Brown Apologizes After Misspelling Name Of Dead Soldier In Letter To His Mother

Guardian:

Gordon Brown has apologised to the mother of a dead serviceman who took offence after he sent her a handwritten letter of condolence that misspelled her name.

Read the whole story: Guardian

Comments

[Balzac]

11:41 PM on 11/11/2009

A lesser man would have found a way to blame an aide. I'm sure his heart is heavy when he writes those letters. It wouldn't take her pain away if he wrote more slowly, but he probably will sign them slower henceforth because that's the kind of guy he is.

[rissole]

10:53 PM on 11/09/2009

No one ever accused Gordon Brown of being the brightest bulb in the box.

[poster1122]

03:11 PM on 11/10/2009

That's rather unwarranted. He has poor eyesight and mistook an "n" for an "m", which would have been the common spelling he would have expected to see. It's an unfortunate mistake and the mother has every right to feel upset, but the political hay being made of this is a bit much.

[Bilboo]

04:55 PM on 11/09/2009

That poor woman has lost a child and can be forgiven anything. But for Brown's enemies to manufacture a political issue out of it is despicable.

[EuroMom]

04:24 PM on 11/09/2009

I just can't find it in my heart to be sceptical here. I admit that I find it genunely touching that the PM, who is partially sighted, would send a hand-written note of condolence, when it would have been all too easy to have his secretary churn out some standard letter (or at least correct his scribblings for him). The very fact that it contained errors shows that it really was a personal gesture from a man who knows what it feels like to lose a child.
At the same time, I have every sympathy with the mother, whose grief and rage are such an understandable part of bereavement, and who would want only the highest respect for her son.
The only people who come off badly in this story are the media that have whipped up such a storm about it.

[BeFairNow]

09:52 AM on 11/10/2009

I hear you! Add to that the fact that Gordon probably hasn't slept in about 2 years and it's a wonder he can stand upright or string a sentence together at all. Regardless of whether one agrees with his politics or policies, it should not be forgotten that he is a human being, although someone should tell the media. The British press is especially vicious when it comes to blunders. It's just not allowed you see.

[nellie]

03:52 PM on 11/09/2009

I think we're making a mountain out of molehill here.

[bryan-a]

02:41 PM on 11/09/2009

geesh - a little misplaced anger you think? Her and Cindy Shehan oughta get together

[CoronaDischarge]

02:12 PM on 11/09/2009

Tempest in a tea pot. The mistakes are hardly earth shattering, and given the busy schedule of being PM not catching an unusual spelling where 2 letters appear similar, should hardly be an insult. It seems merely human. She acted like it was the first time anyone had ever misspelled her last name. So she didn't vote for him and probably won't. You'd think losing her son should be enough grief without losing her dignity in attempting to turn a slip up into a major insult. One can always set the bar higher than anyone can ever jump.

[Colorado Bobby]

03:27 PM on 11/09/2009

Exactly! The only thing in the woman's favor is the post-death craziness that parents have when a child dies. After my son died, I went to the airport to pick up my sister who flew in to be with me, and this was long before airport security. I went to the door to walk out to the plane to greet her and a policeman put his hand up to stop me. I came so close to punching him it surprised even pacifist me! Sad that she lost a child, mistakes happen and perhaps she will come to her more rational self in time and forgive Mr. Brown.

[Horst]

01:52 PM on 11/09/2009

Brown may be a mediocre PM but give him a break. He is blind in one eye and has reduced vision in the other. The woman's name is Janes...he wrote James....BFD.

[tierone]

01:37 PM on 11/09/2009

Get over yourself.

[AndreMachado]

01:07 PM on 11/09/2009

Im on par with this whole story, and gonna sum it up in one phrase.

These students, in this university in particular, acted in a completely uncivilized and stupid way.

[AndreMachado]

08:59 PM on 11/09/2009

ops wrong news

[TheGripester]

12:16 PM on 11/09/2009

What's more obnoxious - for a busy politician with poor eyesight misspells the name of a fallen soldier in his handwritten expression of condolence? Or that the outraged recipient should make a national scandal out of it? Was he in error? Yes. Was Mrs. Janes showing proper gratitude and grace? No. Even if she was bereaved, there are limits to the entitlements of grief.

[harriettubman]

11:57 AM on 11/09/2009

Mistakes happen. What's wrong with people these days? That small mistake must've made this mother's grief go over the edge.

[SangZe]

11:16 AM on 11/09/2009

The error is sad. But unlike American politicians, at least Gordon Brown made an apology for his mistake.

[bryan-a]

03:10 PM on 11/09/2009

true - current American politicians don't apologize for themselves - they just apologize for the whole country.

[lswill3]

10:49 AM on 11/09/2009

Everyone is just so perfect and any little foible is completely unforgivable. Same old story, same old world, no appreciation, just self-absorption and seeing the negative in situations rather than the positive.

[deluk]

10:05 AM on 11/09/2009

Poor Gordon can hardly see, which is why he writes with a clumsy black marker. This vilification of him by the Murdoch owned Sun is distasteful but hardly surprising, as for Mrs Janes, she's grieving the loss of a son and can be expected to be hyper-sensitive, trust The Sun to exploit it in order to have a dig at Brown.

[IssuesInFocus]

11:21 AM on 11/09/2009

Its unfortunate that some people have no clue on what its means to show class. This mother has let her son down.. by insulting Gordon Brown. The Prime Minister could have had his secretary xerox a form letter and use a stamp with his signature.. spelled checked it on the computer and probably she would be pleased. Given there would be no errors.
Instead, Brown takes time with 'one seeing eye' to scribble her a personal note and she complains. Even if there were errors say thank you... and as the British often say.. shut up. How many leaders any where write personal notes to anyone? Gordon is still someone with a heart. Not perfect, but who among us is? On this I give him A for making an effort to do something meaningful. Seen in the wrong light. But who could have guessed such a reaction by a 'grieving mother?' Should you ask-- the joke is on her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxwMckT3GbA www,vernasmith.com