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Cabinet minister: Brits are 'bloody miserable'

Friday, 20 Jun 2008 10:33
Mr Harris is facing criticism for the comments
The junior transport minister has caused a minor political storm by calling his countrymen "bloody miserable".

Writing on his blog, Tom Harris, MP for Glasgow South, said Britain had never had it so good, but that it had not made most Britons any less grumpy.

"There are more two-car homes in Britain today than there are homes without a car at all," he said.

"We live longer, eat healthier (if we choose), have better access to forms of entertainment never imagined a generation ago (satellite TV, DVD, computer games), the majority of us have fast access to the worldwide web, which we use to enable even more spending and for entertainment. Crime is down.

"So why is everyone so bloody miserable?

"What happened to that post-war optimism and commitment to common values?" he continues.

"Are they gone forever and if so, why? If not, how can we bring them back?"

The blog provoked an instant response from the Tories, with shadow treasury chief secretary Philip Hammond saying: "The short answer to Mr Harris's question asking why everyone is so miserable is, 'We've got Gordon Brown as our prime minister'."


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  • we have one car! after the new tax kicks in we won't be able to afford that one.Unlike Mr Harris we don't have a decent wage and gold plated pension .We have worked hard all our life and just manage to keep our head above water! He may have plenty to smile about we don't! Mind you Mr Harris may not be so chirpy after the next election.Make the most of it while you can! Barbara Neri, Barnstaple

  • I've been here for two years now from america, and this is the first time ive finally seen someone admit it, except from people i meet. But he's not lying. It is true, i ask almost everyday why the hell is everyone so snotty, stuck up , and miserable. Is it british tradition, weather, or the limescale in the water? You have the best system in the world to live by, and i'm quite jealous, but i love the british system. I could never get the benefits you all get here, in america or anywhere for that matter. If i walk down the street , pass someone and say hello, they act miserable, might not even say anything, what is that?. And it upsets me to keep trying it daily. So now i just stop speaking and join in with everyone else. Even the teens are as well. And they have everything we didnt. People live next door to each other for years and dont even speak. ????? I'm lost. Guess i'll just get what i came for and move to another country without the disrespectfulness. And to my fellow brits who think i'm wrong , just travel to another country , and look at the difference. Tariq, London

  • Well happiness isn't down to having 'two cars' on your drive, far from it! We have come to realise that these big vibatious entertainment complexes which are now situated in every town and city are maybe not what we need. Its time to revert back to what made Britain the great Country it once was and still could be. COMMUNITY SPIRIT! We all work so hard and long so we can have our very own two cars, we no longer have time to socialise and when we do it becomes a chore. which whilst partaking in it all we are thinking about is whats going on at work! I say we have become a nation of greedy, money grabbers and have forgotten the real meaning of happiness! Ryan Toal, Birmingham

  • Mr Harris needs to stop taking those drugs, and return to the real world. We are all being taxed to the hilt, Gordon Brown is helping to sell us all down the river. If Mr Harris, earned our wages, and had to buy fuel, food, pay all bills (we can't claim back expenses like he can) then he too would be bloody miserable. Send him down here to suffolk, and make him pay his own way. David Searle, Woodbridge

  • Well happiness isn't down to having 'two cars' on your drive, far from it! We have come to realise that these big vibatious entertainment complexes which are now situated in every town and city are maybe not what we need. Its time to revert back to what made Britain the great Country it once was and still could be. COMMUNITY SPIRIT! We all work so hard and long so we can have our very own two cars, we no longer have time to socialise and when we do it becomes a chore, which whilst partaking in it all we are thinking about is whats going on at work! I say we have become a nation of greedy, money grabbers and have forgotten the real meaning of happiness! Ryan Toal, Birmingham

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