Row Over Misspelling of Dead Soldier's Name
Brown is Attacked for Misspelling the Name of a War Casualty
The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has been criticised for reportedly misspelling the surname of a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan, in a handwritten letter which was sent to his family.
Origins of the Row
On Monday, Nov. 9, the mother of Jamie Janes who was killed by a bomb on Oct. 5, went public with the information through The Sun newspaper. The Sun also pointed out a number of errors that Brown made in the letter. Guardsman Janes was killed by an explosion whilst on patrol in Helmand Province.
Mrs Janes stated that "He couldn't even be bothered to get our family name right. That made me so angry". She also said that it was "disrespectful" of the Prime Minister.
Gordon Brown's Apology to Soldier's Mother
Brown telephoned Janes to apologise for the misspelling. He said that he was sorry "for any unintended mistakes" and admitted that his handwriting could be "difficult to read". During the phone conversation, Janes apparently berated the Prime Minister over the lack of helicopters which are available in Afghanistan, which she claims to be the reason that he died.
In a statement, Brown said, "I take very seriously my responsibility to the bereaved."
Janes said that she accepts his apology, and admitted that "he's got a difficult job."
Brown has previously admitted he has problems with his eyesight, having had an accident whilst playing rugby as a child. Lord Peter Mandleson, the Secretary of State for Business has said, "Anyone who knows the prime minister knows that his handwriting is not great."
Brown lost his own daughter, in January 2002, at just ten days old (For more information, see here).
Backlash of the Incident
Lord Mandleson defended the prime minister on the BBC's Today programme, accusing the Sun of "crude politicking". The Sun recently publicly announced that it was switching political allegiances from Brown's Labour Party, to the Conservative Party.
Janes' brother, Ian Cox who is himself a war veteran, and who has a son who has just returned from Afghanistan, stated that "I totally disagree with what my sister has said, as does most of her family. It is an absolute tragedy Jamie is dead. We cannot bring him back. But I do feel that my family owes the PM an apology after he has been so viciously attacked."
Many comments were posted on the Sun's website attacked the way the newspaper has gone about dealing with the story. The BBC's Radio 5 Live presenters talked about the number of 'anti-Sun' comments they had been receiving.
Sources:
Politics.co.uk
The Guardian
BBC News
The Independent
Gordon Brown
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