Most sensible woman...

[Bonnie]

Mercer is cut from the same cloth as those in America who said that questioning the war in Iraq was "unAmerican" and "unpatriotic" and that "this is a sensitive time, civil freedoms such as right to fair trial might have to go."

[hr]

I love cheese.

[McNugget]

Where in the hell did you pick up on sexism in the article? There is no sexism involved at all. Mr Mercer was simply stating that the partner of the prime minister should not try to undermine him on how to deal with the attacks but to simply stand by him and back his decision. It works two ways in the sense if the prime minister was a female, her husband(if she chose to get married that is, I dont want to imply that to be a proper woman you should be a married housewife...that would be sexist now wouldn't it?) should stand by the decisions she makes. Its not like Mercer said that because she owns a vagina, she's not entitled to an opinion and should be chained in the kitchen. That was a demonstration of sexism for you bonnie, so that next time you accuse someone of it...you might not make such a fool of yourself. I can't stand people who jump at the opportunity to accuse someone of being prejudiced when they are not just because of some personal issues the accuser may be experiencing themselves. Grow up!

[The Unwilling]

I think half the problem is that when Cherie Blair speaks, something naturally goes pearshaped afterwards. Even if it is an innocent comment, it will always be misconstrued as something sinister *because* she is the PM's wife. She does need to be careful what she says about her husband and his policies. Take the whole business with Carole Caplin for example, or when she sang "When I'm 64" as one of those cringeworthy moments.

However, this is actually one of the few times we have ever seen her speaking as Cherie Booth QC. As this person, she is quite allowed to contradict the PM, it's not exactly treasonous.

[Al]

"Mr Mercer was simply stating that the partner of the prime minister should not try to undermine him on how to deal with the attacks but to simply stand by him and back his decision."

Why? If she thinks he is wrong, she should say it.

[flarewearer]

[img]http://www.thesunmachine.net/image_archive/archive/cookd/cherie02.gif[/img]

[hr]

image:www.magnificentoctopus.com/x/blackback.png

[Rilla]

Euch!
that is typical!

A woman is clearly intelligent and has a successful career.

How does the establishment treat her?
She's not entitled to an opinion because she happens to be married to someone

wait

when does a marriage contract state that women must give up the right to express an opinion!!!!
that she clearly is an expert on!

and that's right - wait - she's an incredibly intelligent woman who doesn't spend every second of the day worrying about her looks. so we must take the piss out of her and disrespect her due to her looks.

ah, that makes me so mad!

Bonnie is right.

[hr]

"O unworn world enrapture me, enrapture me in a web
Of fabulous grass and eternal voices by a beech"

[flarewearer]

Quoting Rilla from 23:46, 27th Jul 2005
Euch!
that is typical!

A woman is clearly intelligent and has a successful career.

Thats the point! She is succesful and is a top QC, why then must she flaunt it around as Cherie Blair, wife of the Prime Minister, rather than Cherie Booth, Top QC.

How does the establishment treat her?
She's not entitled to an opinion because she happens to be married to someone
when does a marriage contract state that women must give up the right to express an opinion!!!!

She has made plenty of gaffes in the past and should have learned that when you are in the public eye so much, be you male or female, wife or husband, gay or straight, you have to bite your tongue and watch what you say. And, unfortunately it is a conflict of interest when she is married to the prime minister. It would have been the same if Dennis Thatcher had done the same when Maggie was in office. It's not because she is his WIFE it is because she is MARRIED to him. He is elected to run and speak for the country, she is not.
And there is a healthy tradition in this country of charicaturing and satirising the upper and ruling classes, it's good as it keeps them on their toes, its the attractive, the ugly, the male and the female, how is that sexist, ugly-ist, or anything-ist? It's a level playing field were all are equal, and I for one am all for that. Or would you rather we had some sort of censorship laws that banned this sort of thing? How truly liberal THAT would be.

[hr]

image:www.magnificentoctopus.com/x/blackback.png

[Steveo]

Why does she feel the need to go to the US making money out of being the PMs wife, when she's a highy successful, respected and great barrister?

Tell me that. She cashes in on it, despite being successful in her own field.

[The Unwilling]

Quoting Rilla from 23:46, 27th Jul 2005
when does a marriage contract state that women must give up the right to express an opinion!!!!

Isn't one of the traditional wedding vows for women to "love, honour and obey"?

[s] edit due to spelling [/s]

[The Unwilling]

Quoting Rilla from 23:46, 27th Jul 2005

so we must take the piss out of her and disrespect her due to her looks.

And no, we don't "take the piss out of her" for her looks (much). Like flarewearer said, it is typical for those at the top to become the subject of satire. It is just unfortunate for her that she has committed so many gaffs that she has now progressed to a subject of ridicule.

[munchingfoo]

Bonnie is not right. She is so wrong. She is trying to argue two points at the same time.

Bonnie, look at this, I am not argueing whether this dude was wrong or right to say what he did. What I am saying is that there is no way in high heaven that this has anything to sexism. Please stop saying that its because she is married to someone. It's not because she is married to someone. It's because she is married to someone in particular. Seriously, do you feel the world has given you a hard turn by making you a woman? If so perhaps you should stop shouting "SEXISM" at ever possible opportunity (and some which are not possible) and actually take a look at the benefits women get over men in this country every single day.

I get this letter ever few months entitled "Women in computing". Basically it advertises this opportunity JUST FOR WOMEN to go and get a years work experience in london, with good pay and accomodation. Now, this IS sexist, there is no doubt about it, but, I see that it's okay to have mens this, and womens that. Maybe you should try looking at things from the positive side and start taking up the multitude of opportunities that simply being a woman brings you instead of being bitter and twisted about the tiny minority it does not.

[hr]

[s]
My entire life in boolean logic

¬emptyGlass(pint) => drinking(Andy)
emptyGlass(pint) AND ¬stomache(full) => buy(pint)
emptyGlass(pint) AND stomache(full) => buy(vodka)
emptyGlass(vodka) => buy(vodka)
¬emptyGlass(vodka) => drinking(Andy) [/s]

[Haunted]

Just in case it hasn't gotten through yet...

SHE IS MARRIED TO THE FUCKING PRIME MINISTER!

[Ben Reilly]

Quoting Haunted from 10:45, 28th Jul 2005
Just in case it hasn't gotten through yet...

SHE IS MARRIED TO THE FUCKING PRIME MINISTER!

So what? I disagree with her giving speeches talking about being the PM's wife, and I would imagine that many people here do as well. If they think she shouldn't be giving speeches about it, they can't have it both ways, they should be encouraging her for acting as a QC.

Well done Cherie for speaking out.

[hr]

University of St Andrews Clothing - http://www.standrewsclothing.com

[munchingfoo]

You are missing the point Ben. The last two pages of argueing have been about whether the crisisim of Cherie was sexist. That is why there are loads of references to her being married to the prime minister.

[hr]

[s]
My entire life in boolean logic

¬emptyGlass(pint) => drinking(Andy)
emptyGlass(pint) AND ¬stomach(full) => buy(pint)
emptyGlass(pint) AND stomach(full) => buy(vodka)
emptyGlass(vodka) => buy(vodka)
¬emptyGlass(vodka) => drinking(Andy) [/s]

[Prophet Tenebrae]

I thought that the point was that the criticism wasn't sexist or because she was succesful or anything like that. I thought we were criticising her because it was:

FUCKING STUPID!

Cherie could be an unemployed man married to Tony and that would still be true.

[hr]

IMAGE:www.btinternet.com/~brother.war/white10-2.gif

[Rufus]

With a mouth as wide and roomy as that, how can any man criticise Mrs Booth/Blair?!

Jesu.

[hr]

'Do you remember how long the days were when you were a child?'

[Guest]

Ms Booth/Blair/Write-me-a-large-cheque-and-I'll-open-an-anything is indeed a sucessful lawyer, her set of chambers, Matrix, spotted a gap in the market and proceeded to earn vast sums from the public purse from legal aid. (To such an extent that they were sigle-handedly able to expand the industry - she is a good entrepreneur in this regard).

However, to suggest that she is some how an intellectual that should be regarded as an oracle on all matters of 'human rights' is foolish.

As long as she lives in No. 10 and makes a fortune simply by being married to Tony, she has to realise that there must be some give by her rather then all take; in this case that means that she should shut her trap on issues on contentious constitutional debates which her husband is involved in.