Hypocrite or Human?

I've got a feeling Gordon Brown could actually gain some support from his so-called "gaffe". Chatting in a friendly way in public one minute with pensioner Gillian Duffy, then a few minutes later, in private but still wearing a live but obviously forgotten TV microphone, referring to her as a "bigoted woman", at first sounds hypocritical.

But who among us has not done similar? Yes, it can be called two-faced, but it's also very human, very common, very normal. Most people who aim for good neighbourly relationships smile and nod with most challenging strangers. We save our true feelings for close friends and trusted family.

And Gordon further showed his common humanity by being so obviously mortified when his recorded "bigot" comment was played back to him, and the world.

And when you listen to what Gordon said in the car, he was not complaining about Mrs Duffy's bigotry itself. What he was actually fuming about was being so poorly set up by his PR people putting him in such situation. The disaster he was referring to was wasting precious media time having to defend Labour policies from criticism by a supposed Labour supporter. With friends like that ... as the saying goes!

But on the other hand there are an awful lot of Mr and Mrs Duffys in that sad country, true exemplars of the purest definition of bigotry. Technically Gordon correctly described her. Unfortunately, by definition she and her sympathisers will be unlikely to appreciate his opinion.

And will the PR team who mismanaged the Duffy meeting now be able to see ways of capitalising on the aftermath? Watch this space ...