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Brown’s disaster and the top 10 biggest microphone gaffes

Paul Colgan

by Paul Colgan

29 Apr 09:54am

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Filed under: Gaffes, Gordon Brown, Lists, Media, Politics, Uk Election

66 comments

The British Prime Minister’s description of a voter he had just met as a “bigot” when he thought the microphone was off has been described by London’s Daily Telegraph as “the most damaging off-mike remark in modern politics”. There is talk that it may have destroyed any chance he had at re-election.

How The Sun covered the day on its website

It’s a disaster because it confirms some of the voters’ worst suspicions about Brown’s character: that his true personality is dour and cranky, that deep down he probably just doesn’t like people. Brown was forced to visit the woman - a Labour supporter - at her home to apologise. But it a catastrophic turn in a general election campaign in which Labour is already sliding in the polls.

The timing makes it all the more damaging, but how does it rate among the long list of political gaffes when people thought the mikes were off? Here’s Brown’s - watch him squirm as the tape is played back - along with nine more in no particular order. Let us know what you think in the comments - and add your suggestions.

Gordon Brown: “Bigoted woman” ... see above. The best part about this video is his reaction when the host says someone has just handed him the tape. “Let’s have a listen.”

Ronald Reagan: “We begin bombing in five minutes”, said as a joke before recording a radio address in 1984. The out-take was leaked and the Soviet army was placed on alert for a short time.

George W. Bush: “major league asshole” describing New York Times reporter Adam Clymer to running mate Dick Cheney at a rally.

Jesse Jackson wants to cut Barack Obama’s nuts off because he believed the then-presidential candidate was “talking down to black people”.

Tony Abbott: “That’s bullshit” after being told by then shadow health minister Nicola Roxon that he could have turned up on time to the Press Club

George W. Bush: “Yo Blair ... Russia’s big and so is China ... get Hezbollah to stop doing this s**t…” at a G8 leaders’ lunch.

Prince Charles: “Bloody people… I can’t bear that man” about the press and in particular about BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell - in front of the assembled press.

John Major: “Bastards” who he would “crucify” referring to disloyal members of his cabinet and party. No video of the actual quote but here’s one of the alleged bastards being asked about it.

Vladimir Putin: Jokes about rape allegations. No video for this one but the Russian PM is known for coarse remarks. Visiting Ehud Olmert in 2006 he said of Israeli president Moshe Katsav, who was facing allegations that he had raped women in his office: “Say hello to your president. He really surprised us…” and later said, ““We did not know he could deal with 10 women.”

Virginia Trioli: Barnaby Joyce crazy hands, as sometimes actions speak louder than off-mike words, and because it’s amusing.

What are we missing?

ALSO:

Joe Biden: “This is a big f***ing deal” to his boss Barack Obama upon the signing of the healthcare bill.

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Most commented

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66 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • Jon says:

      10:20am | 29/04/10

      Some good ones there. Surely the Jeff Kennett and Andrew Peacock phone conversation about Howard should be there!

      Reply

    • Mark says:

      12:17pm | 29/04/10

      I concur, it was a ripper wasn’t it.

    • Anne71 says:

      01:02pm | 30/04/10

      I have a sister who is a senior lecturer in journalism. If there is one thing she drums into the brain of every single one of her students it would be this: Treat every microphone you see as if it were live! smile Perhaps politicians need to remember this too…

    • BD says:

      10:25am | 29/04/10

      Premier Peter Beattie once described the role fo his deputy, Anna Bligh as “I give her all the shit I don’t want to deal with”, or something to that affect… at a COAG meeting I belive.

      Reply

    • Super D says:

      10:34am | 29/04/10

      I remember Kevin Rudd said that climate change was the great moral challenge of our time.  While it wasn’t apparent as a gaffe at the time it has grown into a clanger he would do anything to take back.

      Reply

    • Mark says:

      11:09am | 29/04/10

      Hahahahaha gold - pure gold.

      I also like this from Krudd about anyone who wanted to delay the ETS.

      “What absolute political cowardice. What an absolute failure of leadership. What an absolute failure of logic.”

      Ahh me oh my. The hits keep coming.

    • Jimbo says:

      11:43am | 29/04/10

      Kevin Rudd was prepared to do something about climate change , he took it to the senate twice, but the snake in Canberra, Tony Abbott made sure it was blocked. Don’t get to excited and cocky, you can bet it will back on the agenda. You need to read the Polls many many Aussies want something done about Climate Change and Abbotts plan is just cockatoo poo.!!

    • Mark says:

      12:00pm | 29/04/10

      Far be it from me to ever rise to a challenge but really Jimbo.

      Your own dear leader (note how I intentionally did not capitalise becasue krudd does not deserve it) promised to end the blame game.

      He now has the dalek wong saying it is delayed because of the Libs. You swallowed the line . Another promise renigged.

      Blame game politics at its finest.

      The truth is rudd has shown gross political cowardice and cut and ran. Keep up with current events son. Spin doctoring has had its day.

      I am heartened to see you recognise it is still on the agenda. Remember that at ballot time.Great Big New Tax incoming, they just have no courage to talk about it.

      Here is a cookie…watch me toss it…go chase….good boy /pat

    • ETS = SCAM says:

      12:02pm | 29/04/10

      Jimbo - thank goodness Tony Abbott blocked this tax scam.
      For that one act he has my vote.
      I won’t pay taxes to banksters based on unproven science and nor should the rest of Australia.

    • Tone says:

      12:03pm | 29/04/10

      Ironically, delaying an ETS was not “an absolute failure of logic” given the fizzle at Copenhagen and the failure of the big emitters to take on anything like it, and it was not logical beforehand they would.

      establishing an ETS before Copenhagen was the failure of leadership for Australia, and the quote in Marks post is the real cowardice, as are a few other events since (insulation debacle, BER debacle, health reform bullying, etc.

    • Leah says:

      01:29pm | 29/04/10

      Jimbo, it wasn’t just the Libs blocking Rudd’s ETS, it was the Greens too!

    • Fen says:

      01:41pm | 29/04/10

      he should probably apologise for that one, pretty much what Gordon Brown said will do.

    • JD says:

      10:34am | 29/04/10

      None of this stuff means anything.  It’s a bloody sideshow.  I despair at out sound-bite driven media culture.  How about examining issues in detail or holding business and governments accountable for their actions, rather than just flapping on about some throw-away comment?

      Reply

    • Stuart says:

      11:38am | 29/04/10

      Reagan’s ‘stuff’ did mea something.  The whole soundbite goes “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing will begin in five minutes.”  The Russians certainly took it seriously and although the rest of us plebs knew nothing for about 1/2hr the fate of the world hung in the balance as the Soviets tried to work out if Reagan was telling the truth.  It as a gold mine for intelligence agencies though as they all got to see what the Soviet’s immediate plan to counter an attack was.

    • Angela says:

      10:37am | 29/04/10

      And Peter Beattie and Morris Iemma

      Reply

    • ytu says:

      10:53am | 29/04/10

      I don’t understand this controversy. Doesn’t everyone already know that the progressive-maoists label anyone who loves his culture, religion, traditions and way of life as a ‘bigot’? Why is this so shocking? Doesn’t the average Briton know the character of it’s progressive leaders by now?

      Reply

    • Simon Mitchell says:

      11:04am | 29/04/10

      Where is the Bob Hawke “silly old bugger” episode?

      Seriously, most of these people are politicians - I think we realise that if they open their mouths they’re lying and that the face they present to the mass media is nothing like the one they have behind the mask.  Demonstrating that these cretins we seem to have voted for are just this bad is a refreshing change from “reality” TV show re-runs.

      Reply

    • Gerard says:

      03:11pm | 29/04/10

      “The best part about this video is his reaction when the host says someone has just handed him the tape. “Let’s have a listen.”’

      I think it beats Hewson’s GST birthday cake response?

    • Craigles says:

      11:04am | 29/04/10

      One aspect to this latest situation - Gordon Brown’s - is he said it privately after being shut in his car, and a News Ltd subsidiary picked it up on a wireless microphone that was allegedly theirs.

      So, th equestion has to be - in that context, was the reporting of private comments more immoral than the comments? and was the reporting deliberate sabotage?

      A former deputy UK PM thinks so

      http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/28/bigot-gaffe-murdoch-john-prescott

      Reply

    • Mark says:

      01:11pm | 29/04/10

      A former deputy Labour PM thinks so.

      See the connection hence the attempt at spin and blame shifting. He said it. He wears it. Damage control will not fix it.

    • Informed Giant says:

      04:10am | 30/04/10

      Typical lefty comment - just admit it, he shouldn’t have said it. That should be the end of any analysis.

    • Zeta says:

      11:06am | 29/04/10

      This is a stitch up. I work around microphones everyday and there is simply no way you can forget you’re wearing a lapel mic. On the screen, when you’re a talking head, they might look like just a little device on your shirt, but they have wires going to pretty bulky receivers that clip onto your belt. Only a complete mong would forget they’re wearing one, and only a complete dunder head of a press secretary would forget to take one off.

      Now the story goes, Brown’s people said no boom mics for this particular door stop, and that they’d provide pool feed from a lapel mic. So who provided the lapel mic? Did Brown have one of his own? Unlikely. Providing a pool feed audio is pretty complicated. He undoubtedly has a legion of media staff, but it’s just so unlikely they have the technical know how to set something like that up. More likely, is that one of the press pack’s audio guys hooked that set up together for him and the woman he was speaking too. Now if there were no boom mics, then there was no reason for the audio crews to keep rolling after the interview was done. So they knew they were going to get something from inside the car. This was a set up.

      The other point is this - any one who’s ever been to a press conferrence with any kind of audio recording gear knows mobile phones play havoc with the receivers. I was at a presser once where the talent’s phone kept ringing in his pocket, so he reached down and answered it, thinking he’d hang up on them. The feed back from the phone to the mic sent the poor work experience kid wearing the head phones off sick with a damaged ear drum. It’s like that noise you used to get on old car stereos when your phone rings, only multiplied by Justin Bieber concert levels of high pitched whining.

      So maybe Brown does forget he’s wearing the mic, he does look a bit stupid. But then he gets in a car with his staff. Now if you ever spend a second on the campaign trail with a politician, you know that at anyone time, someone is on their phone, or else someone’s phone is ringing. Yet this magical lapel mic, clearly from the future where all media outlets are furnished with ultra light, invisible recording technology immune to interferrence, doesn’t happen to distort because of mobile phone interferrence? And what kind of incredible range does the receiver have that they can still get useable audio from inside the car as it drives away? An armoured, bullet-proof, probably electronic counter measure proof Jaguar? Our mobile phones barely work in lifts, yet some shoddy lapel mic is magically able to be heard from inside the vehicular equivalent of a lead coffin?

      It smacks of UK media shenanigans. I’m calling it. Shenanigans.

      Reply

    • Stuart says:

      11:26am | 29/04/10

      Zeta “It’s like that noise you used to get on old car stereos when your phone rings, only multiplied by Justin Bieber concert levels of high pitched whining”. ...
      “GOT HIM!! YEEEES, nice one Ritchie”
      Good one smile

    • Rover says:

      12:02pm | 29/04/10

      The only problem with this argument is why on earth would they do it? To totally disrupt a day, probably a week, of their own campaigning?

      Makes about as much sense as the people who thought Tony Abbott’s near-miss with the truck was a set-up.

      But I agree on the Bieber line.

    • Craigles says:

      12:15pm | 29/04/10

      Read what John Prescott had to say (and the other stuff) in the link in my post above

    • Wayne B says:

      09:11am | 02/05/10

      OK..maybe this was a case of conspiracy 101… but help me get this….the woman complains bitterly (amongst other things) about ‘eastern european migrants’ .... and GB expresses his opinion ... that he thinks she is a ‘bigot’ (racist). Is he wrong, or is it just wrong to say it?? After that dressing down from her I would have been much more colourful in my description of her… Wayne

    • Susan says:

      11:08am | 29/04/10

      I think the Brown remarks yesterday are right up there. A lot of these are just little gaffes, only the Abbott one had real implications on an election - think a few people were turned off the Coalition in 2007 by that one.

      Much as Brown was sort of right - the woman was expressing very bigoted views - the remark was a giant vote-killer. Other voters are going to only remember the Labour leader holding a voter in contempt, and think that he probably holds them in contempt too. I certainly wouldn’t vote for him after he said that about someone else.

      Looking at the others, though, I don’t think that the Joe Biden one is very gaffe-y, aside from the f-bomb he drops he’s pretty much just stating a fact, isn’t he? Whether you agree with his health policy or not, Obama getting that through the Senate is a big deal.

      Reply

    • Martin G says:

      03:10pm | 29/04/10

      Not sure I understand how the woman was ‘bigoted’. Given how high Britain’s unemployment is, it is a legitimate question to the PM as to why his Government is bringing in so many migrants.

      But of course, that’s raaaaaaaaaaacist isn’t it?

    • SkepDad says:

      11:31am | 30/04/10

      The British government isn’t “bringing migrants in”, it is part of the EU and there is nothing stopping free movement of EU nationals from one state to another - by design.

      She didn’t sound bigoted to me, going by the definition of “a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own”.  She sounded more racist.

      I would have had more issue with Brown if he had said to his aide “you know, we should tap into that common spirit of racist xenophobia to win us some more votes”.  At least he was expressing honest disgust at a disgusting attitude.

    • Darren says:

      11:25am | 29/04/10

      Wow - Zeta!! Rant much! In other news ...who cares. The fact that a man is being judged on his personality rather than his ability to govern a country is really the question here. The English are lunatics in the press, there I said it!

      Reply

    • Francis says:

      11:27am | 29/04/10

      Any chance you could dig up footage of hawke calling the pensioner a “silly old bugger”?

      Reply

    • Darryl Price says:

      11:51am | 29/04/10

      Who has caused the most offence to the old dear. The PM who expressed a personal view in private, or the press who broadcast it to the world?

      Reply

    • Mark says:

      12:25pm | 29/04/10

      The PM silly.

      It is unwise to call your constituents bigots or play the race card on them. Just saying.

    • Mark says:

      11:52am | 29/04/10

      Nothing will beat Hawke telling a protestor to ‘go and get a job’ at the time his Government’s recession had unemployment over 10%.

      Reply

    • Rover says:

      12:10pm | 29/04/10

      It was Keating, not Hawke.

    • marty says:

      12:16pm | 29/04/10

      it was Keating who said GO and GET A JOB

    • Norm says:

      11:55am | 29/04/10

      Remember Bob Hawke and that “silly old bugger” in the ‘80s?

      Reply

    • Freud's beard says:

      12:16pm | 29/04/10

      what about Keating’s “get a job”

      Reply

    • Macon Paine says:

      12:23pm | 29/04/10

      What about Paul Keating’s 1996 quote for the ages “get a job”  to a protester, or perhaps his “This is the recession we had to have” gaffe and who can forget his “Australia is the arse end of the world” comment.

      Or what about Gough’s shamefull “I’m not having hundreds of f**king Vietnamese Balts coming into this country with their religious and political hatreds against us!”
      These people where of course anti communist refugees fleeing Vietnam and so Gough knew there was no chance they’d vote for him.

      Reply

    • Rowdy says:

      12:35pm | 29/04/10

      “Hi…I’m Kevin…and I’m here to help…”

      Reply

    • Martin G says:

      03:12pm | 29/04/10

      Look out, he’s rolling up his sleeves and whipping out the notepad! He must understand us all!

      Oh wait… no, it looks like he is about to kill most of Australia’s insulation industry.

    • Kate says:

      12:45pm | 29/04/10

      The Brisbane newsreader who said “and I’m married to this arsehole” ... the classic having to play it straight after being sprung, when you know “oh god, oh god” must racing through her mind.

      Reply

    • acker says:

      12:47pm | 29/04/10

      Brown needs to be sacked before tonights debate..David Millibrand may as well take his chance now because after the election which Labor will probably loose with Millibrand and definitely loose with Brown..Labor will recruit a female mid 40’s as leader.

      Reply

    • Joe says:

      12:49pm | 29/04/10

      What about some of Obama’s Teleprompter gaffs?

      Reply

    • Mark says:

      01:08pm | 29/04/10

      Nah. You need to have a thought in your head and express it. Big O just regurgitates like a good little pollie and if the machine breaks so does the monotony on my opinion.

      I would have thought his “special olympics” jibe in reference to his 10 pin skill would be on there though. Imagine the howls of outrage and PC thought bubbles that would have gone after a certain former pres if he said it. I love the blatant hypocrisy.

    • jameson says:

      06:42pm | 29/04/10

      hypocrisy by who? how is it ‘blatant’? do you even know what hypocrisy is?

    • Mark says:

      08:18am | 30/04/10

      By the left jameson.

      The lack of protest by the left

      yes

      anything else?

    • Nick says:

      01:01pm | 29/04/10

      Peter Garrett’s short jocular conversation about changing everything once in office.

      Reply

    • Destry says:

      01:27pm | 29/04/10

      Ronald Reagan was the greatest politician of modern times (IMHO). Far smarter than the collective media.  And that comment (alaborated by Stuart) shows what a great character he was. No matter how dark the times, he could laugh at it and himself (he had the toughest job in the world).  People rehash this nit-picking ad absurdium and forget the examples of inspiring candid moments? Even on his last day, with alzheimers, Reagan was a greater politician than any this country has and will ever produce. It’s a real shame that the comment about the “bombing” is presented as suggesting incompetence. When he became president, the Russians were laughing at the cowboy (his film history).  When he died, the Russians who he humiliated and crushed before the world were calling him a “great president”.  I think they loved him more than any. I’m not the only one who thinks Reagan’s “bombing” comment was one of the highlights of his presidency. But, of course, the journalism in this country is an embarrassment as well.

      Reply

    • MickeyT says:

      01:34pm | 29/04/10

      kruss on Peter Garret “Peter is a first-class Minister.  I stand by him today, as I did yesterday, as Iwill stand by him next week.”  Garret was gone inside two days!

      Reply

    • Tedd says:

      01:57pm | 29/04/10

      perhaps he meant he will be standing by him when they all go?

    • peter says:

      02:12pm | 29/04/10

      well isn’t that woman a biggot?

      Reply

    • Mark says:

      03:55pm | 29/04/10

      No.

      You can be concerned about immigration and still not be racist.

      It is like climate change. If you don’t believe you are a denier. The reference is obvious and is meant to hurt and slur. Yelling racist every time someone says something about a minority is crap.

      Look at Kevin Andrews last election. Raises concerns re Africans being over represented in crime statistics in Victoria. Police lie to cover it up and be PC. He gets branded a racist. It is nuts stuff like that.

      Labour in Britain opened the gates sneakily to mass immigration and even its members are not happy given the general economic conditions prevalent. That is all she was saying.  Seems reasonable to me.

      Are you trying to say his apology for his false name calling was (gasp) insincere? Does Brown still believe she is a bigot? Stay tuned for more exciting developments on whether Brown meant it or just “took it back” a bit.

    • jameson says:

      06:44pm | 29/04/10

      you can kill someone and still not be a murderer
      please what is your point genius, that woman was a bigot.
      and you
      ‘Police lie to cover it up and be PC.’
      are far worse

    • Martin G says:

      03:15pm | 29/04/10

      Brown has done the world a favour and exposed much of the Left for their views on immigration and disgust for people in general.

      “If you don’t agree with us, you are racist and bigoted”. A bit like “if you don’t believe in AGW, you are a denier, flat-earther, and a planet-killer”.

      If they got their way, no-one would be allowed to have an opinion.

      Reply

    • RT says:

      03:57pm | 29/04/10

      That’s if you accept that Brown is from ‘the Left’. Truth is, he ain’t no leftie. But something tells me your views about the Left are perhaps preventing you from seeing clearly.

    • Martin G says:

      04:37pm | 29/04/10

      RT, calling some names for daring to question immigration policy is a hallmark of the Left. Gordon Brown showed his true colours.

    • jack says:

      03:16pm | 29/04/10

      Doesnt Prince Phillip( Queens Hubby) make a few gaffs?

      Reply

    • Graham says:

      04:43pm | 29/04/10

      I heard the women on the radio this morning and thought Gordon Brown described her quite sensitively. I would have added “loud” and “whinging” to the bigot description.

      Reply

    • BTS says:

      05:49pm | 29/04/10

      I thought the same thing, no one has considered it was an accurate description.

    • Vincent says:

      07:32pm | 29/04/10

      Peter Garrett’s gaffe after giving a radio interview, prior to the last federal election, summed up the Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde traits of most polictical party politicians.  ” We’ll say anything before the election but once in government then we will change everything”, at least words to that effect.  Just ask Kevin Rudd about his once strong moral conviction on Climate Change.

      Reply

    • eselle says:

      07:38pm | 29/04/10

      the media is mischievous and manipulative of the public… This was a private conversation.

      Reply

    • Rob says:

      12:33am | 30/04/10

      Barnaby Joyce was nuts to suggest that Australia might one day default on it’s sovereign debt if current trends continued, but Kevin Rudd thinks it’s quite OK to have to pay an extra $2B per year in interest to cover our sovereign default risk?  What do international money markets know that the Canberra press gallery doesn’t - apart from anything about finance?

      Reply

    • BTS says:

      06:25am | 30/04/10

      Here we have a Punch blog attacking Pauline Hanson for being a bigot and another lampooning Gordon Brown for not.

      Reply

    • 6c legs says:

      10:24am | 30/04/10

      Gee, BTS, but haven’t you realised that RM doesn’t want Brown in charge of his pommy patch… crikey mate, get with the program!

      N.b. Pauline Hanson = okay to play ‘Bigots are not to be tolerated’’ BECAUSE she isn’t a Politician, wink
      Gordon Brown on the other hand, well. . .

      (and as i posted in a un-published post: It was a private conversation in a private setting. Having had very similar mic experience ‘I’m totally with “Zeta”  on this….now lets see if this anti News Ltd comment is published?)

    • hellohello says:

      09:00am | 30/04/10

      I am of Bristish descent but honestly this British election has no interest for me at all. I am worried Australia, the country I live in. I really don’t care what the Brits do

      Reply
 
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