I feel sorry for him. These were comments that he intended to make quietly in private and which got accidentally broadcast. Plenty of times at work I've uttered impolite things when the phone has rang whilst I'm in the middle of something, only to pick the phone up and behave pleasantly to the person on the other end.
Everyone behaves differently in private compared with publicly when you're having to deal with people all the time.
Labour aren't getting my vote mind you, but that's because of my MP's support for the Mandybill and has nothing to do with this gaffe. Of course, Brown is a tit for saying something like this whilst having a microphone strapped to him, but there you go!
"Everyone" isn't trying to get the people that they're talking to, to vote for them though.
I do feel sorry for him, and it has been blown out of proportion (which was inevitable), but that doesn't mean it was alright.
There was an interview on local radio (BRMB) with PR bloke Max Clifford earlier today about this.
Max Clifford said that by the end of next week she could have earned £250k from this by selling her story to the papers.
Gordon Brown can insult me all he likes in public if I could get that!!!