Gaffes

London-bound Sky news sports presenter James Bracey has just had a rather interesting morning.

Some saw his totally innocuous cough gesture as something a little cheekier. Bracey refutes that suggestion, as does his regular Sportsline guest Jim Wilson. We’re highly inclined to agree. The two have a great on-air rapport, and it’s unlikely the young presenter would take the piss in that way.

Anyway, it got us thinking about embarrassing stuff that happens at work. Some time in your career, we’re all of us going to look a little silly. Hopefully it won’t happen on national telly as it did with James or this unfortunate booger-loving soccer coach. But what about you? Ever turn up to work on your day off? Get sprung sucking up to the boss? Tell, tell. No one’s listening except hundreds of thousands of Punchers.

Welcome to ICB, The Punch’s weekly column where we call bullshit on matters owed the honour of being metaphorically described as fecal matter.

This week we’re taking a look at gaffes - verbal slip-ups. I’m calling bullshit on the way other politicians blow the tiniest of their opponents’ public stuff-ups into a big deal.

Let’s start with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, who “gaffed” on Tuesday. Talking to the media he said: “Should the Reserve Bank lower interest rates today, that will be welcomed, but that is obviously a matter for the bank”.

But the Reserve Bank chooses whether to adjust interest rates on the first Tuesday of the month. This Tuesday was April’s fourth. Dun-dun-DUN!

Continue reading "ICB: Gaffes aren’t worth mouthing off about" »

The intonation is crucial.

Australians use the phrase in two quite different ways, and the clue to whether what Mr Abbott said in Afghanistan was disrespectful or not lies in the modulation of his voice.

Did he say ‘shit happens’, meaning ‘get over it, suck it up, spilt milk’? Or did he say ‘shit happens’, meaning ‘nothing could have been done, it was fate, or God’s will.’

Continue reading "Did Abbott say ‘shit happens’, or ‘shit happens’?" »

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.

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.

Continue reading "Brown’s disaster and the top 10 biggest microphone gaffes" »