Saturday, 18 July 2015
Simon Danczuk - Accent On Idiocy
Self-awareness, for many politicians, all too often suffers in the heat of battle and in their detachment from reality, and exhibiting both sets of symptoms this week has been the nominally Labour MP who represents part of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale - a town with a great Liberal tradition - while calling “metropolitan” and “liberal” on others. Yes, Simon Danczuk has been shooting his mouth off again.
The occasion for this demonstration that he has not quite been thinking things through was an article in the Staggers, which Danczuk probably intended to be a help to his chosen leadership candidate Liz Kendall, but which instead comes over as an ill-thought-out rant at her rival Andy Burnham by deliberately misinterpreting a comment Burnham made in an earlier Staggers interview. The argument was over regional accents.
Here’s what Burnham said: “There’s not enough accents on the front bench … I’ve always had a strong sense that an accent holds you back. I felt that when I got to Cambridge, kind of that feeling of waiting for the tap on the shoulder, but it was true in Westminster as well … you’re not part of the in-crowd when you come from a different background … the Labour party has had the tendency to promote people with posher voices”.
What he is suggesting - whether you agree or not is not the issue - is that having a regional accent should not be a bar to progress. Danczuk wasn’t listening: “It's patronising to say the shadow cabinet needs different accents – we need different ideas … The Labour MP Simon Danczuk, who himself has a northern accent, finds leadership candidate Andy Burnham's call for more regional accents in the shadow cabinet patronising”.
Sadly, Burnham clearly did not “call for more regional accents”. But that doesn’t detain Danczuk, who bangs on and on about what Burnham didn’t say, while selectively kicking him over not favouring the kinds of initiatives favoured by, er, his preferred leadership candidate, whose campaign, as I pointed out the other day, has run out of steam and run out of road. And there is one other problem for Rochdale’s MP.
While he is claiming not to be part of the London-centric scene, he’s only too happy to talk to the London-centric media and pretend all is well, while back in Rochdale, cracks are starting to show in the previously solid backing of the local council. Andy Kelly, a Lib Dem councillor, intervened in a meeting of the council last Wednesday to describe it as being “in the middle of a farce being played out on a merry go round”.
He added “It must be hard for the leader to attract business into the town when Rochdale is in the press for all of the wrong reasons”, and called on Danczuk to resign. Other councillors were contemptuous of Kelly, but give it time. In the meantime, Danczuk gives every sign of not seeing the advantages in spending less time sneering at other Labour politicians and more time on the constituency he was elected to represent.
If he wants his fellow MPs to feel sympathetic and understanding, twisting their comments and slagging them off might not be the best way to start. Just a thought, eh, Simon?
Excellent post, except Andrew Kelley is a Lib Dem Councillor.
ReplyDeleteAccents only hold you back if you let them.
ReplyDeleteThe best asset in political public life is to have a sense of what's right and get it straight in the face of the thieves, frauds, liars and warmongers. And KEEP it in their faces. Especially in this Parliament of Scoundrels. NEVER be on the defensive in ANY form when it comes to dealing with capitalism.
New Labour of course long ago forgot all that when they corrupted the party. The tories never had it and never will have it. And the LibDems wouldn't know what to do with it even if they noticed it.
If Burnham wants to be taken seriously he'd best forget about accents altogether. Just get the policies fair and decent. But that's been missing for so long I doubt if he or any of the rest of them can even imagine what it means.
Yernowarrameen, like.
I wish to complain and at the same time offer a modicum of advice to the owner/s of this sad little blog.....I say that in a caring way.
ReplyDeletee.g. the Danczuks of Rochdale. You must frequently display images of Mrs D's big and bouncy attributes c/w insert image of clueless spouse.
Other blogs have no hesitation of promoting Mrs D's big and bouncy wares for all to admire and “other sites” also throw in images of sexy female MEP leg/upskirt shots.
These “other sites” laudably maintain editorial balance via genuine anomalous supplied snaps of assorted hapless MPs friends, family girl/boyfriends causal unsuspecting acquaintances dogs and cats all, preferably in their undies the more compromised the better.
MPs antics are an absolute must, to “pep up the blog a bit”! especially if you know they are hated by your benefactor (if you have one, other sites do I urge you to find one!).
I am surprised and shocked that you, a self trumpeted media man seem blissfully unaware that this type of low fag end content sells space. (also Tits have a very high profile, err perhaps I have mentioned that before apologies)....
In order to demonstrate and add weight to my argument Google “Danczuk”
Get a Grip sir if you want recognition, free food. booze and guaranteed income security, no matter what so ever if you are a witless drunken drongo .....