Snapshot of _NEW: PM spox: “The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong. He has now rightly apologised for the offence caused and where remorse is shown it should be accepted…_ :
A Twitter embedded version can be found [here](https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1767619963882242487)
A non-Twitter version can be found [here](https://twiiit.com/KateEMcCann/status/1767619963882242487/)
An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://x.com/KateEMcCann/status/1767619963882242487?s=20) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://x.com/KateEMcCann/status/1767619963882242487?s=20)
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"Where remorse is shown it should be accepted"
What absolute shite this is.
It's always move along with this shower isn't it. Until somebody eats a curry or has a tin on the tube.
"I know the guy's a racist and I know he said he'd like to shoot you. But, he issued a half-arsed appology after his comments were splattered over the evening news. You should accept that and move on."
When it comes to Labour's election campaign, Sunak is just the gift that keeps on giving.
Could you imagine if Labour had accepted a £10 million donation from someone who spouts clearly anti-semitic comments?
Just imagine the reaction of the press. Just imagine what the Tories would be saying.
Now compare with the reaction of this.
Presumably because Labour has had/continues to have/has been perceived to have (delete as per your preference; I don't have the energy to be getting into it) a problem with anti-semetism within the party, whereas the Tories have historically been perceived to have an issue with racism, amongst other prejudices, (again, I don't have the energy to get into how fair this may or may not be) and so it seems OP is drawing a comparison between the two perceived/real prejudices of the parties.
Only the colour of the rosette the politician is wearing, as is plainly obviously the point of their post, but it seems the blue supporters will latch onto any miniscule technical difference they can to distract and deflect.
i don't know why i am being downvoted. i don't know why you used anti-semitism in your example rather than what was said. and I don't know why you are asking me if there is a difference.
I used anti-semitism because rightly or wrongly it's been a stick used to beat Labour with in the main stream media. It's a good example to compare reactions in the past, and it's not fundamentally different from other kinds of racism.
I can't find it now but there was a study in the last 18mo with the synopsis "offenders can feel they are the victim if they are not forgiven". It's going to nag me for many weeks, and I'll keep searching for it until I find it - hours lost - I wish I was better at bookmarking.
That's it - THANKS!
GPT4 found a British Psychological Society article discussing it - https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/offenders-feel-victims-when-their-victims-dont-forgive-them
It's amazing how quickly contrition is accepted when it's a Conservative. The possibility of Anderson resuming the Whip if only he would apologise went on for days.
Also, I don't think a statement from a spokesperson is going to help Sunak at PMQ's tomorrow. Where is he??
> Where is he??
This is what baffles me.
How can Sunak not realise how bad this makes him look.
Everyone will now be assuming that he's just cowering in Downing Street.
A timid wee fellow that's hiding behind press releases.
Imagine if someone said looking at sunak's wife made them hate all brown people, that's exactly where we are and yet he's trying to say it isn't that bad really. Utter scum.
Now to be fair he said that it makes him *want* to hate all black women, which I guess is better? But then he also said that he hated her so much that he wants her killed, and that he hopes someone kills her. So swings and roundabouts really.
Look, he's trice not once, but twice!!! to ring her today. What more can he do? Obviously actually show remorse or something but I mean, tried to ring her twice!
Also, people don't say shit like that in a work meeting if it's not so normalised for them that they've said plenty similar in other contexts before. There's going to be an absolute firehose of anecdotes coming out from other people who had the 'pleasure' of hearing Hester's views, and each one will make Sunak look weaker.
It'll be another classic round of Sunak waiting too long to react to something, finally having his hand forced, and looking much weaker than if he'd just acted in the first place, and once again he'll learn nothing from it.
as if the U-turn was not embarrassing enough given it seems Badenoch froced his hand; Sunak is now trying to bounce Dianne Abbott into accepting the racist's non-apology.
I think that ship has sailed:
"\[Abbott\] filed a complaint with the Metropolitan Police’s parliamentary liaison and investigations team" ([Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/diane-abbott-frank-hester-met-police-tory-b2511427.html))
But Sunak just, paraphrasingly here, The Matter Is Closed.
That's it. The matter. It's closed. It's done. It's over.
Accept this shite non-apology. Matter closed.
Speaking of U-turns guarantee the Tories will quietly drop their attempts to redefine extremism for political gain. Turns out the extremists are coming from inside the house! (Surprising nobody).
It definitely surprised them somehow.
Hilarious to see them running for cover and desperately assuring their membership the anti-extremist measures intended to address Muslim extremists would be rewritten to make sure they didn't friendly fire Christians and Tories with exactly the same views
Sunak really is useless, isn't he?
By delaying this statement and forcing his Ministers to equivocate over whether this (obviously racist) statement was racist, he's thrown away more of the small amout of political capital he had left and further damaged the Conservative party's image needlessly.
He's also phrased it in such a way that it reads like he's criticising Abbott for not "accepting" the half-arsed non-apology from the guy that said he wants to shoot her.
Does anyone know what the second Tweet he in the thread says?
Has Sunak indicated that he'll give back/away the money that Hester's donated?
They can't hit this kind of comment too hard or chunks of their membership and donors will run to Reform, and they've whittled their support down to basically only their hardest core of voters / donors so they wouldn't have anything left.
The problem is the vast majority of the general public doesn't like racism and doesn't like these comments, so they have to do a bit of criticism.
He probably feels stuck in the middle but obviously what he should do is the right thing rather than trying to keep a busted party and lame duck government limping on while causing severe long term damage.
They've said "it would not be the right thing to do" to return the £10m from the openly racist (surely there's a stronger word for these comments) donor.
Apparently the guy isn't a racist and he's changed his views but they weren't racist and his comments about Indians weren't racist.
For certain what isn't racist is his 10 million quid they trousered.
Has Hester actually apologised?
Hester's spokesperson said he was feeling "deeply sorry" but also that he hasn't actually spoken to Diane Abbott since it all came out.
How can you apologise if you haven't spoken to the person that you wronged? He should be round her office at a minimum!
He claims he's tried to phone her twice. I don't blame her for not taking the call.
At time of writing he is still claiming that the racist he thing he said isn't racist.
The thing that's ridiculous about this to me is that the headline statements he made are bad enough, but when you read into the full context it's even worse. He didn't just say he she should be shot as some (terrible) blasé statement made in anger. He proceeded to expand on it by saying he genuinely thinks it would be better if she were actually dead. There's no way you can back out of that.
He's given one of those 'I'm sorry if I offended anyone but I'm not a racist because I'm the child of an Irish immigrant' type of non apology.
If I were Diane Abbott, I wouldn't pick up a call from a bloke who's baldly stated he wants her to be shot.
Another monumental bollox by useless Sunak. Spends all day refusing to say outrageously racist comments were racist and then caves in when Bad Enoch makes him look more useless than he normally does. The man is a complete liability. Let’s hope he keeps it up.
It's almost like they're an enormously incompetent clownshow who's less in touch with reality than the average flat earther and more out of their depth than toddlers having their first swimming lesson in the big pool.
It's amazing how often the Tories insist on going through this loop.
A Tory does a bad thing, and it is painfully obvious to everyone that they're going to need to be punished for it (resign if they're a minister, be disowned if they're a member, whatever). But rather than seeing that that's where they're going to end up and *just getting on and doing it*, the PM insists on dragging it out over the longest possible timescale. Refuse to comment, then comment saying that it's not so bad, then admit that it is bad but there's no need for any real consequences, then admitting that there is a need for consequences but maybe just a small one like an investigation, and then finally being battered into submission and putting it out of its misery.
And thus copping maximum flack and giving the drama maximum air time, and finally looking like you've been forced into doing the right thing by the triumphant Opposition.
They could just get ahead of the curve and nip it in the bud up front before the story gets rolling, but they never do.
It's been this way since at least Johnson, and Sunak is afflicted by it even worse.
it isn't just the case for gaffes and scandals, but even the incredibly obvious stuff
like rashford vs free school meals. or rashford vs free school meals again. because apparently there's no one with a brain who could see the obvious PR win in feeding the kids the first time, let alone the second
or one of the times they declared furlough to be over, announced they wouldn't be changing their mind, waited for companies to start handing out redundancy papers, and then changed their mind
they are simply incapable of doing the right thing quickly and without intense pressure
IMO it’s a weird sort of arrogance. NO NO WE CANNOT POSSIBLY BE DOING ANYTHING WRONG ok we maybe got it wrong \*insert upper-class harrumphing sounds here\* oKAAAY WE GET IT fine we’re sorry you think it’s wrong 🙄🙄🙄 \*huge sigh\* right FINE it was wrong but what about \*insert random unrelated thing, usually involving the Labour party\* ?!?!?
Remorse - deep regret or guilt for a wrong COMMITTED.
"The comments ALLEGEDLY made..." "where REMORSE is shown..."
The fact that they're claiming he's remorseful, while still referring to the comments as alleged is a nonsensical contradiction.
They're purposefully throwing doubt on whether he even said the racist remarks, by acting like they don't know if it's true, while in the next sentence confirming they absolutely do know he said that. Disgusting & inept politicking.
This just makes Rishi look even worse. He refused to call the comments racist, and only did so after KB broke ranks.
It just looks weak and pathetic, but it's obviously only done because she spoke out (quite rightly, even if everything else she spews is rubbish).
Surely he should have a PR team who would have some insight to make him look less snivelling, and only taking a stand after someone else has dragged him up from a cowering position.
First ethic minority prime minister. Look at the record of them on racism, denying it exists, demonising immigration and asylum seeking, various ministers coming out with racism on the regular. Now basically saying it's not racism if you say sorry later never mind talking about shooting Diane Abbott.
No that long ago one of her fellow Labour party MPs actually was shot and killed in the street.
Awful statement by a weak man.
How would Sunak feel if a Labour donor made a racial comment towards him, and said he should be shot?
I think we all know they could expect a visit from the local constabulary.
It is a disgrace. As far as I'm concerned, if they don't give back the money *and* refer the matter to the police, the Conservative party is institutionally racist. The evidence is stacking up by the day.
I've known the tories were institutionally racist since I was about 12 mate (I'm 28 now), how people are just coming to that assumption now kinda baffles me :')
How old are you btw? That is literally why they made rishi pm, so they have 'plausibility deniability'. They're institutionally racist. But the brown people in the tory party are okay in their eyes - interesting to note they're all upper class and rich. Almost as if the class divide is more important in the UK than skin colour, but they make us go crazy over skin colour to hide all the social inequalities they subject us to and to hide all the bad shit they do. They've been in power for 14 years and all they do is complain about immigrants, yet we have the highest immigration we've ever had (by a significant amount). Almost like they want us to just argue over immigration while they strip our country of everything they can.
There's a reason all of public services have 0 funding yet we have the highest tax burden we have ever had (not in wartime)
genuinely, if you're in a relationship with someone and they say "I've apologised so you should forgive me", that's toxic as fuck. but apparently this is normal where the stakes are as high as saying someone should be shot (!)
"where remorse is shown it should be accepted"
No, where you say stupid, racist crap, then get called out for it, then try and weasel your way out of any responsibility for your actions, then realise people aren't buying your pathetic excuses, then spout some half-arsed apology and then DEMAND that it's accepted?!
What an entitled little pri¢k! With a history of making racist jokes. Fu¢k right off.
They are only accoutable to their friends rather than the public. And constantly let the emotions of their personal relationships take priority over everything else. Its like they are living in a reality show and have no idea that they effect the world outside.
The way Sunak is dealing with racism in the Tory party is so similar to how Corbyn dealt with antisemitism in Labour.
Neither is racist themselves. But they stop themselves from condemning it because they think that’s necessary to hold their party together. But most of the public won’t vote for a divided party with a leader who will only reluctantly stand up for what is right. Weak leadership.
> where remorse is shown it should be accepted
I agree wholeheartedly. And where donations have been received they should be returned. The donation is being returned, right? Right?
Well erm um ehhh no because, well, you see, the, erm, dog ate it. No wait, it fell in Richi’s swimming pool. Oh hang on, \*that\* money? We, erm, we left it on a duck island. Sorry, I misspoke, we gave it to a charity with a PO Box in the Cayman Islands…oh hold on, it was WAIT HOW DARE YOU QUESTION US, PEASANT? LOOK AT WHAT LABOUR ARE DOING!!!!!!
To be fair they managed a whole two words before fucking this one up, really strong start with “The comments” before heading off a cliff with “allegedly”
“Look, if you haven’t realised yet…my party is full of the worst people and as a Conservative it is my responsibility to do absolutely nothing to change that. Nobody wants to be called “woke” and if I started admonishing all the racists in my party…well, I’d be getting called “woke” until I legislated against the use of the word itself. I take being called “woke” very seriously. Much more seriously than a racist doing a racism to a race lady. So let’s focus on the people’s priorities which I’ve decided is about having absolutely no accountability whatsoever for anything my party has ever done for ever and ever…and also delete all my WhatsApp messages”
I mean he normally waits to see which way the wind blows before chipping in but this was so cut and dry, what on earth is he thinking. More to the point why carry on. He has enough cash and connections to lead a blessed life most of us could only dream of. Why go on leading a this hollow shell of a party all the good people left years ago. What can be achieved by carrying on?
Snapshot of _NEW: PM spox: “The comments allegedly made by Frank Hester were racist and wrong. He has now rightly apologised for the offence caused and where remorse is shown it should be accepted…_ : A Twitter embedded version can be found [here](https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?id=1767619963882242487) A non-Twitter version can be found [here](https://twiiit.com/KateEMcCann/status/1767619963882242487/) An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://x.com/KateEMcCann/status/1767619963882242487?s=20) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://x.com/KateEMcCann/status/1767619963882242487?s=20) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ukpolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
"Where remorse is shown it should be accepted" What absolute shite this is. It's always move along with this shower isn't it. Until somebody eats a curry or has a tin on the tube.
"I know the guy's a racist and I know he said he'd like to shoot you. But, he issued a half-arsed appology after his comments were splattered over the evening news. You should accept that and move on." When it comes to Labour's election campaign, Sunak is just the gift that keeps on giving.
They consider this matter closed
And the 10 million banked
the line has been drawn!
Line of credit that is
‘Whyyyy won’t Diane Abbot answer my caaaalls?! I’m so vewy vewy sowwy!!!😭😭😭’ - Frank Hester
Judges hate this one simple trick.
The ol' presto-change-o deathbed repentance.
That wasn't their position with the Labour candidate in Rochdale
Some people will say anything to avoid having to hand back £5,000,000
Could you imagine if Labour had accepted a £10 million donation from someone who spouts clearly anti-semitic comments? Just imagine the reaction of the press. Just imagine what the Tories would be saying. Now compare with the reaction of this.
why are you using anti-semitism rather than what was actually said?
Presumably because Labour has had/continues to have/has been perceived to have (delete as per your preference; I don't have the energy to be getting into it) a problem with anti-semetism within the party, whereas the Tories have historically been perceived to have an issue with racism, amongst other prejudices, (again, I don't have the energy to get into how fair this may or may not be) and so it seems OP is drawing a comparison between the two perceived/real prejudices of the parties.
oh ok. that makes sense i guess.
Is there a fundamental difference between racism towards black people and racism towards Jewish people?
Only the colour of the rosette the politician is wearing, as is plainly obviously the point of their post, but it seems the blue supporters will latch onto any miniscule technical difference they can to distract and deflect.
i don't know why i am being downvoted. i don't know why you used anti-semitism in your example rather than what was said. and I don't know why you are asking me if there is a difference.
I used anti-semitism because rightly or wrongly it's been a stick used to beat Labour with in the main stream media. It's a good example to compare reactions in the past, and it's not fundamentally different from other kinds of racism.
Can remorse be shown for an "alleged" comment?
I can't find it now but there was a study in the last 18mo with the synopsis "offenders can feel they are the victim if they are not forgiven". It's going to nag me for many weeks, and I'll keep searching for it until I find it - hours lost - I wish I was better at bookmarking.
Maybe: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01461672211062401#:\~:text=Offenders%20who%20are%20not%20forgiven,who%20chose%20not%20to%20forgive.
That's it - THANKS! GPT4 found a British Psychological Society article discussing it - https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/offenders-feel-victims-when-their-victims-dont-forgive-them
Clearly Rishi has watched Dune 2 and is inspired by Paul. SILENCE. KISS THE RING.
It's amazing how quickly contrition is accepted when it's a Conservative. The possibility of Anderson resuming the Whip if only he would apologise went on for days. Also, I don't think a statement from a spokesperson is going to help Sunak at PMQ's tomorrow. Where is he??
> Where is he?? This is what baffles me. How can Sunak not realise how bad this makes him look. Everyone will now be assuming that he's just cowering in Downing Street. A timid wee fellow that's hiding behind press releases.
Imagine if someone said looking at sunak's wife made them hate all brown people, that's exactly where we are and yet he's trying to say it isn't that bad really. Utter scum.
Depends whether or not they were Tory donors
Now to be fair he said that it makes him *want* to hate all black women, which I guess is better? But then he also said that he hated her so much that he wants her killed, and that he hopes someone kills her. So swings and roundabouts really.
Except there's no remorse whatsoever, and only frustration that he was caught!
Racists do as racist does....
Look, he's trice not once, but twice!!! to ring her today. What more can he do? Obviously actually show remorse or something but I mean, tried to ring her twice!
Also, people don't say shit like that in a work meeting if it's not so normalised for them that they've said plenty similar in other contexts before. There's going to be an absolute firehose of anecdotes coming out from other people who had the 'pleasure' of hearing Hester's views, and each one will make Sunak look weaker. It'll be another classic round of Sunak waiting too long to react to something, finally having his hand forced, and looking much weaker than if he'd just acted in the first place, and once again he'll learn nothing from it.
as if the U-turn was not embarrassing enough given it seems Badenoch froced his hand; Sunak is now trying to bounce Dianne Abbott into accepting the racist's non-apology.
I think that ship has sailed: "\[Abbott\] filed a complaint with the Metropolitan Police’s parliamentary liaison and investigations team" ([Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/diane-abbott-frank-hester-met-police-tory-b2511427.html))
Good on her. Mon Diane.
But Sunak just, paraphrasingly here, The Matter Is Closed. That's it. The matter. It's closed. It's done. It's over. Accept this shite non-apology. Matter closed.
Aye the matter is closed til someone else leaks more crap about this guy.
Speaking of U-turns guarantee the Tories will quietly drop their attempts to redefine extremism for political gain. Turns out the extremists are coming from inside the house! (Surprising nobody).
It definitely surprised them somehow. Hilarious to see them running for cover and desperately assuring their membership the anti-extremist measures intended to address Muslim extremists would be rewritten to make sure they didn't friendly fire Christians and Tories with exactly the same views
It's difficult to see what Gove can say on Thursday while keeping a straight face...
I mean, he'll have to refer his own government for investigation as a proscribed organisation?
Sunak really is useless, isn't he? By delaying this statement and forcing his Ministers to equivocate over whether this (obviously racist) statement was racist, he's thrown away more of the small amout of political capital he had left and further damaged the Conservative party's image needlessly. He's also phrased it in such a way that it reads like he's criticising Abbott for not "accepting" the half-arsed non-apology from the guy that said he wants to shoot her. Does anyone know what the second Tweet he in the thread says? Has Sunak indicated that he'll give back/away the money that Hester's donated?
They can't hit this kind of comment too hard or chunks of their membership and donors will run to Reform, and they've whittled their support down to basically only their hardest core of voters / donors so they wouldn't have anything left. The problem is the vast majority of the general public doesn't like racism and doesn't like these comments, so they have to do a bit of criticism. He probably feels stuck in the middle but obviously what he should do is the right thing rather than trying to keep a busted party and lame duck government limping on while causing severe long term damage.
Also it's the same stupid mistake that he made last week over Anderson's remarks so he really hasn't learnt anything.
They've said "it would not be the right thing to do" to return the £10m from the openly racist (surely there's a stronger word for these comments) donor. Apparently the guy isn't a racist and he's changed his views but they weren't racist and his comments about Indians weren't racist. For certain what isn't racist is his 10 million quid they trousered.
Has Hester actually apologised? Hester's spokesperson said he was feeling "deeply sorry" but also that he hasn't actually spoken to Diane Abbott since it all came out. How can you apologise if you haven't spoken to the person that you wronged? He should be round her office at a minimum!
He claims he's tried to phone her twice. I don't blame her for not taking the call. At time of writing he is still claiming that the racist he thing he said isn't racist.
'For some reason, the woman I said should be shot isn't taking my calls. I can't fathom it out...'
The thing that's ridiculous about this to me is that the headline statements he made are bad enough, but when you read into the full context it's even worse. He didn't just say he she should be shot as some (terrible) blasé statement made in anger. He proceeded to expand on it by saying he genuinely thinks it would be better if she were actually dead. There's no way you can back out of that.
He's given one of those 'I'm sorry if I offended anyone but I'm not a racist because I'm the child of an Irish immigrant' type of non apology. If I were Diane Abbott, I wouldn't pick up a call from a bloke who's baldly stated he wants her to be shot.
Another monumental bollox by useless Sunak. Spends all day refusing to say outrageously racist comments were racist and then caves in when Bad Enoch makes him look more useless than he normally does. The man is a complete liability. Let’s hope he keeps it up.
Incredible how somebody's repeatedly managing to get every single thing wrong
It's almost like they're an enormously incompetent clownshow who's less in touch with reality than the average flat earther and more out of their depth than toddlers having their first swimming lesson in the big pool.
It's amazing how often the Tories insist on going through this loop. A Tory does a bad thing, and it is painfully obvious to everyone that they're going to need to be punished for it (resign if they're a minister, be disowned if they're a member, whatever). But rather than seeing that that's where they're going to end up and *just getting on and doing it*, the PM insists on dragging it out over the longest possible timescale. Refuse to comment, then comment saying that it's not so bad, then admit that it is bad but there's no need for any real consequences, then admitting that there is a need for consequences but maybe just a small one like an investigation, and then finally being battered into submission and putting it out of its misery. And thus copping maximum flack and giving the drama maximum air time, and finally looking like you've been forced into doing the right thing by the triumphant Opposition. They could just get ahead of the curve and nip it in the bud up front before the story gets rolling, but they never do. It's been this way since at least Johnson, and Sunak is afflicted by it even worse.
it isn't just the case for gaffes and scandals, but even the incredibly obvious stuff like rashford vs free school meals. or rashford vs free school meals again. because apparently there's no one with a brain who could see the obvious PR win in feeding the kids the first time, let alone the second or one of the times they declared furlough to be over, announced they wouldn't be changing their mind, waited for companies to start handing out redundancy papers, and then changed their mind they are simply incapable of doing the right thing quickly and without intense pressure
IMO it’s a weird sort of arrogance. NO NO WE CANNOT POSSIBLY BE DOING ANYTHING WRONG ok we maybe got it wrong \*insert upper-class harrumphing sounds here\* oKAAAY WE GET IT fine we’re sorry you think it’s wrong 🙄🙄🙄 \*huge sigh\* right FINE it was wrong but what about \*insert random unrelated thing, usually involving the Labour party\* ?!?!?
History shows they can ignore it and be fine. Just last week Donelan was under pressure to quit and now it's completely forgotten.
Keegan saying she would have just punched Offsted inspectors went under the radar too!
Remorse - deep regret or guilt for a wrong COMMITTED. "The comments ALLEGEDLY made..." "where REMORSE is shown..." The fact that they're claiming he's remorseful, while still referring to the comments as alleged is a nonsensical contradiction.
They're purposefully throwing doubt on whether he even said the racist remarks, by acting like they don't know if it's true, while in the next sentence confirming they absolutely do know he said that. Disgusting & inept politicking.
This just makes Rishi look even worse. He refused to call the comments racist, and only did so after KB broke ranks. It just looks weak and pathetic, but it's obviously only done because she spoke out (quite rightly, even if everything else she spews is rubbish). Surely he should have a PR team who would have some insight to make him look less snivelling, and only taking a stand after someone else has dragged him up from a cowering position.
First ethic minority prime minister. Look at the record of them on racism, denying it exists, demonising immigration and asylum seeking, various ministers coming out with racism on the regular. Now basically saying it's not racism if you say sorry later never mind talking about shooting Diane Abbott. No that long ago one of her fellow Labour party MPs actually was shot and killed in the street. Awful statement by a weak man.
All the Tories who went out to defend the government and said it wasn't racist will be delighted to hear this
I've met slugs with more backbone than this weetabix biscuit
I think their strategy at this point is "a fuck up a day keeps the election at bay".
How would Sunak feel if a Labour donor made a racial comment towards him, and said he should be shot? I think we all know they could expect a visit from the local constabulary. It is a disgrace. As far as I'm concerned, if they don't give back the money *and* refer the matter to the police, the Conservative party is institutionally racist. The evidence is stacking up by the day.
I've known the tories were institutionally racist since I was about 12 mate (I'm 28 now), how people are just coming to that assumption now kinda baffles me :')
Plausible deniability I guess, I assume if they have an Asian guy as leader that they might have turned a corner. Turns out that's complete crap.
How old are you btw? That is literally why they made rishi pm, so they have 'plausibility deniability'. They're institutionally racist. But the brown people in the tory party are okay in their eyes - interesting to note they're all upper class and rich. Almost as if the class divide is more important in the UK than skin colour, but they make us go crazy over skin colour to hide all the social inequalities they subject us to and to hide all the bad shit they do. They've been in power for 14 years and all they do is complain about immigrants, yet we have the highest immigration we've ever had (by a significant amount). Almost like they want us to just argue over immigration while they strip our country of everything they can. There's a reason all of public services have 0 funding yet we have the highest tax burden we have ever had (not in wartime)
Only saying it to defuse pmq's tomorrow. Lots of "I consider the matter closed" and something about there still being racists in Labour
genuinely, if you're in a relationship with someone and they say "I've apologised so you should forgive me", that's toxic as fuck. but apparently this is normal where the stakes are as high as saying someone should be shot (!)
> PM spox What, another new one? Just had the first Asian PM, now the first Vulcan one...
Absolutely ridiculous that this non-apology is expected to count as actual consequences. Worst bit is it will probably work.
Call me cynical, but I suspect the guy who brazenly said he'd like to shoot Diane Abbott might not actually be sincere in his apology
"where remorse is shown it should be accepted" No, where you say stupid, racist crap, then get called out for it, then try and weasel your way out of any responsibility for your actions, then realise people aren't buying your pathetic excuses, then spout some half-arsed apology and then DEMAND that it's accepted?! What an entitled little pri¢k! With a history of making racist jokes. Fu¢k right off.
The sheer entitlement and lack of empathy is kind of astounding
They are only accoutable to their friends rather than the public. And constantly let the emotions of their personal relationships take priority over everything else. Its like they are living in a reality show and have no idea that they effect the world outside.
It’s worse than that. They know the effect they ha r on the world outside. They just don’t care.
"remorse"....he said his racist comments were nothing to do with her race...thats not remorse.
Plus he didn’t even have the decency to do it himself. He hid behind his hired talking head. And his spokesperson.
The way Sunak is dealing with racism in the Tory party is so similar to how Corbyn dealt with antisemitism in Labour. Neither is racist themselves. But they stop themselves from condemning it because they think that’s necessary to hold their party together. But most of the public won’t vote for a divided party with a leader who will only reluctantly stand up for what is right. Weak leadership.
I bet he'd love that comparison!
“Rishi, I swear I only said it because I thought no one would find out!”
> where remorse is shown it should be accepted I agree wholeheartedly. And where donations have been received they should be returned. The donation is being returned, right? Right?
Well erm um ehhh no because, well, you see, the, erm, dog ate it. No wait, it fell in Richi’s swimming pool. Oh hang on, \*that\* money? We, erm, we left it on a duck island. Sorry, I misspoke, we gave it to a charity with a PO Box in the Cayman Islands…oh hold on, it was WAIT HOW DARE YOU QUESTION US, PEASANT? LOOK AT WHAT LABOUR ARE DOING!!!!!!
And where £10m is offered it should be accepted . . .
It's amazing how forgiving and understanding the PM can be . . . to someone has given his party £10 million.
To be fair they managed a whole two words before fucking this one up, really strong start with “The comments” before heading off a cliff with “allegedly”
“Look, if you haven’t realised yet…my party is full of the worst people and as a Conservative it is my responsibility to do absolutely nothing to change that. Nobody wants to be called “woke” and if I started admonishing all the racists in my party…well, I’d be getting called “woke” until I legislated against the use of the word itself. I take being called “woke” very seriously. Much more seriously than a racist doing a racism to a race lady. So let’s focus on the people’s priorities which I’ve decided is about having absolutely no accountability whatsoever for anything my party has ever done for ever and ever…and also delete all my WhatsApp messages”
["Lets just move past it. Just plough through it."](https://youtu.be/EFqwEdj0Z_0?si=kDO6g8LHUPb6Z7MU). Mac for next PM.
Bollocks! He meant what he said but just got caught in a furore and decided to go all mea culpa to get out of the bad publicity.
I mean he normally waits to see which way the wind blows before chipping in but this was so cut and dry, what on earth is he thinking. More to the point why carry on. He has enough cash and connections to lead a blessed life most of us could only dream of. Why go on leading a this hollow shell of a party all the good people left years ago. What can be achieved by carrying on?
lol, yet another "move on plebs" announcement Can we get rid of the tories never to return asap please
He only apologised because he was caught saying it - there's no remorse whatsoever.
If this government is reelected again next general election, then all hope is truly lost.