I can understand why he didn't, to be honest. Of course he couldn't have called her a bigot to her face - the tempest in the media would have been far worse, as well as the outrage among the populace who already don't like him too much. The fact that he did say what he did in what he thought was in private may be the only thing that saves this from being an actual disaster for the campaign - people, bar the media, are too cognisant of times they've said things about people in private that they would never want aired.

I'm glad, however, that he recognises bigotry when he sees it. That's pretty much what I've taken away from this.

The problem is there are lots of 'good' people elsewhere who are prepared to do the job cheaper. And the EU has the laudable aim of getting everyone to the same standard of living, normalising pay rates. And of course it would be fair for the same to be true for the whole world. But we can't afford that environmentally.

At least well regulated jobs based in Britain have a level playing field for living costs, but immigration controls can't prevent outsourcing.

There is no defensible moral stance for preserving our privileged position, but none of us want to lose it.

Frankly how many of us have left a meeting with our boss, colleagues or a client and have said *in confidence* after "What a prat"? He just unfortunately had a live mike on.

I shouldn't have been surprised that whilst the media were all over Brown's comments, what was actually said in the conversation went relatively unreported.

When I went looking for them, actually I pretty much agreed with him saying that she was "sort of a bigoted woman". She wasn't a raving loony, but the language she used to express herself regarding immigration gave the impression that she saw Eastern Europeans as almost less than human (talking about them "flocking" and "swarming").

Mostly, immigrants (even those from Eastern Europe) don't claim benefits or "take our council houses". And yet, there are areas of the country where there is real pressure on public services due to unexpected changes in the shape of the population in the last few years - I remember a few years ago someone from Glasgow City Council told me they had applications for 2000 extra children to enter the school system one September. What goes for schools might also go for doctors, dentists but also the housing rental market, for example.

Politicians can't brush off these concerns, and they are right to respond in public to the issues raised even if the language used is inappropriate.

As a foreignor in this land, I have to admit that people do have biggoted feelings about my likes taking jobs that should be for English people. I am lucky in that I havonly been racially abused a few times in the work place. My skin colour and accent deflect. Much vitiol that is usually saved for my Asian and black colleagues who are actually British.

The free movement of people within the EU is not a bad thing at all, but this is confused with illegal immigrants and immigration from other non EU countries.

I am with Clegg on the legalising and TAXING people who are here 10 years illegally. I want thier NI and and Imcome tax in the Revenue coffers.

Brown made a stupid mistake. He was caught.

Meanwhile - I have major issues with the U-CUNF's.
I notice Haig never mentioned his fellow parties issues over gay people, their attempts to reinstitute discrimination and the lack of rights for women who want an abortion in Northern Ireland. Let alone how it was the only party that wanted to block progress in devolution and want to disband the parades commission. Go conservitive unionists.

Your last paragraph has expressed something that bothered me but I didn't know why, thank you.