Reforms response to Rachel Reeves’ heckler.

… but keep within the law and remain respectful …

Which is what the man shouting at Rachel Reeves at the petrol station did not do.

There is a big difference between the wit of spontaneous heckling, for example Max Wilkinson’s recent heckle of Robert Jenrick in the HoC, and effing at a woman in the street and having Reform MPs, including Jenrick, applaud it.

Swearing at people in public is an offence.

Personally, I detest Farage and all that he stands for but, I do believe in equality of what is acceptable/unacceptable behaviour for one party, is the same for all. Disagree with their manifesto/policies as much as youwant, but keep within the law and remain respectful. So it's quite interesting to look back at old threads on GN and see how the tone changes, depending on who's being heckled or having things thrown at them.

Grantanow

Heckling has a long history in UK politics. I recall a meeting addressed by Roy Jenkins in which he was heckled and was robust in responding.

Reeve's summer giveaways are little more than distracting gimmicks.

I totally agree with your entire post 👍

foxie48

"The problem is Reform's response to the way Reeves reacted"

Absolutely right. Reform has just given their supporters a green light to go out and verbally abuse their opponents. Any decent politician (or person) would have said that they did not encourage the verbal abuse of their political opponents.

fwiw The Labour MP who punched someone in a drunken brawl was prosecuted and suspended immediately from the labour party and quite right too!

👍👍👏👏

Vintagewhine

I wonder if Christopher Harborne will send her £5 million to provide personal security. If he does I'm sure she'll declare it. Reform has publicly approved of verbal abuse to elected MPs. Really not a wise move.

I agree. I also agree Reform’s response is pretty awful, but exactly what I expect of them.

"The problem is Reform's response to the way Reeves reacted"

Absolutely agree. But Reform leaders condone such comments when they should be saying it's not acceptable.

"The problem is Reform's response to the way Reeves reacted"

Absolutely right. Reform has just given their supporters a green light to go out and verbally abuse their opponents. Any decent politician (or person) would have said that they did not encourage the verbal abuse of their political opponents.

fwiw The Labour MP who punched someone in a drunken brawl was prosecuted and suspended immediately from the labour party and quite right too!

Cardamom

^Heckling the Chancellor of the Exchequer (male or female) in public (surrounded by other people) has nothing to do with misogyny or verbal abuse of women in the street, or indeed any other crime against women. It's a member of the public taking the opportunity to make a political statement, and boy did he get his point across! It went viral.^

We still have, for the moment at least, the right to heckle our politicians, no matter which party they represent. I'm minded of the heckler who threw a milkshake over Farage in 2024 for which she received a fine and a suspended sentence. But all this chap did was shout at Reeves; no assault, no threats and no offensive language. So what's the problem?

The problem is Reform's response to the way Reeves reacted.

Heckling the Chancellor of the Exchequer (male or female) in public (surrounded by other people) has nothing to do with misogyny or verbal abuse of women in the street, or indeed any other crime against women. It's a member of the public taking the opportunity to make a political statement, and boy did he get his point across! It went viral.

We still have, for the moment at least, the right to heckle our politicians, no matter which party they represent. I'm minded of the heckler who threw a milkshake over Farage in 2024 for which she received a fine and a suspended sentence. But all this chap did was shout at Reeves; no assault, no threats and no offensive language. So what's the problem?

Message withdrawn as it quotes a deleted post.

Heckling the Chancellor of the Exchequer (male or female) in public (surrounded by other people) has nothing to do with misogyny or verbal abuse of women in the street, or indeed any other crime against women. It's a member of the public taking the opportunity to make a political statement, and boy did he get his point across! It went viral. 😂

Heckling has a long history in UK politics. I recall a meeting addressed by Roy Jenkins in which he was heckled and was robust in responding.

Reeve's summer giveaways are little more than distracting gimmicks.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Using hyperbole is in the end ineffective. It lets off steam, but trips itself over as it is clearly so OTT.
It occurs that the accusation "Woke" is now so outdated it's lost its meaning. its one of those terms that starts off as a viable description

first - "we are woke aka "awake" to this or that social phenomena. (It was actually started in the 1930's (done research) mainly in the USA as a term specifically regarding being aware of the then extremely considerable racism)

second - because some of those claiming the term can be identified as over egging a pudding, it then becomes a tool to mock

third - it gets applied so widely as an insult, it sort of wears out as being effective as it's far too non specific.

I do not heckle people in public for doing their job and regard it as unacceptable for anyone else to do this, whether at a shop, petrol station, or doctor surgery. Why would anyone condone such behaviour?
According to some posters, this means that I have " called for the guillotine" , am, potentially a " lefty woke green" and am prone to " a fit of the vapours" : hyperbole, much?

The man was obviously a Reform voter so misogyny is a necessary qualification. If Reeves was a bit rattled it's understandable if a lout was shouting abuse at her.

Calendargirl

Kandinsky

Does anyone remember John Prescott punching a heckler?

Tony Blair was left to justify it by shrugging and saying “John is John!”

Precisely!

He should have been charged. That was 25 years ago. He would now.

MT62

I bet she wishes she had smiled as she gave him the middle finger, but that wouldn’t be very British, or lady like of her 🤣

No, I think she showed that she's the better person.

MT62

twaddle

So many of the posts on here are a distraction from the OP, which was about Reform's response to what Reeves said. Presumably Reformites can't justify what their leaders said/wrote, so they have to distract.

Yes really they should have kept their thoughts to themselves.
Doesn’t do them any favours.

I agree.

I wonder if Christopher Harborne will send her £5 million to provide personal security. If he does I'm sure she'll declare it. Reform has publicly approved of verbal abuse to elected MPs. Really not a wise move.

Maremia

I don't think any woman deserves hassle.

Or any man. I am not keen on kS but I hate when they sing that song that he’s a W—ker.

Kandinsky

Does anyone remember John Prescott punching a heckler?

Tony Blair was left to justify it by shrugging and saying “John is John!”

Precisely!

twaddle

So many of the posts on here are a distraction from the OP, which was about Reform's response to what Reeves said. Presumably Reformites can't justify what their leaders said/wrote, so they have to distract.

Yes really they should have kept their thoughts to themselves.
Doesn’t do them any favours.

Magenta8

The account I read reported that the man yelled f*****g Starmer among other things.

It is not about right or left wing bias. I would be just as critical if representatives of the Labour party, Lib Dems or the Greens condoned a left wing van man's loutish behaviour.

I never heard him shout the F-word. I’ll have to re watch with the subs on.

JPB123

I really dislike Reform.What a horrible,bunch.

Just like the Labour mp then, who was punching hell out of some guy lying in the street. Now that was disgraceful.
I couldn’t see NF, rolling round in the gutter scrapping 😳