Not So Plain, Janes

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I thought I'd wander over to the Mail online site as I was feeling lazy and knew I would be pushing at an open door. There was bound to be an endless supply of spelling and grammar mistakes in the comments on the Brown Letter. Imagine my surprise at finding a sympathetic hearing for our flailing PM. What's going on? Is this a sign of compassion breaking out, or just an indication that Mail readers see themselves as a cut above The Sun?

• What kind of society are we becoming? I am not a labour supporter but stop kicking a man when he's down. He made the effort to hand write a letter at least, nothing he does seems to be right.
  
  The man lost a baby and his second child has cystic fibrosis, he's not exactly had an easy time of it. I feel people are being excessively cruel and need to lay off a bit.

  - Kelly, Cheam, Surrey, 9/11/2009 12:37

  Click to rate Rating 1668

  I am not a supporter of Gordon Brown and suspect I never will be. But... However badly the letter was written, it was written by hand. It would be oh so easy to write a template or two and insert the appropriate names. The letter would be well written, gramatically perfect and with and with flawless spelling. But it would be meaningless. The man put his own pen to his own paper. And for that, deserves some credit.

  - Allan P, Plymouth Devon, 9/11/2009 18:01

These are heavily supported in the ratings whilst the worst rated are these:

• I don't understand all the apologists for Gordon Brown. This man has wrecked our country, where is the sympathy for the jobless and all those losing their homes and businesses? The letter is an insult to the memory of a brave man, no wonder Mrs Janes was upset.

  - Caroline, England, 9/11/2009 12:34

  Click to rate Rating -482
• and we wonder why we are a global laughing stock!!!!

  - Danny Boy, lancs England, 9/11/2009 12:37

On the face of it, the letter does look shabby and anyone who has redrafted a covering letter to accompany an application form will be aware of the time it can take to attain perfection. However, this was clearly a personal matter. Given that the Government has access to highly paid spinmeisters and advisers, one may have felt that someone had dropped the executive stress ball, but this is surely symptomatic of Brown's modus operandi.

That Ms Janes should choose to make this public via the offices of The Sun shows her in a less than perfect light. That she should then compound that by allowing her telephone conversation to be recorded (without consent) and a transcript published in this disgraceful rag, does her son's memory more harm than good.

Perhaps - just perhaps - even Mail readers consider that to be a step too far.