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David Lammy on LBC

(249 Posts)
growstuff Mon 29-Mar-21 19:18:51

You need to watch this video to understand my comments:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssLC4U7u9t8

Caller (Jean): You can never be English. You're Afro-Caribbean.

Caller (Jean: The whole world is polluting everybody, the way it's going.

Is the caller on GN by any chance?

varian Mon 29-Mar-21 19:45:41

The way David Lammy spoke to this caller was a model of restraint. He has gone up in my estimation. Unfortunately I think there are many other ignorant bigoted old women like her-I hope not on GN.

Anniebach Mon 29-Mar-21 19:52:10

Did she give her age ?

growstuff Mon 29-Mar-21 19:55:39

Anniebach

Did she give her age ?

No, but she didn't deny that she's older than Lammy. I'm more concerned about what she said rather than trying to guess her age.

growstuff Mon 29-Mar-21 19:57:24

I agree with you varian. I honestly don't know how Lammy didn't lose his cool.

Nandalot Mon 29-Mar-21 20:02:23

Well done, David Lammy, for keeping your cool. Well argued.

growstuff Mon 29-Mar-21 20:05:45

I wonder how that woman would describe Lammy's children. His wife is white British (English?)

welbeck Mon 29-Mar-21 20:10:47

and there you have it; a mixture of ignorance and misplaced pride.
unfortunately there are still numerous people who think like this, but most don't reveal it so openly.
i have met white women who while presenting as nice, friendly, in fact look down on anyone of another hue or culture or irish or jewish origin, or people in council housing. and then try to justify it. i would rather avoid them, but it is tricky if they have become needy through infirmity. i feel i have to help, a little.

growstuff Mon 29-Mar-21 20:14:21

I haven't a clue who she is, but she didn't sound muddled in her thinking, but very bigoted with racist views which won't be shifted, however rationally one argues with her. She's probably been like that her whole life and her views have little to do with her age. Lammy actually said that he didn't want to offend her.

Polarbear2 Mon 29-Mar-21 20:15:19

Polluting!? I have no words. How he kept his cool I don’t know.

growstuff Mon 29-Mar-21 20:15:52

welbeck I expect we've all come across them. Sometimes I do wonder if some of the posters on GN are like that in real life.

EllanVannin Mon 29-Mar-21 20:17:37

Goodness me---daft old bat ! Where ignorance is bliss----

growstuff Mon 29-Mar-21 20:27:14

Marcus Rashford has scored 11 goals for the England football team. I wonder if Jean would like to tell him he's been playing in the wrong team.

NotSpaghetti Mon 29-Mar-21 20:29:01

Her views are horrible and I feel deeply deeply ashamed to be white British (English actually) with people like this espousing such predjudice and bigotry.

Asside from the Pollution word!!!...
What kind or argument is it that he can be British but not English! There isn't even any logic here.

Horrendous.

growstuff Mon 29-Mar-21 20:32:04

I'm white English too, with a family tree traced back to the mid sixteenth century. She doesn't speak for me, so I don't feel ashamed.

Jean is actually deluded if she thinks that she can trace all the lines of her family back to the middle ages. The lack of records makes it impossible, unless you happen to be nobility.

EllanVannin Mon 29-Mar-21 20:45:00

I'm only half " English", 38% German, the rest Scottish with Irish thrown in----with Jewish ancestry.

I bet "Mrs Pratt", whoever she was is no English Rose grin

Alegrias1 Mon 29-Mar-21 20:55:53

She's Anglo Saxon apparently, right back to the middle ages. Dearie me.

I don't think anybody here needs to be ashamed, only she does.

JustMe Mon 29-Mar-21 21:01:11

I have a lot of time for David Lammy, he is a great orator and has given some moving speeches in Parliament.

My daughter has met him twice too. I was shocked at the call. Really taken aback. He handled it so well and really tried to explain to her in polite terms.

NotSpaghetti Mon 29-Mar-21 21:09:06

There is plenty of this out there it seems.
My son sent me this:

youtu.be/epi6-zDCwIg

ayse Mon 29-Mar-21 21:13:16

I heard her too! How very ignorant and bigoted. Anyone born in the UK is British and depending on your birth place can be one of four ‘nationalities’ if you go for that sort of thing.

Personally, I feel English as all my ancestors prior to me except one were born in the south east of England and East Midlands. Further back, my ancestors originated in Germany (south and east Saxons). Even further back my genetic group moved across Europe from the Near East (the eastern Mediterranean). BTW, this is from Living DNA (Ancestry shows marginally different results)

We all were at one time migrants.

Rosie51 Mon 29-Mar-21 21:22:15

Really impressed with David Lammy. He never got rattled and was so composed and polite throughout. Polluting.........what a vile way to speak. You'll never change entrenched views like hers.

Gannygangan Mon 29-Mar-21 21:26:44

What a dreadful woman.

And what is this business of being British but not English?

David Lammy reacted very well.

Urmstongran Mon 29-Mar-21 22:16:42

Shocking.

Returnofthemc Mon 29-Mar-21 22:47:43

David Lammy is a very intelligent, highly articulate guy
He was extremely patient and polite
Jean on the other hand. ...
While people of Jean's ilk; the nationalists, the extreme right wing, the hard of thinking, have been encouraged by this present regime and even feel comfortable airing their vitriol is extremely worrying
Very poor show Jean
I am embarrassed for you

MaizieD Mon 29-Mar-21 23:09:13

While people of Jean's ilk; the nationalists, the extreme right wing, the hard of thinking, have been encouraged by this present regime and even feel comfortable airing their vitriol is extremely worrying

I agree with you, Returnof themc. I was thinking that, too after I had seen it.

Curiously, I didn't think she was in the least bit vitriolic. Just absolutely sure that she was correct. It was a bit chilling, really. That absolute assurance made me suspect that she's used to people around her agreeing with her.