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[Lizzie_Zoom]

Harriet Harman, the Labour Deputy Leader made the following remarks at the Scottish Labour Party Conference.

"Many of us in the Labour Party are conservationists and we all love the red squirrel," ... "But there's one ginger rodent we never want to see in the highlands of Scotland - Danny Alexander." (Chief Secretary to the Treasury )

Was this a racist comment???

Harman has now apologised for this statement.

As an Historian I cannot help but compare these comments with the work of the Nazis Propaganda Minster Goebbels portraying Jews as rodents!

[HolyCount]

I don't know about ginger rodents .... but claiming to love the "red squirrel" sounds distinctly dodgy 

I have no wish whatsoever to know what Ms Harman gets up to with her red squirrel!

Lizzie -- I doubt there was the intelligence behind the statement to put any deeper meaning to it than a smart alec remark, made, as is so often the case, without thought.  I do it all the time myself 

[Mysteryman]

She is, without doubt, almost as obnoxious as the rest of her party.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

She is, without doubt, almost as obnoxious as the rest of her party.

Spot on Steve!

[Darth Loo-knee]

For me I think this Racist Card is being shown far too often..

[albitz]

Lets hope none of the ginger people in Scotland ever vote Labour again.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Lets hope none of the ginger people in Scotland ever vote Labour again.

Indeed Daz!

Trouble is they will  probably never vote Tory again either

[albitz]

Call me anything you want, but please dont call me Daz! 

 

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Call me anything you want, but please dont call me Daz! 

 

Sorry Albs!!

I didn't have my glasses on!

[MaxV6]

sorry, but can you please explain to me how this could remotely be viewed as racist?


offensive, maybe, rude, certainly, but HOW is it racist?  there's no racial implication ANYWHERE is that quotation.


calling someone a rat, is not racist.


commenting on their hair colour is not racist.

Ginger people are NOT a cultural or  racial division..      they merely have ginger hair ,although granted Giner hair is more common in Celtic regions, and families descended from such places, but it is by no means exclusive.

it's no more racist than using the "Dumb Blonde"  type casting attitude.



i'm not saying it's necessarily "acceptable" in terms of manners/ public comment in the press etc....    but it is NOT racist.

[mantahatch]

Harriet Harman is English, Danny Alexander is Scottish. I actually believe the 4 peoples of the UK are a lot more alike that any of us think.

According to my surname I should probably be Welsh.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

sorry, but can you please explain to me how this could remotely be viewed as racist?


offensive, maybe, rude, certainly, but HOW is it racist?  there's no racial implication ANYWHERE is that quotation.


calling someone a rat, is not racist.


commenting on their hair colour is not racist.

Ginger people are NOT a cultural or  racial division..      they merely have ginger hair ,although granted Giner hair is more common in Celtic regions, and families descended from such places, but it is by no means exclusive.

it's no more racist than using the "Dumb Blonde"  type casting attitude.



i'm not saying it's necessarily "acceptable" in terms of manners/ public comment in the press etc....    but it is NOT racist.

Thanks for your opinion Max, and that is all I was looking for!

I have not said it is racist to comment on a hair colour or comparing someone to a rat, which I have done on many an occasion!!

Just wanted to see if anyone was offended by this comment, which for me just touches on those awful Nazis images mentioned.  I have also encountered people with red hair who have become very touchy and offended upon mention of their hair colour, so just wondered how this latest comment went down 

[mantahatch]

sorry, but can you please explain to me how this could remotely be viewed as racist?


offensive, maybe, rude, certainly, but HOW is it racist?  there's no racial implication ANYWHERE is that quotation.


calling someone a rat, is not racist.


commenting on their hair colour is not racist.

Ginger people are NOT a cultural or  racial division..      they merely have ginger hair ,although granted Giner hair is more common in Celtic regions, and families descended from such places, but it is by no means exclusive.

it's no more racist than using the "Dumb Blonde"  type casting attitude.



i'm not saying it's necessarily "acceptable" in terms of manners/ public comment in the press etc....    but it is NOT racist.

Would like to mention, my best friend from school till this day (30+ years) is ginger. We have made fun of each other for all those years, I have mad fun of his hair and he has made fun of my nose (large)

No harm was ever meant between us. But boy if someone else made fun of either one of us they hab both of us to answer to.

[mantahatch]

Sorry to go off tpoic before Lizzie.

And yes certain labour politicians do have a way of using nazi ways.

I try not to comment to much on political posta anymore, to many arguments.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Sorry to go off tpoic before Lizzie.

And yes certain labour politicians do have a way of using nazi ways.

I try not to comment to much on political posta anymore, to many arguments.

Any comment about anything is ok on my threads Manta, as I do the same on others in true OOF fashion!

As for your second comment, I completely understand as I myself have greatly restricted my comments on here for the reasons you state 8-) 8-) 8-)