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PLEASE lets not get into a slagging match! Let's TRY and keep it sensible and adult.
Taken out of context? Should she resign even if the words weren't meant how they have come across?
Chuka Umunna (a guy I've recently started listening to. Seems a very intelligent person to me), has given his support to Abbott. He said: "Of course what was stated…was clearly unacceptable but she has unreservedly apologized. She is a politician who stands for equality, who stands against prejudice and hatred."
"It was something that was tweeted in the early hours of the morning and it doesn’t reflect what she or the Labour party believes. As public figures our word are our tools and so you have to exercise real care." Well if she has to 'exercise real care', I think whatever the intent, she's failed miserably with those words.
The background to the story is below. There's also an interview with Abbott regarding her remark at the link.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/diane-abbott-faces-calls-to-resign-over-‘racist’-tweet.html
Taken out of context? Should she resign even if the words weren't meant how they have come across?
Chuka Umunna (a guy I've recently started listening to. Seems a very intelligent person to me), has given his support to Abbott. He said: "Of course what was stated…was clearly unacceptable but she has unreservedly apologized. She is a politician who stands for equality, who stands against prejudice and hatred."
"It was something that was tweeted in the early hours of the morning and it doesn’t reflect what she or the Labour party believes. As public figures our word are our tools and so you have to exercise real care." Well if she has to 'exercise real care', I think whatever the intent, she's failed miserably with those words.
The background to the story is below. There's also an interview with Abbott regarding her remark at the link.
Diane Abbott faces calls to resign over ‘racist’ tweet.
Labour MP Diane Abbott has faced calls for her resignation after a tweet she posted said that "white people love playing divide and rule”
The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP came under fire for the tweet posted on Wednesday night, with Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi calling for her resignation. “A healthy society should not tolerate any form of racism, Diane Abbott should apologise and resign or Ed Miliband must sack her,”
Zahawi said. Former Conservative MP Paul Goodman added to the calls, stating that “even the most clear cut apology won’t do”.
The post was a reply to journalist Bim Adewunmi who had commented on the use of the term ‘black community’ in coverage of the Stephen Lawrence trial. Diane Abbott has since said that the tweet was “taken out of context”. She asserted that it referred “to the nature of 19th century European colonialism” and that it was a “bit much to get into 140 characters”.
“I understand people have interpreted my comments as making generalisations about white people, I do not believe in doing that," Abbott said in a statement. "I apologise for any offence caused".
Backing Diane Abbott, Labour MP Chuka Umunna said: "Of course what was stated…was clearly unacceptable but she has unreservedly apologized. She is a politician who stands for equality, who stands against prejudice and hatred."
"It was something that was tweeted in the early hours of the morning and it doesn’t reflect what she or the Labour party believes. As public figures our word are our tools and so you have to exercise real care."
Responding to the post a Labour spokesman said: “We disagree with Diane’s tweet. It is wrong to make sweeping generalisations about any race, creed, or culture. The Labour Party has always campaigned against such behaviour- and so has Diane Abbott.”
Diane Abbott stood for the Labour party leadership in 2010, eventually losing out to Ed Miliband. She is currently the shadow minister for public health.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/diane-abbott-faces-calls-to-resign-over-‘racist’-tweet.html
