The Sun

[pintsofguinness]

The man made a spelling mistake.

The guy died. It's a big deal. It shows you that the letter was nothing more than a token gesture. He could have checked the spelling.

he was probably more concerned about what he was going to write to people who just lost their son. 

[Minder]

I don't agree at all.

While I may seem pedantic on this if you had someone in your family in the army and they lost their life you'd like to think they lost it for a cause and weren't just another stat.

Brown tried to prove the former and ended up proving the latter. I'd take that as an insult and I ain't English.

It's being used for political agendas here but it's a major faux pas in my book.

Other than to their family they are just a "stat" though. Would people prefer if Brown said he was a "tremendously brave young man" even though that is the standard line and Brown would not lnow anything about him. Gordon Brown personally called the mother to apologise and I gather from the news tonight the call was recorded by the family/Sun and an account of it will be on the Sun tomorrow. Does nobody grieve in private anymore? The whole thing stinks.

[The Real Laoislad]

I don't agree at all.

While I may seem pedantic on this if you had someone in your family in the army and they lost their life you'd like to think they lost it for a cause and weren't just another stat.

Brown tried to prove the former and ended up proving the latter. I'd take that as an insult and I ain't English.

It's being used for political agendas here but it's a major faux pas in my book.

Other than to their family they are just a "stat" though. Would people prefer if Brown said he was a "tremendously brave young man" even though that is the standard line and Brown would not lnow anything about him. Gordon Brown personally called the mother to apologise and I gather from the news tonight the call was recorded by the family/Sun and an account of it will be on the Sun tomorrow. Does nobody grieve in private anymore? The whole thing stinks.

I had sympathy for them up until I read the part in bold

[pintsofguinness]

I don't agree at all.

While I may seem pedantic on this if you had someone in your family in the army and they lost their life you'd like to think they lost it for a cause and weren't just another stat.

Brown tried to prove the former and ended up proving the latter. I'd take that as an insult and I ain't English.

It's being used for political agendas here but it's a major faux pas in my book.

Other than to their family they are just a "stat" though. Would people prefer if Brown said he was a "tremendously brave young man" even though that is the standard line and Brown would not lnow anything about him. Gordon Brown personally called the mother to apologise and I gather from the news tonight the call was recorded by the family/Sun and an account of it will be on the Sun tomorrow. Does nobody grieve in private anymore? The whole thing stinks.

unreal!!

No one would blame Brown for getting a civil servant to write them in future. 
(cant believe I'm standing up for the English prime minister)!

[imtommygunn]

If other than to their family they were just a stat then there was no need to send any letter.

Public grief sickens my head too. It would also sicken my head to have the head of the country try to pretend they cared when they obviously couldn't care less.

Anyway, rant over as if they're getting this recorded then it's pretty sad really.

[Maguire01]

The man made a spelling mistake.

The guy died. It's a big deal. It shows you that the letter was nothing more than a token gesture. He could have checked the spelling.

A token gesture would be a standard letter, typed by a civil servant and signed by the PM (probably unread) when he's signing 100 other letters and documents.

The fact that a PM of a country with a population significantly bigger than our own is taking time to hand write letters to bereaved families... I think it's significantly more than a token gesture to still be hand writing your condolences, over 200 dead (British) soldiers later.

[haranguerer]

The man made a spelling mistake.

The guy died. It's a big deal. It shows you that the letter was nothing more than a token gesture. He could have checked the spelling.

But of course its a token gesture. Unless he can bring the lad back from the dead, everything is a token gesture. And a hand written note, with spelling mistakes and poor writing is much better than a printed letter signed by the pm,or nothing at all.

[ziggysego]

(cant believe I'm standing up for the English prime minister)!

Isn't he Scottish?

[ross4life]

why buy any type of newspaper nowadays sure all the news is online?

[Larry Duff]

This confirms my opinion that Sun readers are morons. Who would continue to buy a paper that carries these type of stories, let alone make it headline news?! The Sun is confirming that they also see the readership as nothing short of knuckle draggers, as this type of reporting insults the intelligence of those who possess such an attribute.

[Doogie Browser]

Its f**king sickening, I feel sorry for Brown on this  .  I am sure the family will donate all of their fee from the Sun to the Poppy appeal also.

[Sandino]

I have nothing but contemp for this publication. I have vowed never to buy it from the mid eighties. I would love to see its sales being so low that is with-drawn from shelves here in Ireland.

[haranguerer]

Confession time. I used to buy it because it was dirt cheap, had the Striker cartoon, and a good problem page. The thing is, there are loadsa people who do believe everything they see in it: theres an awful lot of sheep out there who will take someone elses opinion rather than having their own.

I think the Sun is probably a bit rattled. There was so much fanfare about the switch from labour that in a way they are up for election themselves - if the conservatives lose it will be a massive blow to them. And so they are going to be more overtly conservative, and also play dirtier than ever in trying to smear labour.

Its another reason I really hope the conservatives dont get in, but 

[BennyHarp]

This woman is an absolute disgrace using her dead son to get her 15mins of fame and Gordon Brown should have phoned to let her apologise to him for dragging his name through the dirt - not to apologise to a attention seeking oul woman who cares more about getting a back hander from The Sun than honouring her son's life - like Brown was attemptng to do! Young lads know what they are getting into when they join the army - many parents actively encourage them to join! So dont complain if you get sent to a war zone! I may be a bit harsh here but i have no sympathy at all!!

[oakleafgael]

Just watched it on the lunchtime news there. Whatever sympathy I had for the woman is now gone.