Flouquet’s gaffe ‘misjudged, but wasn’t malicious’
Monday 24th November 2008, 1:00PM GMT.
PUBLIC figures have offered their opinions on deputy chief minister Bernard Flouquet’s gaffe.
Ex-deputy John Langlois, who as a leading States member occupied a very similar position to Deputy Flouquet, said he thought it a bad idea for high-ranking politicians to have words such as golliwog in their subconscious.
‘If you don’t use such comments in your private life, they will not be there to slip out in public,’ he said, adding that he consciously avoided such language for that reason.
‘I don’t know when the last time I said “golliwog” was, probably as a kid. It is not a word I use so I don’t have to worry.’
Mr Langlois said he had taken courses to help him deal with such situations and recommended them to today’s deputies.
‘I had media training in the UK and it helped. You gain more awareness. You think through things seriously and learn to evaluate words before you say them – just as I am doing now.’ The advocate, who is the only ex-deputy to have been president of two departments at once, said if more politicians were more media-savvy, there would be far less need for PR.
‘Less PR means less spin – people would rely on their own professionalism and PR skills rather than relying on other people all the time.’
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From the press article
“Deputy Flouquet should resign from the States, according to poll on thisisguernsey.com”
I think the above statement is incorrect / misleading. If only 43% say he should resign from the states (press figures), then 57% (the majority) don’t think he should resign from the states. Of the 57%, 29% think he should resign as as deputy chief minister NOT from the states.
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Wrong Jamie!
a) You can take those who haven’t voted as saying he should stay, only 29% (of those voting) say that.
b) You can only vote on one choice so you what this actually means is that 71% think he SHOULD resign, they just differ in the degress of resignation.
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Would this story got as big if a local radio station hadn’t whipped things up in to a media feeding frenzy on Friday morning ?..
As I said before does everyone want to bring the communist’s back ?, Should we make Minister tow the party line and only do or think as they are told or esle..
The I though the SS left Guernsey in 1945, but it would seem some want dictatorship back.. Is this the a world we all want to live in.
Weather you like the guys or not.. He’s trying to do a good job of things…
Just remember better the devil you know then the one you don’t
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Jon,
I am not wrong !
The press comment that I am refering to says he should resign from the states according to the poll. This is not correct. Only 43% say this. Whilst the 28% that say he should resign as DCM have selected an option that contains the word resign, they have not voted for him to resign from the states.
Therefore the comment in the press is incorrect.
If it said that the vote clearly showed people wanted him to step down as DCM (71%) with 43% of those thinking he should resign from the states, then this would be accurate.
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Do you people really need to do courses to teach you not to be racist?
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I’m uncomfortable with the notion of someone displaying such questionable judgement being the Island’s spokesperson and figurehead on the International Stage – which could easily happen, if only on a temporary basis.
I think he should seriously reconsider his position as Deputy Chief Minister but not that he should leave the States altogether, former Conseillers have had much more to answer for and emerged totally unscathed.
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The elected Deputies should show backbone and sack him.
To consider this to be a joke in 2008 is bad enough, but to show such a lack of judgement when a TV camera is staring you in the face is farcical. If this is the quality of his judgement should he represent Guernsey, I think not After Fallagate then this and Lyndon Trott thinking it is OK to swear and bully fellow deputies why oh why are these people representing us?
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I dont think he is racist just plonker !
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Lol SAM – i take it you are referring to Melec’s post, however I doubt Melec will realise as such without you spelling it out.
Melec I think you will find it was the Germany army and Navy who surrendered, not the SS and they did not ‘leave’ Guernsey was liberated.
They surrendered because white AND black people fought to free Europe of the German tyranny. You might not be aware but black American fighter pilots (Tuskagee) were segregated from their white counterparts and had to eat, drink and socialise in seperate areas. This was well before Jessie Jackson expressed his disquiet about buses.
This is called marginalisation based on colour.
Racism is any remark made, intended or otherwise that offends the recipient or other parties – the remark made would be regarding colour, creed, religion or anything else that marginalises the recipient of person hearing it. Article 14 of the Human Rights Act states so.
So old Bernard has contravened one of the fundamental HRA Articles, and the HRA was introduced because of the German atrocities against the Jews and other people of different religion right or creed.
Melec – find a short pier and go for a long walk.
I’m no tree hugger and object to political correctness with the best of them, but racism is not a ‘joke’, unlike you who I find to be a proper joke (this is Freedom of speech Melec which is another fundamental Human Right).
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You do yourself no favours, Melec, by banging on about communism all the time. The ruling elites in the old Soviet style dictatorships were impervious to public opinion and were able to carry on regardless of what the masses thought of them. They could do and say whatever they wanted, with no public accountability whatsoever, and this is exactly how the States Policy Council seems to be behaving right now, with the honourable exception of Deputy Steere. They have closed ranks and have retired behind the walls of their Kremlin at Frossard House in the hope that they can carry on ignoring the will of the people. And talking about popular option, Peter, however you dress things up, it is clear that about 70 per cent of the hundreds taking part in the GP online poll want the Deputy Chief Comrade, at the very least, to step down as the island’s number two.
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Darren…. Very impressive rant….
You could make those guys who flew planes in to tall buildings in New York on 9/11 justified .. and the rest of us have just miss understood their religious beliefs..
And going what you’re saying I have no rights to discussed and appalled by their actions that would be discrimination against their religious beliefs ??????…
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Melec
I think you’ll find it was 11/9 as the 9th of November was a reletively uneventful day in New York.
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I find it astonishing that Flouquet has not had the good grace to resign and even more appalling that Trott hasn’t pressed the issue harder. He’s even stooped to the level that he’s trying to argue that he isn’t racist. Making jokes about ‘golliwogs’ IS racist, there is no getting around that whatsoever.
By trying to quickly sweep this under the carpet, our politicians are failing the island in two key regards. First, they are embarrassing us abroad by making us look like a racist backwater (if he retains his position, his racism will reflect on us all). This is hardly going to endear us to the UK, let alone a US President who thinks we’re a dodgy tax haven.
Second, they are failing to serve the public equally. Although we’re all well aware that the interests of the Finance Industry always takes precendence (often with good reason provided the wealth creation extends to other dependent industries) our politicians should at least keep up a pretence that they represent everybody. I don’t know how some of my colleagues feel now thinking that their politicians are happy to work for a Deputy Chief Minister who thinks ‘golliwog’ jokes are funny, although I suspect they would consider the Government less approachable than others.
Deputy Flouquet’s actions have made him untenable as a representative politician. He is unable to serve the island as a whole, so we should not be paying him to do so.
Flouquet, we don’t want to be tarred with the same brush as you. Put Guernsey before your job. Do the honourable thing and resign.
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Steven, I think your smartass remark about 9/11 denegrates the memory of the innocents who perished that day. Killed by Islamists who can call us ‘ kaffirs’ and ‘infidels’ and incite hatred with impunity. We on the other hand cannot make any remarks about their beliefs or ethnicity without calls for Jihad or Fatwah. Your remark/joke makes the misjudged comment by the DCM fade into insignificance.
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So why then are Flouquets comments travelling so fast around the world?? Meaningless?
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Wandervogel
I think you are nit picking against Steven for the sake of scoring a cheap point which you know you have already lost?
Maybe you need to concentrate your efforts on what the topic actually is!
Think wisely before you post!
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I think you need to educate yourself better Steven. Melec is indeed correct in using the terminology 9/11 as the date format in the USA is generally placed as MM/DD/(YY), thus 9/11 signifying SEP/11.
Ironically it is you who has provided the NOV/9 date and therefore indicated your own stupidity.
I take it you have never seen the news and heard the term 9/11!
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Do any of you live in the USA, do any of you want to live in the USA, so why are you all giving this Man a hard time. Do you really care who is the next President. I dont think so. You are all Guernsey People looking for something to moan about, leave the Island now and again, there is life after Guernsey. Think about your hate for Mainlanders, no one can live on your Island, but you can go there and claim everything going, no one can come to Guernsey easy, so what is your problem. The Man made a comment, dont we all, think about it!!!!
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