Angela Rayner changes her mind!

I think she has had an utterly horrific time lately I am astounded the man threatening her didnt go to prison.

That isn't all that she said... Have you a link to her statement, foxie48?

I haven’t seen the statement. I appreciate the brief quote foxie48 gave in her OP. Angela Raynor is an interesting politician. Her tough childhood and the way she’s built a career in politics gives her a breadth of much needed experience.
The threats to her and her children were disgusting. I believe prison should be aimed at people who act or threaten violence. A suspended sentence may be appropriate as the Judge decided but I’d have been pleased to see the man sent down

AR said that in response to the person who sent the threatening email saying in court that after Sir David Amess was murdered, he became angry that she had described Tories as ‘scum’.
Of course that does not excuse his conduct, but maybe AR recognised that her use of that word had been inflammatory.
His prison sentence was suspended for 18 months, but he has been sentenced to 100 hours’ community service and to do 35 days of a rehabilitation activity. He has been prohibited from contacting AR directly or indirectly or commenting about her on social media. If he infringes this, presumably his prison sentence will be imposed.
Personally I think the judge got it right.

Men who threaten women rarely stop.

Sorry he was angry about an mp being murdered so he decided to threaten another mp.

So she made him do it?
Sounds familiar.

No, he chose to do it , as she chose to call tories scum .

Would it be acceptable if one of us called posters scum ? No

Would it be acceptable if one of us threatened to harm
another poster ? No

I'm glad he's being punished for threatening her and her children.
No excuses for that kind of thing, in my opinion.

Not sure why she's changed her mind. She was quite adamant she wouldn't.

However I'm pleased she has. That word has to be one of the worst.

Well, if she has only said she will watch what she says, it doesn't mean she has changed her mind.

She will change the terminology, not her mind, which is good. There are other words that could be just as scathing but more professional.

He should have got a prison sentence as he was threatening her and her family.
Perhaps that would have been a lesson to others about such online abuse.

One of her children is disabled, I believe, which makes it even worse. Re her comments, it takes a great strength of character to openly say you were wrong and I’m very impressed by her.

From reading AR’s comments, it seems she has reflected on the potential impact of using the language she did. She’s decided it’s inappropriate and will avoid in future. Good for her.

Thanks for the detail on sentencing ja, Yes, the judge got it right

I am glad that Angela Rayner has had the grace to apologise, and I agree that the Judge sentenced the man who threatened her appropriately.

easybee I agree with you. I heard her speaking on the radio and I admired her for standing up and apologising. Not always easy for anyone let alone an outspoken politician.

I wish people would stop connecting AR's heated speech to fellow Labour party members in a side room at the conference, to the killing of Sir David Amess, he wasn't attacked and killed by a fellow MP, or by someone who thought he was 'scum'. Anyway, AR has had the good grace to apologise, recognise the offence taken by the easily offended and hopefully that will be the end of it.

Angela Rayner said he was scum, she said tory voters on this
forum are scum,

I think more than ‘the easily offended’ found being called scum
offensive.

I have been called scum on here ( a while back).

GillT this is the connection between AR’s use of the word ‘scum’ and the killing of Sir David Amess. From the BBC court report:
The officer said: "He informed me that following the death of Sir David Amess MP, he felt angry at the victim who - he states - described a member of the Conservative Party previously... as 'scum'. "He stated he wanted to vent, and felt that somebody needed to tell her she was partially responsible for the attack following her use of language."

So as you can see, it’s not anyone on Gransnet who has made the connection, but the perpetrator himself.
Whether that should have been used in evidence as mitigation is open to question.

Zoejory

Not sure why she's changed her mind. She was quite adamant she wouldn't.

However I'm pleased she has. That word has to be one of the worst.

Like most politicians she won’t be sorry really...but is apologising because it seems politic to do so.I don’t admire her one bit.

MissAdventure

So she made him do it?
Sounds familiar.

You are absolutely spot on there Missadventure
There is no comparison, none, between bad language and threats of violence, and the perpetrator knew that full well when he made his weasley excuses.

Galaxy

Men who threaten women rarely stop.

but she was asking for it right?

I must be missing something here. So the alleged murderer of Sir David Amess is claiming he murdered a Tory MP because a Labour MP referred to Tory MPs as 'scum'? I don't think Ms Rayner referred to GN members as scum either.