why I said it's about political sensitivity rather than political correctness (with all the pejorative associations that go along with that term).

She was pushed I am pretty sure of it.

There doesn't seem to be anywhere near enough support for the abused young women, who do seem to be mainly white and poor, no benefit concerts going on or Go Fund Me pages......I find that all a bit racist really, but only some groups seem to attract concern.

We ought to be ashamed of ourselves the way these thing are and have been handled so far.

Hear hear radicalnan

There are organised abusers in all communities. The exploitation and commodification of vulnerable young women by men who think that they are entitled to do so is the problem. It is not a problem of religion, it is a problem of a particular brand of toxic masculinity which festers unchecked and leads to these cases. This is happening in every town and city - those prosecutions are the tip of the iceberg. Until we stop blaming the victims and start shaming the views and behaviours of this toxic, entitled masculinity (which is widespread across all communities) then nothing will change. Champion's remarks were ill-informed, opportunistic and unhelpful, and she deserved to go. If you pander to the latent racism you create 'the other' as perpetrator and absolve your own community from responsibility, which is not helpful and frankly irresponsible. There is a lot of wriggling around about this issue and not a lot of action. What has happened to these young women will affect them for their whole lives. There are young women out there to whom it is happening right now, with little hope of escape. We as a whole country should be ashamed for perpetuating a culture in which not only is the abuse of children so common, but victims are still often disbelieved and blamed for the crimes committed against them.

To try and silence this anger By sacking Sarah C will not help. The problems of why it is happening stretches into our class system, the misogynistic views of a patriarchal religion and our lack of care and educational chances for vulnerable girls. Remember the police thought they were not worth taking seriously. We should look at ourselves as well. And decry and reveal the misogyny in our culture too. Many wome like being in a patriarchal culture they feel valued and looked after but it is not equal and it is not the way forward. I am horrified at how this abuse has been allowed for so long. To silence it again and pretend it is a case of a bunch of criminals is wrong. We should all grow up and dig below the surface here. These groups of Pakistani men have revealed what was hidden. And we must scream and shout

She only said what had just been proved in court and not for the first time. She was pushed. It is an awful thing per se but useful in that it provides a clear as a bell signal that some parts of the political divide cannot recognise or admit the truth even when it stares them in the face. This might, perhaps, get through to their followers who will begin to seek the truth and question political 'acts of faith'.

Objectivity, rationality, facts, evidence and debate rather than PC sloganising, are the way forward.