Quote, misquote
Fraser Nelson 9:45pmBless. Dennis MacShane says Brown could not possibly be have used a false quote in his leadership speech. In his write-up of Brown’s speech for Comment Is Free, the ex-Europe minister has this to say:
Brown sought to take the battle to the Conservatives. Did George Osborne really say that in the midst of a financial crisis "it's a function of financial markets that people make loads of money out of the misery of others"? Brown quoted the shadow chancellor, and a prime minister has to be hyper-accurate in what he says, so this extraordinary quote from Osborne should be more widely known.
Hyper-accuarte? MacShane should come by CoffeeHouse more often. For the record, Osborne’s real words were not only “widely known” but said on Newsnight last week. What he said was “Well look, no one takes pleasure from people making money out of the misery of others, but that is a function of capitalist markets” – ie stating a grim, but hardly controversial truth about the way debt markets work. The FT sets the record straight here. I’m going on Newsnight later tonight, and I suspect they will have something to say about this.
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Dirty Euro
September 23rd, 2008 11:26pm Report this commentFraser why do you want to destroy a Scottish PM who went to your university. You are a traitor. Why are you such a traitor. I suppose you're palm has been crossed with silver. Well done the upper class elites in England who pay your way are proud of your work. We have state educated leader from your home country and all you ever do is destroy him. Why? :
Karen Barclay
September 23rd, 2008 11:29pm Report this commentFraser - I have just watched Newsnight. Thank you so much for bringing a much needed reality check regarding Brown's speech. The amount of (undeserved) praise it has received from virtually every media outlet has left me stunned and thoroughly depressed. Why has the media rolled over so spectacularly just because of one mediocre speech? I would love you to hear your explanation.
Dirty Euro
September 23rd, 2008 11:33pm Report this commentWhy can the media not let him get away with making a good speech. The tory leader would not get this level of analysis. Every word of the tory leader's speech will be treated as pure as the driven snow, with no secret codes, no hidden messages and with just pure honesaty and accuracy.
Please give this same lvelve of critcial analysis to the tory leader's speech. :
David Boothroyd
September 23rd, 2008 11:54pm Report this commentOsborne said "No-one likes X, but X is a function of Y". Brown turned it around and said "Osborne said 'a function of Y is X'". It may not be an exact accurate quote but on the level of basic English comprehension it is exactly what Osborne said.
To prove it was (a) accurately reflecting Osborne's views, and (b) a gaffe by Osborne, ask yourself why isn't Osborne protesting at the misrepresentation?
marbury
September 24th, 2008 8:39am Report this commentI agree with David B. As distortions of quotes go (and let's face it, journalists are usually the worst offenders here) this is very mild indeed. I wouldn't waste much time on it.
Brooks
September 24th, 2008 9:22am Report this commentDB Did Osbourne's statement, that was "quoted", include the emotive and damaging phrase "loads of money"?
James Cherkoff
September 24th, 2008 9:38am Report this commentI’m not sure he has twisted Osborne’s words. The Shadow Chancellor does sound like he thinks the city’s ‘Loadsamoney’ view is unavoidable. Most people thought that financiers at least gave a passing thought to the pension schemes and savings that are entrusted to them. This crisis has opened up some very ugly truths that will only confirm the public’s worst fears.
Ray
September 24th, 2008 9:46am Report this commentThis Government makes loads of money out of the misery of others: just ask those people who have had their occupational pensions robbed by the Iron Chancellor.
Edward Benson
September 24th, 2008 10:00am Report this commentYes, David B is right. It was fairly innocuous as misquotes go. I remember thinking at the time that it was a rare gaffe on Osborne's part, and Brown has simply gone for the open goal.
Max Kaye
September 24th, 2008 10:17am Report this commentFraser, according to Dirty Euro you are a traitor to your tribe.
You must be happy not to have the embarrassment of his 'support'.
Obviously Dirty Money will be cheering on his compatriot Alex Salmon in his rout of the "...state educated leader from your home country".
Tiberius
September 24th, 2008 12:12pm Report this commentDirty Euro: thankfully Fraser is too intelligent to succumb to the temptations of tribal loyalty.
As for Brown, he has been the spearhead of the New Labour policies which have done so much damage to the economic and social fabric of the country, principally in England. If Scotland has escaped the worst of it so far (which devolution seems to have achieved), it will not be able to do so for much longer. The cash is simply running out.
Radge
September 24th, 2008 12:35pm Report this commentSlightly disappointed to find a Brown-noser troll on this blog in the shape of Dirty-Knicker wittering on about loyalty to fellow Scots or some such rubbish.
I'm a fellow Scot like Fraser and couldn't give two f***s if Incapability Brown explodes or implodes in a jowly mess of rhetoric.
So stick that up your metaphorical kilt you sad poltroon.
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