Friday, February 13, 2015
Harman not in the pink
I am starting to feel sorry for Harriet Harman. She does not appear to be able to do anything right.
First of all we have the patronising saga of the pink van, chasing women's votes and which promises to offer new and embarrassing headlines for Labour every day up to the General Election and now we have 'prettygate', where she is accused of suggesting to a prospective Labour candidate that she was too pretty for politics.
Dan Hodges in the Telegraph has been particularly scathing about the pink van:
Harriet Harman, who proudly unveiled the strategy, was challenged on the colour of the bus. “It is the correct colour. This is a One Nation Labour colour”, she said. Lucy Powell was asked about the implication that women lived chained to their kitchen tables. She said Labour wanted to reach out to women and “have a conversation about the kitchen table, and around the kitchen table”, not an “economy that just reaches the boardroom table”. As she spoke, her male colleagues Ed Balls and Chuka Umunna were at the British Chambers of Commerce, setting out Labour’s vision for business and plans for the macroeconomy.
Gloria de Piero chipped in that she thought the bus was in fact “cerise”. Harriet Harman said it looked “magenta”.
I appreciate all this reads like a parody. A rejected scene from The Thick Of It. Actually, a rejected sketch from Mind Your Language. And this morning, lots of people will be shaking their heads and saying “How could this happen? How could Labour be this stupid?”
Meanwhile, Karen Danczuk, the wife of the Labour MP for Rochdale, Simon Danczuk says she was told by the Labour Deputy Leader that she was 'far too pretty to be interested in politics and should be in Girls Aloud.' Harriet Harman denies it:
She told MailOnline yesterday: “It was at a conference in Manchester. I wanted a photo with her and she said: ‘You’re far too pretty to be in politics.’ I suppose I’ve proved her wrong — I did go on to be a councillor.”
The claim came after Labour was accused of “patronising” women this week with a pink women-only minibus intended to attract female voters. Mrs Danczuk indicated that Ms Harman’s battle bus was a gimmick. She tweeted: “What women voters want from politicians is their concerns heard in a serious manner. Not a patronising pink bus screaming drama queen!”
Ms Harman yesterday rejected the claim. She said: “I deny I ever said that and it’s inconceivable I would have ever said that. I have always believed it’s what you do in politics, not what you look like. I have never discouraged a woman from getting involved in politics on the basis of their looks.”
On second thoughts I don't feel sorry for Harriet at all. She has patronised us all for far too long. And if this is how Labour feel they can win over the votes of women then they may be in for a rude awakening.
First of all we have the patronising saga of the pink van, chasing women's votes and which promises to offer new and embarrassing headlines for Labour every day up to the General Election and now we have 'prettygate', where she is accused of suggesting to a prospective Labour candidate that she was too pretty for politics.
Dan Hodges in the Telegraph has been particularly scathing about the pink van:
Harriet Harman, who proudly unveiled the strategy, was challenged on the colour of the bus. “It is the correct colour. This is a One Nation Labour colour”, she said. Lucy Powell was asked about the implication that women lived chained to their kitchen tables. She said Labour wanted to reach out to women and “have a conversation about the kitchen table, and around the kitchen table”, not an “economy that just reaches the boardroom table”. As she spoke, her male colleagues Ed Balls and Chuka Umunna were at the British Chambers of Commerce, setting out Labour’s vision for business and plans for the macroeconomy.
Gloria de Piero chipped in that she thought the bus was in fact “cerise”. Harriet Harman said it looked “magenta”.
I appreciate all this reads like a parody. A rejected scene from The Thick Of It. Actually, a rejected sketch from Mind Your Language. And this morning, lots of people will be shaking their heads and saying “How could this happen? How could Labour be this stupid?”
Meanwhile, Karen Danczuk, the wife of the Labour MP for Rochdale, Simon Danczuk says she was told by the Labour Deputy Leader that she was 'far too pretty to be interested in politics and should be in Girls Aloud.' Harriet Harman denies it:
She told MailOnline yesterday: “It was at a conference in Manchester. I wanted a photo with her and she said: ‘You’re far too pretty to be in politics.’ I suppose I’ve proved her wrong — I did go on to be a councillor.”
The claim came after Labour was accused of “patronising” women this week with a pink women-only minibus intended to attract female voters. Mrs Danczuk indicated that Ms Harman’s battle bus was a gimmick. She tweeted: “What women voters want from politicians is their concerns heard in a serious manner. Not a patronising pink bus screaming drama queen!”
Ms Harman yesterday rejected the claim. She said: “I deny I ever said that and it’s inconceivable I would have ever said that. I have always believed it’s what you do in politics, not what you look like. I have never discouraged a woman from getting involved in politics on the basis of their looks.”
On second thoughts I don't feel sorry for Harriet at all. She has patronised us all for far too long. And if this is how Labour feel they can win over the votes of women then they may be in for a rude awakening.
