Is it Bigotry?

A bigot is someone who refuses to accept the ideas of others (either religious, race or politics).

So, Gordon Brown was technically right (if quite harsh) to call her such, in as much as she didn't agree with his viewpoint, despite being a core Labour supporter. More accurately if (as he suggested) he misheard Mrs Duffy when she commented on East European immigrants, he should have called her a xenophobe (one who is fearful of someone or something of a foreign nature). Sorry to be so pedantic, but these days Labour are so accurate with their use of words that it should be second nature to Gordon Brown. In fact I believe he knew exactly what the word meant when he used it in that context and he meant to use it, he was calling her a bigot not about her quotes about immigration, but because she refused to agree with Gordon, refused to cow-tow to him and accept his policies were perfect, like the obediant Labour supporter she should be, or (up until today) the obedient Labour supporter that had been shoved in front of Gordon whenever the cameras were around.

But as I said earlier, this gets to the heart of what is fundamentally wrong with our system of politics today. A woman, a voter must be able to express and opinion, enter into a debate with a politician and be allowed to takle them on policies on which they disagree. This is debate, its the cornerstone of our democracy.

What Gordon Brown showed was his vision of our political system: the system where we glibly vote Labour in and accept whatever crumbs they throw us, the Soviet style of politics where the politburo dictates to the population with no debate, no democracy.

How dare this woman, this "nekulturny", this commoner, take the great leader to task over his actions. Has he not saved the country from the brink of financial ruin? Has he not borrowed vast sums of money to keep our welfare state and therfore our economy afloat? Has he not been recognised around the world as its saviour?
HOW DARE SHE!

And that, dear reader, is what Gordon Brown must think every day, what his cabinet must bear in mind every day, what his staff must bear in mind every day, what they must strive to insulate him from in case Nokias start to fly. Gordon Brown must loathe criticism, must loathe anyone with a different viewpoint, must loathe Mrs Duffy (despite apologising) and by extension, must loathe each and every one of us out in the world with an opposing view.

Tonight Gordon Brown appears to me to be a very deluded, very insecure, very disturbed man.