To spell or not to spell.

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To spell or not to spell.

by avenscent @ 2009-11-10 – 13:41:16

A woman received a letter of condolances from Gordon Brown after her son was killed in action and the spelling was so bad she made it public. Would you have done that or just ignored it, should she have just been grateful to get a letter from the PM?

I think its all wrong that our men are out there in the first place, i have heard all the reasons why they are there and i am still not convinced its the right thing.

I myself have been critisized over my spelling and i think i am quite a good speller. I have seen teachers who are far worse spellers than i am. My daughter had a letter from my grandsons teacher to say he had been accepted for the local rugby team and we laughed at the spelling it was a joke coming from a teacher.

Never the less we would expect our prime minister to be able to spell correctly wouldnt we? of all people.
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32 Comments to To spell or not to spell.

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- malakeas ^Pro
- http://www.blog.co.uk/user/malakeas
- 2009-11-10 @ 13:55:10
I would not make that letter public but continue to quietly grieve. But that is me. X
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- avenscent
- 2009-11-10 @ 13:58:35
Me too Malakea.xx
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- sparkles101
- http://sparkles101.blog.co.uk
- 2009-11-10 @ 14:25:53
Oh that's terrible, i support the girls and lads out there doing their job however you'd expect that an official letter would have the word speller run over it.... espeically with such a sensitive letter as this.... no excuse AT all XXX
- - avenscent
  - 2009-11-11 @ 11:39:31
  Yes i would have thought some one should have checked it over before it was sent out,such an important letter really.xxx
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- boredrich
- 2009-11-10 @ 14:45:33
it really is terrible that the PM got thier name wrong among other spelling mistakes but I would be too busy grieveing to make it public. I cant talk anyway my spelling is aweful
- - avenscent
  - 2009-11-11 @ 11:40:38
  I think like you i would be grieving far too much to care about any spelling mistake he might have made.xxx
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- h8rp3r
- 2009-11-10 @ 15:35:23
Ok, he misspelled her name. He corrected a spelling mistake of her son's name. Yes, it would upset her, you can't deny that, but look at it from the other side.

He is the Prime Minister of the UK. That's millions of people. That's also thousands of families with sons and daughters, sisters and brothers fighting abroad for us. And yet he HAND WRITES each and every letter of condolence to the families. We have had many young men and women killed in the line of duty. Six more returned home this week in coffins. That's six more letters on top of everything else he has to do to run this country.

Gordon Brown does not strike me as the best person to be writing these letters, yet he does. Would people rather a computer spewed out bog standard letters created in mail merge and signed by a flunky instead? Yes, he made mistakes but at least give the man credit for trying to do the right thing and adding a personal touch to something no person really wants to write and send out to a grieving family.

I would also have been upset but I think turning it into a media circus is wrong. The woman in question is grieving, hurt and angry but she's taking it out on Gordon Brown because she doesn't know how else to deal with it. I sympathise with her, I really do, but it's gone too far.

Sorry for the strong post, but as much as I feel for the mother in question, for once I actually find myself admiring Gordon Brown for sending personal replies.
- - trintrin1x
  - 2009-11-10 @ 16:35:50
  I agree,the guy is only human after all and should not have been subjected to this media circus.I was going to write a post about this last night but as i do not follow politics i thought i might be causing a storm in a teacup so never wrote it xx
  - - h8rp3r
    - 2009-11-10 @ 16:59:05
    I have to admit, I don't follow politics that much. I do try now and then but it's so dry and deathly dull - it just seems like a lot of squabbles and posturing all the time. (I'm glad you agree - I imagined the first reply to my post to be telling me where to go! lol)
    
    But at the same time, despite my lack of political knowledge.... I didn't know he wrote letters by hand till this hit the news. I work as PA to the director of a research institute. My boss is rushed off his feet most days and that's from running an institute of a couple of hundred people. I can't imagine the pressure the PM is under, yet he finds time to write those letters. Maybe the spelling mistakes could have been rectified. Maybe someone should have proofed it before it went out. Mistakes were made. Even so, he does not deserve the level of criticism that's been handed out to him.
    
    I'm terrible for sticking up for the under dog and that's how he appears to me at this moment in time!
    - - trintrin1x
      - 2009-11-10 @ 17:03:10
      Exactly and i gather he isn't flavour of the month with a lot of people to begin with (reccesion etc)so i didn't want people telling me i don't know what i am talking about xx
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  - - avenscent
    - 2009-11-11 @ 11:44:58
    I was interested to see other peoples point of view because i would be so grief stricken i dont think i would have cared how Gordon Brown had spelt anything.xx
    - - trintrin1x
      - 2009-11-11 @ 11:56:21
      That is so true xx
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- - free-bird ^Pro
  - 2009-11-10 @ 21:21:47
  well done - i completely agree with that!!
  ok so he should have spelt it right - but as you said already at least he writes them himself!
  x
  - - avenscent
    - 2009-11-11 @ 11:51:35
    Yes.xx
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- janetweightreed
- http://www.janetweightreed10.blog.co.uk
- 2009-11-10 @ 15:59:26
I have to say that I agree with Malaxxx
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- anyak
- http://www.animalsrights.blog.co.uk
- 2009-11-10 @ 16:09:46
i cant spell and i wouldnt make such a fuss and its the thought that counts he was decent enough to write something
- - avenscent
  - 2009-11-11 @ 11:46:42
  Exactly.xx
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- Bushka ^Pro
- Bushka
- 2009-11-10 @ 17:01:12
My first reaction was...How much is she being paid by 'The Sun'? Whoever the writer or speller may be......I echo the valuable comment of h8rp3r above!
- - avenscent
  - 2009-11-11 @ 11:52:41
  Yes:x
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- jenray ^Pro
- http://www.jenniferhunter.co.uk
- 2009-11-10 @ 17:09:18
I concur with Bushka...how much is she being paid by the Sun? Apparently, she berated Gordon Brown on the phone for the lack of helicopters which could have saved her poor son's life??? He died in a helicopter on the way to the hospital...a helicopter fully equipped to handle seriously injured personnel...he had lost both his legs from the knees down, one hand and his face was blown off! How on earth did she think his life could have been saved? And would he wanted to have been saved with such appalling injuries...I think how she has behaved is extremely badly, but I still feel very sorry for the death of such a young man...too many are dying now, and for what? Very little it seems...GBHs...XXX
- - h8rp3r
  - 2009-11-10 @ 22:00:53
  Yep agree with you there - why are our men and women dying? Too many times it seems the efforts of our army health professionals fail and it has nothing to do with their ability or equipment and everything to do with the appalling injuries our troops are receiving in the line of duty.
  
  Did you know that The Sun has a transcript of the conversation with Gordon Brown? It's like they've turned into a lynch mob! The Sun has a strong readership so no doubt have the cash to pay someone to help them get a point across.
  
  Sorry for yet another comment on this story but it does raise a lot of questions!
  - - jenray ^Pro
    - http://www.jenniferhunter.co.uk
    - 2009-11-10 @ 22:19:18
    Yes, I did know they had a transcript of the conversation...disgraceful behaviour on the part of the Sun but not surprised, it is a rag, and the soldier's mother didn't get any money apparently...but she has done herself no favours with her response to Gordon Brown's letter...now that it has come out that his eyesight is failing in his good eye as well and can only see what he's writing if he uses a felt tip pen, I think a lot of people will feel for him rather than her...I know she's lost her son, but a bit of dignity might have been better than her response...I'm angry every time I hear that somebody has died who is either under 19 or just around 20 or so...these youngsters are far too young to be dying at the rate they are...or terribly injured...we're not hearing much about how many are seriously injured...I'd like to know that information as well because I think we'd be pretty horrified...we should never have gone into Iraq and we should never have gone into Afghanistan...the death toll in both countries and our own is totally unacceptable, and what has been achieved...very little as far as I can see, and Iraq as become a haven for plunder and corruption on a massive scale...enormous amounts of money have disappeared and corrupt people have made fortunes, and all courtesy of the tax payers for all involved...deep sighs...GBHs...XXX
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  - - avenscent
    - 2009-11-11 @ 13:28:05
    Yes this is where things can go wrong when people make things public and of course this was bound to lead to some controvosy being the PM and this war effort.xx
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- - avenscent
  - 2009-11-11 @ 12:00:04
  Personally i dont think she as done herself any favours making a fool of the PM i think maybe she should have kept quiet and grieved as we usually do at the loss of some one close.
  
  There was a lad on tv only yesterday who had lost both legs and an arm hopeing to make a life of some kind for himself having now got over the initial wounding and loss. There was another lad who had terrible face and head injurys also trying to put his life together so they can some times be saved and have a fairly worth while life, some times more worth while than those who have all there facultys who do nothing with them.xxx
  - - jenray ^Pro
    - http://www.jenniferhunter.co.uk
    - 2009-11-11 @ 12:54:06
    these young men and women who are gravely injured put on brave faces for the camera, but, behind the scenes, their lives are not so rosy...they've got their whole lives ahead of them bearing terrible scars and physical handicaps...believe me, even a minor handicap like my curvature of the spine has had a huge effect on my life, so heaven only knows what the effect on theirs...GBHs...XXX
    - - avenscent
      - 2009-11-11 @ 13:01:32
      I marriad a charming man jen who had fatal injurys in a motor bike accident, he lost a leg and had an eight hour op on his useless damaged arm and he is happy with his life a lot as to do with the spirit of a person. There are people who physically have it all who are miserbul and moan all the time and there are those who are severely disabled who are happy and fun to be with.xx
      - jenray ^Pro
        
        http://www.jenniferhunter.co.uk
        
        2009-11-11 @ 13:04:50
        
        Oh, I'm not disputing that for one minute, avenscent....you can find happiness in your life with all sorts of problems, but it definitely depends on the inner strength of a person as to whether they can live with deformities and severe handicaps...your husband has found happiness and acceptance with you and that's wonderful, but an awful lot will remain on their own for the rest of their lives and that's very sad...GBHs...XXX
        
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        avenscent
        
        2009-11-11 @ 13:35:10
        
        He got on with his life well before he met me he had marriad and had three kids. yes your right it is inner strength character which is important. A weak minded person would not be able to deal with it but amazingly strength often comes with these things and it is foolish of those who think it cant happen to them.
        
        A beautiful young woman was scared for life by a bloke throwing acid in her beautiful face she as learned to live with her terrible scars.xxx
        
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- ravingmad
- 2009-11-10 @ 22:59:12
Much as I dislike Gordon Brown, I have to say that my sympathies lie with him on this one. At least he bothered to write her a personal letter, and OK maybe his spelling isn't up to much, but the letter should have been proof read by someone before it was sent out. I think it was very bad form of her to make it public. You would have thought she would have been too deep in grieving her son's death to find the fortitude to complain about it. I think that says a lot about her, and it's not saying much in her favour!
- - avenscent
  - 2009-11-11 @ 12:05:14
  yes it should Have been proof read before being sent out coming from some one so important. And yes i think it was bad form to make it public. And yes i would have been grieving far too much to care wether Gordon Brown had spelt correctly or not. And as we dont understand the minds of others it appears not to do much in her favour.xxx
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- blckbird ^Pro
- blckbird
- 2009-11-15 @ 17:39:44
I wud critize no one four their spelin or sintacs or four their writin. I now too academiks who have dificultie writin and reedin, can niether spel but both teech.
- - avenscent
  - 2009-11-16 @ 11:42:00
  hahaaaaaaaaaaaa
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