The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

[redjonn]

15 minutes ago, Dave T said:

The previous sports minister didn't and wouldn't do this and RL's profile hasn't changed. 

She has loads of these gaffes, it is 100% on her. 

you may be right but for clarity the Sports Minister is Nigel Huddleston...

whom reports to Nadine Dorris, whom of course heads DCMS

Hopefully as you say the actual Sports Minister knows more about the various sports than Nadine.

Edited June 30, 2022 by redjonn

[The Hallucinating Goose]

I didn't realise the 2003 women's world cup was won with a drop goal considering NZ won it 58-0. 

Edited June 30, 2022 by The Hallucinating Goose

[JohnM]

27 minutes ago, Desert Skipper said:

Well, am I the only who thinks this equally (if not more) embarrassing for Rugby Union? The fact that the minister for sport thought that Johnny Pimms and the boys played Rugby League?

To be fair, Jason Robinson was interviewed after that World Cup game so I can understand if she was confused by the regional accent and colloquialisms.

To be fair? You have no right to post that sort of thing on this thread. Being fair doesn't come into it when it comes to scoffing from the sidelines by the usual suspects.

Edited June 30, 2022 by JohnM

[Tommygilf]

53 minutes ago, phiggins said:

I doubt it is that common amongst people speaking at Rugby League World Cup events

As I said originally it is disappointing that this includes the Government minister (and presumably their speech writers), but not surprising.

[Eddie]

All publicity is good publicity, rugby league has even made the Daily Telegraph headlines which must be unprecedented https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-league/2022/06/30/2003-drop-goal-nadine-dorries-says-jonny-wilkinson-kick-favourite/

[Desert Skipper]

2 minutes ago, Eddie said:

All publicity is good publicity, rugby league has even made the Daily Telegraph headlines which must be unprecedented https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-league/2022/06/30/2003-drop-goal-nadine-dorries-says-jonny-wilkinson-kick-favourite/

Yes this one is fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you see it) the case for rugby league. Very few people outside the sport will know the World Cup is on this year, and we don’t have the resources to make a big issue of it.

This sort of stuff at least makes national headlines. I’d like to think it was cunningly engineered by our chiefs

[Dave T]

22 minutes ago, redjonn said:

you may be right but for clarity the Sports Minister is Nigel Huddleston...

whom reports to Nadine Dorris, whom of course heads DCMS

Hopefully as you say the actual Sports Minister knows more about the various sports than Nadine.

If clarity is so important to you, I'm surprised you didn't use the correct terms for these roles.

[Eddie]

2 minutes ago, Desert Skipper said:

Yes this one is fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you see it) the case for rugby league. Very few people outside the sport will know the World Cup is on this year, and we don’t have the resources to make a big issue of it.

This sort of stuff at least makes national headlines. I’d like to think it was cunningly engineered by our chiefs

Yep, whatever you think of Nadine Dorries (I’m indifferent personally) she has at least boosted the nations knowledge of the RLWC. 

[Chris22]

What a day for Portico Vine though! Most exciting thing to happen in Portico since...well, I'm not sure really!

[redjonn]

6 minutes ago, Dave T said:

If clarity is so important to you, I'm surprised you didn't use the correct terms for these roles.

well maybe I could have said Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Minster for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society... but when talking about one of his specific area's it is normal to say Minister of Sport or Sports Minister.... sorry about that.

My key amusement or maybe what I saw as irony was that people were criticising Nadine for not knowing about the two different rugby codes. Whilst not realising that the Minister of Sport was someone else, a sort of error similar I guess to not knowing the difference in rugby's given we are all interested in sport and maybe would know that difference.

[Dave T]

9 minutes ago, redjonn said:

well maybe I could have said Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Minster for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society... but when talking about one of his specific area's it is normal to say Minister of Sport or Sports Minister.... sorry about that.

My key amusement or maybe what I saw as irony was that people were criticising Nadine for not knowing about the two different rugby codes. Whilst not realising that the Minister of Sport was someone else, a sort of error similar I guess to not knowing the difference in rugby's given we are all interested in sport and maybe would know that difference.

Just as you yourself used the incorrect title, people are guilty of that because these titles are lengthy, and change often. Short hand titles are used

 

But ultimately she is the Secretary of State for various areas, including Sport, she is more senior than Huddleston. Oliver Dowden was her predecessor and didn't make these mistakes, and this role (different names) was previously held my Jeremy Hunt who was credited with the London Olympics. 

Your clarity, doesn't clarify anything, and the point that suggests it's a similar error to what she did at an official function is bizarre. 

Edited June 30, 2022 by Dave T

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, Tommygilf said:

Assuming that Rugby is one thing is very common.

In my experience it tends to be that there is an automatic assumption that if you say rugby you mean rugby union.

Also in my experience, I’ve never had to explain to anyone who has lived in this country for any length of time that rugby league exists. I have had to to people from outside the UK. And for both groups I’ve had to explain some of the differences.

I would never have expected to have to explain to anyone drawing a salary to control sport in this country that that there are two sports.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Didn't that game in 2003 kickoff at about 11 in the morning our time?

[Eddie]

10 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

In my experience it tends to be that there is an automatic assumption that if you say rugby you mean rugby union.

Also in my experience, I’ve never had to explain to anyone who has lived in this country for any length of time that rugby league exists. I have had to to people from outside the UK. And for both groups I’ve had to explain some of the differences.

I would never have expected to have to explain to anyone drawing a salary to control sport in this country that that there are two sports.

I don’t know if people who don’t know there are two codes think rugby means rugby union, they just won’t know (or care) about either code so think it’s just rugby - they won’t have heard of or care about rugby union either. 

[paulwalker71]

Granted it has created publicity, but she's an embarrassment.

It's irrelevant that lots of people don't understand the difference in the two codes, it's literally HER JOB to understand what Rugby League is.

I understand she probably knows nothing about Rugby League, but these people have a legion of underlings and get briefing papers to read on the train on the way.

Do your homework, that's why we are paying you!

[Dallas Mead]

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

Sorry that's rubbish - the majority are perfectly aware, just not interested 

Sorry that’s rubbish.

[latchford albion]

Does she know that Channel 4 show rugby league?

[The Future is League]

3 hours ago, The Phantom Horseman said:

At a RL World Cup event today - multiple journos relating that Ms Dorries said "I’ve always quite liked the idea of rugby league and my long standing memory is that 2003 drop goal. I think we were drinking Bloody Mary’s at the time… but wow, what a moment that was."

I'm genuinely still not quite sure that the journos aren't all engaged in some elaborate parody, but given who it is, maybe not.

Her speech writer needs to be sacked for starters for being totally incompetent 

[Dallas Mead]

10 minutes ago, latchford albion said:

Does she know that Channel 4 show rugby league?

Too late, it’s privatised.  The tories know the price of everything and the value of nothing….

[The storm]

2 hours ago, kiggy said:

I think she must have had a few breakfast Bloody Mary's this morning too.

Its almost beyond belief

Invite liz truss next time

[gingerjon]

14 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I don’t know if people who don’t know there are two codes think rugby means rugby union, they just won’t know (or care) about either code so think it’s just rugby - they won’t have heard of or care about rugby union either. 

Either way, regardless, the Secretary of State for Sport, at a Rugby League World Cup event, embarrassed herself and the sport.

Still, she only gets £145,492 from the taxpayer to do her job. Can't be expected to know anything about her remit on such a pittance.

[Futtocks]

1 minute ago, The storm said:

Invite liz truss next time

I suppose "Paul Marquet" sounds a bit like "Pork Markets", so she'd be (sort of) on the right track. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Marquet

[marklaspalmas]

Apologies if already posted, but my favourite tweet so far....
 

 

[Dunbar]

I care little for party politics. 

But this government has made a lot of noise about a 'Northern Powerhouse' and 'leveling up' and indeed it was suggested that winning the Rugby League World Cup and playing games predominantly in the North was part of this narrative. 

This World Cup (sport) is on the BBC across multiple platforms (digital and media) and is being played out in this 'Northern Powerhouse' (culture).

I would suggest the least the Minister and her team could do was know which sport she was talking about.

[Dave T]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

Either way, regardless, the Secretary of State for Sport, at a Rugby League World Cup event, embarrassed herself and the sport.

Still, she only gets £145,492 from the taxpayer to do her job. Can't be expected to know anything about her remit on such a pittance.

People would rather use it as a chance to criticise RL for lack of awareness, ignoring the fact that the WC and indeed events like this morning's are us doing something about that. 

Interestingly, the comments on twitter don't highlight that they didnt know about RL, most were saying things like 'even I knew.... ".