State of the parties as 2015 General Election looms.

[Beef Oven!]

This is a tricky one. I do think it's irresponsible for people to have large families (rich or poor) as the world is overpopulated and people who produce more than 2 children are contributing to the problem. But child benefit is for the needs of the children, who are innocent victims of this discussion having never asked to be born.

You are quite sensitive about foul language, even pulling me up a couple of days ago for 'implied' foul language. IDS' children were not born out of wedlock so there is no reason to call them bastards, or to even bring them into the conversation. There seems to be a double-standard here.

[MrGongGong]

You are quite sensitive about foul language, even pulling me up a couple of days ago for 'implied' foul language. IDS' children were not born out of wedlock so there is no reason to call them bastards, or to even bring them into the conversation. There seems to be a double-standard here.

They might not be technically "bastards" but he IS a prick

[ahinton]

You are quite sensitive about foul language, even pulling me up a couple of days ago for 'implied' foul language. IDS' children were not born out of wedlock so there is no reason to call them bastards, or to even bring them into the conversation. There seems to be a double-standard here.

The only reason to bring them into the conversation here would seem to be that, by proposing the action concerned, IDS risks wilfully or inadvertently providing yet another example of the exacerbation of divisiveness between the haves with 2+ children of whom many will be unaffected by such a policy change and the have-nots with the same number of children who will be affectd thereby; I read the word "poor" before the word to which you refer here as having clearly been intended to mean "unfortunate" rather than financially challenged.

[Beef Oven!]

They might not be technically "bastards" but he IS a prick

Maybe. He's a fair target. But leave his children out of it. Am I being a bit of a fuddy-duddy about this?

[MrGongGong]

Maybe. He's a fair target. But leave his children out of it. Am I being a bit of a fuddy-duddy about this?

Yes you are
They all bring their children into politics, Nige has been bleating on about being an absent father FFS
and as for Cameron? one of the worst examples as he has presided over policies that make life more difficult for people like his sadly deceased son.

[ahinton]

Maybe. He's a fair target. But leave his children out of it. Am I being a bit of a fuddy-duddy about this?

Not particularly, at least insofar as it's hardly their fault when their father is proposing, but IDS risks being a larger target than might otherwise be the case because of the number of children that he has, of whom none will be affected by his proposal.

[P. G. Tipps]

Maybe. He's a fair target. But leave his children out of it. Am I being a bit of a fuddy-duddy about this?

No ... but you should know by this time there are few more intolerant and cruelly insensitive than the self-styled 'tolerant' and 'sensitive' ones!

[jean]

(He himself has four children, poor b***ards.)

FAO the host

Although the forum is pretty left-wing, and IDS is a right wing Tory, I don't think we should bring his children into the discussion and/or call them b***ards.

There's a huge difference between bastard and poor bastard. As soon as you add poor, you're commiserating with whoever it is, rather than questioning their parentage. You could equally well say something like poor little sods.

But it's possibly unwise to use the term bastard of someone's children, because in that context the literal meaning of the word forces itself on the reader's attention.

[Beef Oven!]

There's a huge difference between bastard and poor bastard. As soon as you add poor, you're commiserating with whoever it is, rather than questioning their parentage. You could equally well say something like poor little sods.

It's totally unnecessary to use the word bastard. And why are they poor anyway? They are probably fortunate and privileged, relatively speaking.

But it's possibly unwise to use the term bastard of someone's children, because in that context the literal meaning of the word forces itself on the reader's attention.

Possibly unwise? I suppose I need to stick, not twist.

[Beef Oven!]

Yes you are
They all bring their children into politics, Nige has been bleating on about being an absent father FFS
and as for Cameron? one of the worst examples as he has presided over policies that make life more difficult for people like his sadly deceased son.

Has IDS brought his kids into the frame? No, he hasn't. And mind your implied swear-words, there's a host in the house.

[Beef Oven!]

No ... but you should know by this time there are few more intolerant and cruelly insensitive than the self-styled 'tolerant' and 'sensitive' ones!

Yes, you make a good observation.

[jean]

You're just being perversely literal, in order to have a stick to beat Richard with.

[MrGongGong]

Has IDS brought his kids into the frame? No, he hasn't. And mind your implied swear-words, there's a host in the house.

Get over it

IBS ?

I think you might be mistaking me for someone who gives a shit about him and his elk

[MrGongGong]

Yes, you make a good observation.

On the sauce early this evening OXOBoy

[P. G. Tipps]

There's a huge difference between bastard and poor bastard. As soon as you add poor, you're commiserating with whoever it is, rather than questioning their parentage. You could equally well say something like poor little sods.

But it's possibly unwise to use the term bastard of someone's children, because in that context the literal meaning of the word forces itself on the reader's attention.

That might well be true.

However, it's probably even more true that when affectionately referring to a Chinaman as a 'chink' then there is an even larger difference when being compared to a genuine racist? Yet poor Dave Whelan has been accused of being the latter!

It's the clear hypocrisy and double-standards of the PC Brigade which is arguably the main reason for the rise of UKIP, imo ...