You assume he knew anything about it. He had tickets booked and paid for alllowing him to fly in business class and he used them. I somehow doubt he was physically throwing pregnant women into steerage which is what the tone of half the posts seems to be. BA was maximising profits by overbooking, so the fault is theirs, not his.
So despite all of the fuss made on the plane, Brown was oblivious to it including his obnoxious aid adding her twopence worth.
As the passengers in the seats were already sitting there, why wasn't Brown asked to sit elsewhere?
Sorry, your support of this arrogant bully hold no water at all.
Its bizarre that some people are looking to defend Browm here. He comes across time and time again as an unpleasant bully, and his non attendance at Parliament is shameful.
It does sound as if BA gave him preferential treatment as a VIP.
However this sort of thing happens everywhere...
The couple who had already booked their wedding at the Edinburgh church on the same day that was chosen for Zara Philips were asked to give it up for her. Anyone else would have been told 'sorry the slot's already been taken by another couple, you'll have to choose another date'.
A posh restaurant tells you they are fully booked for weeks... Phone up again pretending to be a PA for royalty or an A-list celeb... they will find a table for the evening (if necessary by bumping someone else off).
You don't think you're buying into this political partisanship thing slightly too much at all?
If someone spends 10 years how good at running the economy he is, then it is only fair that when he ****s up the economy he gets blamed. At least he didn't claim to have ended boom and bust.
If someone spends 10 years how good at running the economy he is, then it is only fair that when he ****s up the economy he gets blamed. At least he didn't claim to have ended boom and bust.
In what way did he personally f*** up the economy? He followed the same light touch philosophy as the Tories towards the banks. His Government encouraged home ownership no matter the cost, like the Tories.
While Chancellor he ran public spending as its lowest consistent rate for the entire post war era (38% of GDP) and in that time UK GDP doubled.
While public spending increased sharply during the recession it was and is still lower than that of Mrs Thatchers first two terms of office.
But Gordon Brown and his party were booked in advance and the people had been moved BEFORE Gordon Brown boarded the plane so did anyone inform him a pregnant woman had been moved to make room for him ?
When they checked in at Oman, where the flight originated, some of those in business class were told they would have to switch to premium economy, some in premium economy moved to regular economy – and an unlucky few in economy were kicked off the plane altogether.
The seven-months-pregnant woman, who had bought a Ј700 premium ticket to secure extra legroom, refused to budge, but her husband was persuaded to shift to economy. The doctor reluctantly agreed to be moved from business.
‘I blame BA more than Brown, but [ex-PM's aide] Ms McNeill was seriously unpleasant’
During the first, hour-long leg from Oman to Abu Dhabi, the displaced passengers stared resentfully at the six empty seats in business class, known as Club World by BA.
At Abu Dhabi they were livid to see Mr Brown board the plane with his team and take up the Ј3,000-a-head places.
In what way did he personally f*** up the economy? He followed the same light touch philosophy as the Tories towards the banks. His Government encouraged home ownership no matter the cost, like the Tories.
While Chancellor he ran public spending as its lowest consistent rate for the entire post war era (38% of GDP) and in that time UK GDP doubled.
While public spending increased sharply during the recession it was and is still lower than that of Mrs Thatchers first two terms of office.
Good to see that Labour propaganda works on some people.
Without doubt, Gordon Brown was one of the biggest contributors to the global meltdown.
He pushed forward the policy of basing an economy on rising house prices and borrowing money to fuel a boom economy.
Single biggest fact was that he was put in charge of the IMF committee to police the worlds banks to ensure that such a crisis did not happen. It was his policy of encouraging rising house prices that led to the sub prime problem in America ( they often quoted him as a shining example of a modern economist). He failed miserably and as a result, we are in the mess we are today.
At risk of repeating what many already have, he not only sold gold at an all time low, but announced it in advance which resulted in the price dropping even lower. If you do the maths, by today's values he has cost the country over £12 Billion.
At every single budget he presided over, he moved the goalposts with respect to what he had said the year before. Vince Cable (PhD in Economics and not "The History of the Labour Party) constantly picked him up on this but was totally ignored.
He ruined what was considered to be the finest Private Pension scheme in the world by raiding it to a tune estimated to be in excess of £100 billion.
His list of errors and disasters goes on and on yet people still support him and consider him to be some sort of economic guru.
Gordon Brown? without doubt, one of the main causes of today's crisis and the worst Chancellor/PM this country has ever seen.
Its about time people acknowledged his part in the global recession and faced the fact that we all have to suffer for many years to come to pay for his mistakes. And to think that there are people who believe that Labour have all of the answers.LOVVL
But Gordon Brown and his party were booked in advance and the people had been moved BEFORE Gordon Brown boarded the plane so did anyone inform him a pregnant woman had been moved to make room for him ?
So if you were asleep on an aeroplane and some stranger came up to you and took your photo what would your (or whoever was with you) reaction be ?
someone i know told me that on the underground a pregnant woman got on and decided she wanted to sit where they were sitting.. even though there was plenty of space on the carriage where she could sit.. she kept staring at him.. so after a while he said to her.. why are you looking at me like that for? i'm not the one that got you pregnant..
You don't think you're buying into this political partisanship thing slightly too much at all?
No. The guy is an economic terrorist in my view. His views, his policies and flawed skills as a human being put us in a terrible position as a country.
The man is a disgrace, and will go down in history as one of the worst Prime Ministers and Chancellors this country has had.
I have more respect for Tony Blair than I do with Gordon Brown. At least Tony knew the guy was a dick.
But Gordon Brown and his party were booked in advance and the people had been moved BEFORE Gordon Brown boarded the plane so did anyone inform him a pregnant woman had been moved to make room for him ?
No one has shown any proof of who booked the seats first.
If I was a betting person, I would lay good money on Brown and Co being the last to book.
No one has shown any proof of who booked the seats first.
If I was a betting person, I would lay good money on Brown and Co being the last to book.
Does anyone know who booked first?
But even if the woman did book the seat first it is not Gordon Browns fault that BA downgraded the other passengers he didn't board the plane until later and as I have already said it has not been made clear whether BA had informed him that they had moved a pregnant woman to make room for him.As far as I can make out Brown had no contact himself with the woman in question or any of the people who were moved yet the Dail Mail are trying to put the blame entirely on him even though the woman herself has said she doesn't blame him.
But even if the woman did book the seat first it is not Gordon Browns fault that BA downgraded the other passengers he didn't board the plane until later and as I have already said it has not been made clear whether BA had informed him that they had moved a pregnant woman to make room for him.As far as I can make out Brown had no contact himself with the woman in question or any of the people who were moved yet the Dail Mail are trying to put the blame entirely on him even though the woman herself has said she doesn't blame him.
Not just the Mail, it was in many international papers.
To quote..
"Infuriated, the pregnant woman approached Mr Brown and his aide, Kirsty McNeill, and took a picture of the pair on her mobile, prompting a furious response."
So Brown did know about it yet just sat there and did nothing.
No. The guy is an economic terrorist in my view. His views, his policies and flawed skills as a human being put us in a terrible position as a country.
The man is a disgrace, and will go down in history as one of the worst Prime Ministers and Chancellors this country has had.
I have more respect for Tony Blair than I do with Gordon Brown. At least Tony knew the guy was a dick.
You cheapen the language by using words like 'terrorist' for what you clearly define as incompetence. It's all part of the political discourse were many sadly think that in order to make a point they have to be ridiculously hyperbolic and extreme in the language they use.
By your own definition I guess you're a perspective terrorist.
It's amusing how people who cocoon themselves within their own ideological bubble think that normal people find that kind of thing acceptable. All it serves is to make sure the mainstream are alienated from the debate. Your style and rhetoric is no more or less appealing than Christian fundamentalist scaremongering that dominate large sections of the debate across the pond.
When we're getting into a state where rather than defining someone as an incompetent chancellor or a weak Prime Minister, they've calling them 'terrorists' then it really does cheapen the whole debate for the majority of us who aren't cluelessly partisan.
You cheapen the language by using words like 'terrorist' for what you clearly define as incompetence. It's all part of the political discourse were many sadly think that in order to make a point they have to be ridiculously hyperbolic and extreme in the language they use.
By your own definition I guess you're a perspective terrorist.
It's amusing how people who cocoon themselves within their own ideological bubble think that normal people find that kind of thing acceptable.
I think that sometimes words do not exist in the English language to express peoples outrage at what Gordon Brown did to the economy.
Then we are reduced to frustration and use of such words that you find objectionable.
I think that sometimes words do not exist in the English language to express peoples outrage at what Gordon Brown did to the economy.
Then we are reduced to frustration and use of such words that you find objectionable.
No words do exist as does perspective. This constant need to grope needlessly for as many hysterical phrases or words or accusations as possible just makes the whole thing and those who go down that road seem ridiculous.
"Thatcher ate my baby"
"Brown is a terrorist!!"
Pathetic isn't the word and it is worrying how it is becoming the common currency of political language these days. All it does is just underline whatever bias a person has. Nobody in their right mind would ever think "Hmm, Thatcher was evil and Brown a terrorist. I must explore these theories further". No they'd just think that the person who says it is clearly someone who fails to understand very much.
It cheapens everything. If you want to think Brown was incompetent as Chancellor say so. if you think Major was incompetent as PM, do the same. Put reasons for it and argue your case. Going down this road of seeing how offensively ridiculous my rhetoric is compared to yours is eroding intelligent political debate.
What is frustrating is that those who often resort to this kind of gutter debate are the one's who think they're contributing most towards discourse and therefore it breeds copy cats. Soon people forget how to put their point convincingly and argue with logic and instead are calling politicians 'terrorists' or some such.
I believe all politicians from all parties today are in it largely to make a difference and are honest in their ideological approach. Have we forgotten the 'adult' way of disagreeing with each other or are we now in a situation where people are so tribal that they just have to insult and insinuate sinister motives because they ideologically disagree with someone?
Not just the Mail, it was in many international papers.
To quote..
"Infuriated, the pregnant woman approached Mr Brown and his aide, Kirsty McNeill, and took a picture of the pair on her mobile, prompting a furious response."
So Brown did know about it yet just sat there and did nothing.
All you can expect from him...nothing.
A Gentleman would have apologised.
The furious response came from his aide not Gordon Brown he was asleep when the pregnant woman took the photo.
Infuriated, the pregnant woman approached Mr Brown and his aide, Kirsty McNeill, and took a picture of the pair on her mobile, prompting a furious response.
'Ms McNeill was seriously aggressive,' said the woman, a high-*powered City financier who does not want to be identified. 'She came over and said, "Why are you taking a photo of Gordon?''
'I said, "I have no interest in Gordon but I have a problem with BA as I suspect we have all been downgraded and messed around because of his and your arrival on this plane."
'She said, "You wouldn't like it if someone took a photo of you while you were asleep."
kirsty mcneill
'Aggressive': Kirsty McNeill (above) is said to have asked the pregnant woman: 'Why are you taking a photo of Gordon? You wouldn't like it if someone took a photo of you while you were asleep'
Anyway why did she take his photo, was it because she intended take it to the newspapers so they would publish the story ?
BTW you don't think that even if he had appologised the media would report it do you.
It cheapens everything. If you want to think Brown was incompetent as Chancellor say so. if you think Major was incompetent as PM, do the same. Put reasons for it and argue your case. Going down this road of seeing how offensively ridiculous my rhetoric is compared to yours is eroding intelligent political debate.
I take it the word "yours" is plural and not singular.
I did not call Brown an economic terrorist, I was explaining how other people can be driven to frustration and use such words.
Not everyone is conversant with every word in the English language and often people use extremes to make their point.
When he was around, DeusExMachine could drive you insane with his excellent command of the English language but it did not make interesting reading and you gave up after the first paragraph.
Perhaps Orwell saw the light in 1984 with "Newspeak".
If someone took a picture of me when I was asleep on the plane what difference would her being pregnant or not have on my reaction?
It's quite an absurd smear. I'm surprised they didn't mention her Christian beliefs or how much money she gives to charity.
How dare someone take offense to being snapped whilst sleeping by someone who has had semen injected into her vagina. What is the world coming to? Next we'll be jailing people who own cute puppies for burglary.
Comments
So despite all of the fuss made on the plane, Brown was oblivious to it including his obnoxious aid adding her twopence worth.
As the passengers in the seats were already sitting there, why wasn't Brown asked to sit elsewhere?
Sorry, your support of this arrogant bully hold no water at all.
This isn't Ryan Air we're talking about - the seats were allocated at check-in.
Spending Cuts & Anti Protests causing mayhem in London?
However this sort of thing happens everywhere...
The couple who had already booked their wedding at the Edinburgh church on the same day that was chosen for Zara Philips were asked to give it up for her. Anyone else would have been told 'sorry the slot's already been taken by another couple, you'll have to choose another date'.
A posh restaurant tells you they are fully booked for weeks... Phone up again pretending to be a PA for royalty or an A-list celeb... they will find a table for the evening (if necessary by bumping someone else off).
You don't think you're buying into this political partisanship thing slightly too much at all?
If someone spends 10 years how good at running the economy he is, then it is only fair that when he ****s up the economy he gets blamed. At least he didn't claim to have ended boom and bust.
In what way did he personally f*** up the economy? He followed the same light touch philosophy as the Tories towards the banks. His Government encouraged home ownership no matter the cost, like the Tories.
While Chancellor he ran public spending as its lowest consistent rate for the entire post war era (38% of GDP) and in that time UK GDP doubled.
While public spending increased sharply during the recession it was and is still lower than that of Mrs Thatchers first two terms of office.
VIP? Very Irritating Politician?
But Gordon Brown and his party were booked in advance and the people had been moved BEFORE Gordon Brown boarded the plane so did anyone inform him a pregnant woman had been moved to make room for him ?
http://www.wifiweekly.info/news/6525/
So if you were asleep on an aeroplane and some stranger came up to you and took your photo what would your (or whoever was with you) reaction be ?
Without doubt, Gordon Brown was one of the biggest contributors to the global meltdown.
He pushed forward the policy of basing an economy on rising house prices and borrowing money to fuel a boom economy.
Single biggest fact was that he was put in charge of the IMF committee to police the worlds banks to ensure that such a crisis did not happen. It was his policy of encouraging rising house prices that led to the sub prime problem in America ( they often quoted him as a shining example of a modern economist). He failed miserably and as a result, we are in the mess we are today.
At risk of repeating what many already have, he not only sold gold at an all time low, but announced it in advance which resulted in the price dropping even lower. If you do the maths, by today's values he has cost the country over £12 Billion.
At every single budget he presided over, he moved the goalposts with respect to what he had said the year before. Vince Cable (PhD in Economics and not "The History of the Labour Party) constantly picked him up on this but was totally ignored.
He ruined what was considered to be the finest Private Pension scheme in the world by raiding it to a tune estimated to be in excess of £100 billion.
His list of errors and disasters goes on and on yet people still support him and consider him to be some sort of economic guru.
Gordon Brown? without doubt, one of the main causes of today's crisis and the worst Chancellor/PM this country has ever seen.
Its about time people acknowledged his part in the global recession and faced the fact that we all have to suffer for many years to come to pay for his mistakes. And to think that there are people who believe that Labour have all of the answers.LOVVL
someone i know told me that on the underground a pregnant woman got on and decided she wanted to sit where they were sitting.. even though there was plenty of space on the carriage where she could sit.. she kept staring at him.. so after a while he said to her.. why are you looking at me like that for? i'm not the one that got you pregnant..
No. The guy is an economic terrorist in my view. His views, his policies and flawed skills as a human being put us in a terrible position as a country.
The man is a disgrace, and will go down in history as one of the worst Prime Ministers and Chancellors this country has had.
I have more respect for Tony Blair than I do with Gordon Brown. At least Tony knew the guy was a dick.
No one has shown any proof of who booked the seats first.
If I was a betting person, I would lay good money on Brown and Co being the last to book.
Does anyone know who booked first?
But even if the woman did book the seat first it is not Gordon Browns fault that BA downgraded the other passengers he didn't board the plane until later and as I have already said it has not been made clear whether BA had informed him that they had moved a pregnant woman to make room for him.As far as I can make out Brown had no contact himself with the woman in question or any of the people who were moved yet the Dail Mail are trying to put the blame entirely on him even though the woman herself has said she doesn't blame him.
Not just the Mail, it was in many international papers.
To quote..
"Infuriated, the pregnant woman approached Mr Brown and his aide, Kirsty McNeill, and took a picture of the pair on her mobile, prompting a furious response."
So Brown did know about it yet just sat there and did nothing.
All you can expect from him...nothing.
A Gentleman would have apologised.
You cheapen the language by using words like 'terrorist' for what you clearly define as incompetence. It's all part of the political discourse were many sadly think that in order to make a point they have to be ridiculously hyperbolic and extreme in the language they use.
By your own definition I guess you're a perspective terrorist.
It's amusing how people who cocoon themselves within their own ideological bubble think that normal people find that kind of thing acceptable. All it serves is to make sure the mainstream are alienated from the debate. Your style and rhetoric is no more or less appealing than Christian fundamentalist scaremongering that dominate large sections of the debate across the pond.
When we're getting into a state where rather than defining someone as an incompetent chancellor or a weak Prime Minister, they've calling them 'terrorists' then it really does cheapen the whole debate for the majority of us who aren't cluelessly partisan.
I think that sometimes words do not exist in the English language to express peoples outrage at what Gordon Brown did to the economy.
Then we are reduced to frustration and use of such words that you find objectionable.
No words do exist as does perspective. This constant need to grope needlessly for as many hysterical phrases or words or accusations as possible just makes the whole thing and those who go down that road seem ridiculous.
"Thatcher ate my baby"
"Brown is a terrorist!!"
Pathetic isn't the word and it is worrying how it is becoming the common currency of political language these days. All it does is just underline whatever bias a person has. Nobody in their right mind would ever think "Hmm, Thatcher was evil and Brown a terrorist. I must explore these theories further". No they'd just think that the person who says it is clearly someone who fails to understand very much.
It cheapens everything. If you want to think Brown was incompetent as Chancellor say so. if you think Major was incompetent as PM, do the same. Put reasons for it and argue your case. Going down this road of seeing how offensively ridiculous my rhetoric is compared to yours is eroding intelligent political debate.
What is frustrating is that those who often resort to this kind of gutter debate are the one's who think they're contributing most towards discourse and therefore it breeds copy cats. Soon people forget how to put their point convincingly and argue with logic and instead are calling politicians 'terrorists' or some such.
I believe all politicians from all parties today are in it largely to make a difference and are honest in their ideological approach. Have we forgotten the 'adult' way of disagreeing with each other or are we now in a situation where people are so tribal that they just have to insult and insinuate sinister motives because they ideologically disagree with someone?
The furious response came from his aide not Gordon Brown he was asleep when the pregnant woman took the photo.
Anyway why did she take his photo, was it because she intended take it to the newspapers so they would publish the story ?
BTW you don't think that even if he had appologised the media would report it do you.
I take it the word "yours" is plural and not singular.
I did not call Brown an economic terrorist, I was explaining how other people can be driven to frustration and use such words.
Not everyone is conversant with every word in the English language and often people use extremes to make their point.
When he was around, DeusExMachine could drive you insane with his excellent command of the English language but it did not make interesting reading and you gave up after the first paragraph.
Perhaps Orwell saw the light in 1984 with "Newspeak".
It's quite an absurd smear. I'm surprised they didn't mention her Christian beliefs or how much money she gives to charity.
How dare someone take offense to being snapped whilst sleeping by someone who has had semen injected into her vagina. What is the world coming to? Next we'll be jailing people who own cute puppies for burglary.