Diane Abbott

If the Race card is being played, I wonder if it is the other way round? That JC can't sack her as she is 1) black and 2) a woman. Çall me cynical but...

....and 3) His ex

I don't think much of Diane Abbott and her unpreparedness (is that a word?) was unforgivable. However, the abuse she gets for being black and a woman is disgraceful. I include accusing her of playing the "race card" in that.

Just read some of the comments under articles in the MSM to witness the racists coming out from under their bridges.

She messed up. No doubt about that, but some of the comments she's received are beyond the pale.

Well she did once say :-

" white people love playing divide and rule”.

She was probably right. They do.

I don't know why I'm defending Diane Abbott. She really irritates me and she'd be a terrible Home Secretary, but it makes me angry when people bring up gender, race or a person's personal life, which are nothing to do with her competence.

....but may relate to why JC does nothing to remove his incompetent shadow Home Sec. That is not trivial - if we have no credible opposition then democracy is not well served.

It is truly impossible to understand why he should leave her in post when she is so incompetent - that is why other issues arise as there is no rational explanation forthcoming.

dd - it was her supporters on Jeremy Vine who were claiming she was being attacked because she was black and a woman. Until then I was unaware that anyone had mentioned her sex or colour.

daphnedill
Perhaps I should have said "we all knew the race card was going to be played
by her defenders

There has been no mention in her colour or race in this forum, untill Daphne brought them up

Can't stand her personally, and Anniebach I agree with MawBroon it's very pc to have a black woman in the cabinet and it's difficult to see any other reason for her being there.

I dare say Diane Abbott has encountered racial abuse which is of course horrible. However, I suspect, like me a lot of people dislike her for her imperious slow deliberate "I'm talking to the proletariat" voice, her condescending manner and her double standards. Along with POGS's quote "white people like to divide and rule" she also said back in the ninties that "white blue eyed Finnish nurses at her local hospital were unsuitable because they had never met a black person." Sweeping generalisations like that would be pounced upon if they were made by a white counter part.

She has the job because she is fiercely loyal to him and there are few MP's elected before 2015 who will work with him

She also famously said 'I'm a West Indian mum and West Indian mums will go to the wall for their children...' when callenged about her decision to send her son to a private school.

What is it with politicians and maths?

Remember David Blunkett being asked a simple multiplication (7 x 9 IIRC) and not daring to answer?

He was shadow Education Secretary at the time

Many parts of the West Indies have a matriarchal society. She's right. Many Chinese, West African and Indian mums do the same. It's part of their culture.

anniebach You should read elsewhere. There are racist undertones and direct abuse all over social media about her.

I can almost guarantee that there will be a female, black Conservative MP on the front benches within a couple of years:

www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2017/05/exclusive-kemi-badenoch-selected-in-saffron-walden.html

In any case, she has a job for life.

I hope she doesn't attract racist abuse, however competent she is.

If my local grammar school is anything to go by I'd say "Asian mums go to the wall for their children" it won't come as a surprise to most that many Asians are aspirational as far as education is concerned and are heavily represented in the grammar schools, around London at any rate. It also won't come as a surprise, under succesive governments, that languishing at the bottom of the heap are white working class boys and less so, but still prevalent nevertheless, black working class boys.

I've marked GCSE papers from London schools (including the grammar and indies) and I can confirm that many of the best candidates have Indian-sounding names. It's the same in many of the grammar schools around the country. I would say they are over-represented in the best selective schools.

typo - successive

Isn't it racist to say that West Indian or Asian mothers would "go to the wall for their children" implying that other races wouldn't. I am sure there are mothers and grandmothers on GN from all races who would "go to the wall" or do anything for their children and grandchildren

daphnedil

" I can almost guarantee that there will be a female, black Conservative MP on the front benches within a couple of years:"

Surprised by your attitude !

Do you see a difference in colour between Black and Asian in that statement.?

The point I was making, daphnedill, was that the Labour party were very anti-private schools (in theory) but DA seemed to think that her statement exempted her.

She has a knack for exempting herself from every gaff that she makes.