Harriet Harman’s reference to Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander as a ‘ginger rodent’ has backfired among TellYouGov users, or ‘tyggers’, as sentiment for the MP has dropped significantly on our leaderboard. Over 48 hours the volume score for the ‘Harriet Harman’ topic rose by 283 points but the sentiment score dropped by a drastic 210 points over the same timeframe.
- Many blasted Harman’s comment as ‘downright idiotic’, ‘juvenile’ and ‘stupid’. A couple of tyggers said that Harman needed ‘to engage brain before opening her mouth’.
- Some respondents felt that this incident was indicative that Harman is ‘totally unsuited for public office’. One person asked ‘how does this fit in with her equal opportunity stance – don’t people have the right to be ginger?’
However not all comments on the topic of Harriet Harman contained ill feeling towards the MP.
- Several people felt that Danny Alexander deserved the comment as it was ‘right on the money’. One redhead asked ‘Hasn’t anyone got a sense of humour anymore?'
- Another person said ‘why all the fuss, Danny Alexander will be the first to jump ship when the going gets tough’.
- One person was confused as to why it is ‘ok for Vince Cable to call Brown “Stalin” and wrong for ‘Harman to call Alexander a “ginger rat”?’, referring to Cable’s comments about the then-Chancellor in 2007.
Dig at Danny
In her speech at the Scottish Labour Party conference the former Minister for Women and Equalities made a dig at the Chief Secretary to the Treasury by saying ‘Many of us in the Labour Party are conservationists, and we all love the red squirrel. But there’s one ginger rodent we never want to see in the highlands of Scotland – Danny Alexander.’
The MP for Camberwell and Peckham has since received a backlash from the public, and has been forced to admit she was wrong. It is reported that she has apologised to Alexander over the remark.
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