From @benbradshawmp"the camerons got good nhs care thanks to Labour's investment and reform. is this the "big government" he derides?"
Needless to say, the world of Twitter has gone absolutely mental.
If Brown's chances rest on the Labour team being seen as 'the good guys' and the Tory team being seen as 'the bad guys', then senior Labour MPs will have to reign in this type of chat.
Given that the Tories are planning on safeguarding NHS spending, the comment doesn't even make logical sense. The NHS sits outside what Cameron meant as 'big Government' in his speech. Even still, to link the death of a young child to party policy just to score a political point is breathtakingly insensitive.
So a shockingly low blow from the Culture, Media and Sport Minister, borne no doubt out of desperation at his party's poor poll showing, but Ben hasn't taken the tweet down preferring to defend himself with this:
it wasn't meant to be offensive. Point is they will the ends but not the means. Need positive government to deliver these things.
I'm not buying it myself. 'Positive' Government surely doesn't include such comments.
The question is, if the mainstream media picks this up, will it be a resigning/sacking issue?
UPDATE:
Looks like the press have picked it up after all.
The Sun - Minister makes 'callous' gaffe over Cam's son
Telegraph - Ben Bradshaw’s ‘callous’ twitter attack on David Cameron condemned
Daily Mail - Now Ben Bradshaw uses Twitter for personal attack on Cameron by using Tory leader's dead son Ivan to make point about NHS (typically snappy headline)
8 comments:
Willing the ends and not the means is a bit too close for comfort to New Labour's war in Afghanistan.
It might be an idea if they thought before they spoke, or in the case of that little man with the grey hair on the front bench of our parliament, before they brandish their fists!
Jeff
"..to link the death of a young child to party policy just to score a political point is breathtakingly insensitive."
This exactly what Iain Gray did with Brandon Muir in his recent conference speech:
"My Scotland would not be a country where two year-old Brandon Muir dies at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend and the First Minister says “everyone did all they could.”
Nothing is out of bounds for Labour. Any dignity and honour they might have had has now been cast aside. Desperation has truly set in.
You're right about the old media. They'll go nuts for no particular reason; just the slightest of excuses.
But surely as an avid twit yourself (me too) you must defend his right to let his thoughts be his thoughts. You do a deal on Twitter. You express your mind freely (I've even seen profanity on tweets; no really) and everyone who reads it treats it in that context. Just a 'spark' from off the top of your head... Nothing more.
i agree with bradshaw; people read too much into these sort of comments.
unless we all went to be PC the whole time about everything.
whetehr the comment was crass and could have been worded better is another issue, but we all cross the lines sometimes and wish we had said things slightly differently.
Recliffe:
I agree with what you are saying, but we live in a world where government ministers need to try to be sensitive to people's feelings, even if no one else does.
It's odd how some people complain about ministers saying nothing and then ponce when they do. In Bradshaw's case, it seems he's dubious about Cameron's claims that the NHS will be ringfenced off. And why should he not be? Why shouldn't he comment that public provision ("big government") helped the Camerons? The only problem is that of taste - which is, undoubtedly, lacking.
Andrew,
a very good point. I was surprised at the time that Gray didn't get more pressure for that line actually.
MekQuarrie, I can see where you're coming from and it's a persuasive case you make, but Tweeting is just like talking. You have a thought and then you put it out there. Should MPs be absolved of insensitive remarks when they say them aswell?
You could say that because it takes much longer to write out a 'Tweet' you have longer to realise you're being an idiot. (I know I have with several near-misses!)
BoT,
Of course we want MPs to speak more and mix with the public more and Twitter is good for that. I'm not having a go at Bradshaw for tweeting just for his choice of words and his lack of logic.
If he'd said them in public or put them in a newspaper interview, I'd be just as unimpressed.
And yes he has a right to raise his concerns about 'big Government' vs 'small Government'. It's too simple a debate perhaps but he should phrase it in a better way.
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