Hammond’s train blunder is not about misogyny – it’s about rivalry
Philip Hammond was reported to have made the comment by The Sun newspaper [Image: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters].
With Theresa May’s minority Conservative government hanging precariously over a metaphorical cliff, it seems he thought he could get away with a jibe – not at women, but at the prime minister.
So we are told he made a comment during a Cabinet discussion on transport, that driving trains is now so easy that “even a woman” can do it.
How very silly.
All it took was a leak to the right newspaper, and now Mr Hammond is left hanging on by his fingernails.
And the worst of it is, it doesn’t even matter if he said the words or not.
In fact, some sources are claiming he didn’t – but who cares? The story is out, his name is attached, and Theresa May feels a little more secure.
But of course, that is another illusion.
Ask yourself: What do average British citizens see in this episode?
We see a weak, wobbly – and amateurish – administration whose members squabble among themselves.
Are they ministerial? No.
Are they statespersonlike? No.
Are they fit to run a country?
No.
Philip Hammond appears to have irked the prime minister by making a sexist remark in cabinet, exposing the tensions at the highest level of government.
Reports suggest that in a discussion about transport, the chancellor quipped that driving trains had now been made so easy that “even a woman” could do it.
A report in the Sun newspaper, which was not disputed by senior Conservative sources, said Hammond had made the remark, only to be rebuked by Theresa May.
One other minister present said the claim the pair had fallen out over the joke was “heavily exaggerated”, but the emergence of the embarrassing anecdote underlines the touchy relations in Downing Street.
An ally of the chancellor said the anecdote had been “uttered by another minister unfairly characterising Hammond’s position”, and that he had been drawing attention to the disproportionately low number of women in jobs such as train driving. Another cabinet colleague said they remembered the exchange as “good natured”.
(Source: Philip Hammond in row over ‘even a woman can drive a train’ jibe)
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“And the worst of it is, it doesn’t even matter if he said the words or not.” Fake news does matter, it is not helping anyone but the perpetrators of the lies. Personally I am waiting for when someone finds a way of protecting middle-class white heterosexual men with children from ism’s.
You just supported my point, I think.
” Make Vox Political your homepage”. A bit egotistical, no?
Desperate times. You know Facebook is trying to eliminate the readership of social media sites like this one?
Fighting like cats in a sack. Running this country is now just a lark to these people. They seem to have no personal traits which make them attractive to the public but why should they care. The right wing MSM will keep feeding their usual swill to the general public in an attempt to divert attention from the awful reality that we are now witnessing.
I’m lovin’ it (apologies to McDonalds) and rubbing my hands in glee.
you missed useless, Incompetent, neglectfull in terms of NHS, WCA assessments & the quality of the assessments & decision makers, Unaccountable in that they seem to think they can do things & get away with it and irresponsible, as well as overpaid, there pay structure needs reforming to base level nurse + 1 percent & any extra pay should be subject to responsible renumeration for effective & safe policy, i that meant some got more for doing a good job fine, the likes of ids & co would be on base rate for the rest of there life’s, no second jobs & get rid of there so called advisors they are worse than useless, you know who i am talking about, as for third world companies running government contracts, have a payment by reward system sure, also a payment by penalty system for wrongdoing & they should be faced with responsibilty for there staff decisons & not blame it on policy when there doing false reports
£10 Billion for the DUP yet there is no money to change the dangerous & illegal cladding on thousands of schools & hospitals. Asbestos & illegal cladding which produces cyanide poisoning is a death trap waiting to happen. It takes 6 more Tories & DUP to make a sackable tweet for the Tories to lose their majority. Result General Election.
Even Theresa May can drive a train of bribery for the DUP. So even disabled people can drive a train for a sexist Phillip Hammond. Tory Disability Hate Crime with DWP Assisted Suicide as DWP Policy. Work Pays [The DUP – Tories getting a 15% pay rise & what important job do they do in their Denial Factory Dictatorship !!!
PFI Tower Block Cladding run by the HM Treasury to get the cheaper illegal toxic cladding either on Grenfell Tower or Chalcots Estate in Swiss Cottage. Scared to tell us that over 400 people died in Genfell Tower.
More people have died in the UK from Tory policy from Welfare Reform to 1% pay caps over the past year than have died in war zones like Syria & Iraq combined.
High Treason is a charge against the Empire because Theresa May you are not the Queen of Maggy Thatcher. Blame Dodgy Dave & Rupert Murdoch Theresa May.
As a disabled person the cull of the disabled is a shameful fact in British History that can not be controlled by a lazy dictatorship use European Laws to save their arses against the UN Breaches of the disabled. So new UK Human Rights Laws that will kill off all disabled people in the UK. Once that is done the low paid workers will be killed off. The Welfare State & the NHS have already been killed off making £100s of Billions for the politicians first job which is Corporate Business. Politics is their part time job helping Rupert Murdoch with propaganda & brainwashing using the disabled as scrounging scapegoats.
Human Rights for all not the few.
Copywrite Control
Publishing Laws
Nasty people fighting amongst themselves. Few people will have any sympathy at all for any of them. As you say, unfit for any kind of public office.