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Jamie Bulger’s mother is ‘wrong kind of victim’
Brendan O’Neill: Liberal media find Denise Fergus too uncouth for their taste
Why does the liberal media have it in for Denise Fergus, mother of murdered toddler James Bulger, describing her Justice for James campaign as "threatening", her supporters as a "lynch mob", and Fergus herself as being possessed of "Scouse self-delusion"?
It isn't because these high-minded journalists oppose the idea of the victims of crime showing their wounds in public or getting to have special meetings with politicians or the police. Indeed, their fawning support for Doreen Lawrence, mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, shows that they love victims as much as any tabloid.
No, it is because Denise Fergus is the wrong kind of victim. Too angry, too foul-mouthed, too uncouth, too much make-up, too working-class, too Liverpudlian.
The problem with Fergus is that she hasn't learned the cosmopolitan etiquette of how to be a Respectable Victim, one who is capable of giving intelligent interviews to the Guardian or delivering quietly profound speeches at conferences on crime, and the broadsheets hate her for it.
For the past decade, since Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, the killers of James Bulger, were released on life licence in 2001, the respectable media have had their knives out for Fergus.
Just because she says things like "I am still full of hate" and expresses the view that Venables and Thompson should have stayed in jail for life - perfectly understandable emotions for the mother of the toddler they killed - the media look upon her as a one-woman lynch mob.
In 2001, Charlotte Raven sneered at Fergus's "back alley threats" against Venables and Thompson, and said she and her supporters should be "condemned to rot in Kirby [in Liverpool] until such time as society is satisfied they no longer present a threat". She said Fergus's victim act was a product of "Scouse self-delusion" and fretted about the threat posed by "Scouse justice" to child criminals in Britain.
Mary Riddell expressed the same sentiments, only more politely. Under the headline "The mob must not rule", she damned the "spirit of hatred and vengeance" leaking from the Denise Fergus bandwagon, and described Justice for James as "anachronistic, even threatening".
More recently, as the adult Venables has been recalled to prison, Fergus's name has once again appeared next to the insulting tag "lynch mob". Her arguments that she has a right to know what Venables is suspected of have led to accusations that she is stirring up a "baying mob".
One broadsheet reporter even accuses her of helping to generate "monstrous, unsubstantiated fears of young people" - which is remarkable considering it was the government, aided by the scaremongering media, which turned the Bulger killing into evidence that Britain's feral youth were out of control and subsequently introduced everything from tougher youth sentencing to ASBOs to try to deal with Britain's alleged gangs of half-children/half-animals.
The treatment of Fergus and her supporters as a pogrom waiting to happen, who might at any minute dispense vigilante justice against anyone who looks or smells like Venables or Thompson, shows that there is a strict hierarchy in today's politics of victimhood. There are Good Victims, dignified and worth listening to, and there are Bad Victims from the wrong side of the tracks who should shut up or ideally be "condemned to rot in Kirby".
So the liberal media continually indulges Doreen Lawrence, the softly-spoken, intelligent mother of Stephen, because she puts her victim status to what they consider to be good use: making the case for multiculturalism, for example, or suggesting in 2008 that black people should vote for Ken Livingstone rather than Boris Johnson in the London mayoral elections.
Frances Lawrence, wife of the London headteacher Philip Lawrence who was stabbed to death in 1995, is taken seriously on everything from knife crime to educational standards, and was described in a recent Guardian interview as "vivacious, warm and strikingly youthful".
Even Sara Payne, mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah, despite also being a bit too working-class for the liberal establishment’s normal tastes, is treated with respect. She has been awarded an MBE and last year was appointed Victims Champion by justice secretary Jack Straw.
The promotion of victims in the debate about law and justice is deeply problematic. It accords too much authority to the feelings of those who have suffered as a result of crimes, distracting from society's responsibility to dispense justice in an open, fair, rational and dispassionate way.
But what makes this victimology even worse is the branding of some victims as worthy and others as unworthy, where someone like Doreen Lawrence has been virtually beatified by the liberal media while Denise Fergus, simply on the basis of what she looks like, how she speaks and the rawness of her feelings, is looked upon as a murderess-in-the-making with a dumb accent. ·
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Of course she is the wrong type!!
The retarded cow is getting quasi fame status baying up a lunch mob and such!!
Others give educated talks!!
This dumb incumbent chases after fame like a cheap prostitute chases after a heroin fix in some estate somewhere.
Let us not forget she left a child outside a shop whilst she went for cigarettes.
And now she has the audacity to demand that children can be hanged or whatever vitriol the stupid bitch is ranting.
Also her deficient accent marks her out as a laugh.
Why doesn't she just crawl back to her estate and let us of higher breeding talk about the real issues??
Some of the comments here are shocking. I'm truly and thoroughly disgusted. The elitist attitude of some posters here is an embarrassment to England. Due to a person's location and accent they are somehow viewed as inferior? How do people with that attitude even look themselves in the mirror?
This crime is the most disturbing I've even known and for those that want to pass judgment on Denise by saying if "she had watched her son better this wouldn't have happened" is just sorrowful. If anyone bothered to read the details of the crime they would know Venables and Thompson set out on a mission to take a child that afternoon. They had led another boy out previously but failed, and had made other attempts that same day. James Bulger had not "wandered off" - by Venables own account he stated they saw the toddler standing in front of the butcher shop, eating Smarties, and waiting for his mother. Venables and Thompson lured him away.
I don't believe that anyone, even with the best rehabilitation in the world can live to be a normal adult after taking part in such a horrid violent crime. Being 10 does not make it more excusable, in my opinion it makes it worse. If a person is capable of murder at 10, what must they be capable of as an adult?
I am behind Denise Fergus 100% - there has been no justice for James and the "sentence" given to Venables and Thompson and the lifetime of protection following is just not acceptable.
I'm repulsed. Infuriated. Contemptuous... of the comments here that Denise was a bad mother for being caught in that flustered moment of panic when trying to shop with a child that every mother, of the highest calibre, knows. Frankly, those who would make such comments, though entitled to state them, should nevertheless be ashamed of themselves for such comments.
I can only begin to imagine the distress of soul the events of those days in 1993 (when I was only 14) caused this woman and her family; it still affects me terribly to this day, thinking of James; terrified, in the darkness and the cold of a February night, being brutally mocked and killed.
Besides all this, I'm a Liverpudlian; born and raised there. I don't take kindly to the snobbish comments about Liverpudlians in general; I don't have such prejudices towards others from other regions with their vernaculars, as I tend to think that there are those who are thoughtful and intelligent anywhere in the U.K.
It appears that the same courtesy is not returned by some.
Never mind.
I think that any person who attacks and vilifies the mother of an innocent toddler should be deeply ashamed of themselves. I believe that Denise was not looking for revenge, I think she wanted justice (which in my opinion was not given) Just because Denise is from Merseyside, people think they have the right to judge her, the way she looks and her feelings. I am of the opinion that far too much sympathy was given to Venables and Thompson, just because they were ten years old at the time they committed this horrendous and monstrous crime. I can also understand her fears and why she wants to be kept aware of what these two are up to, especially after Venables was caught downloading and distributing vile pornographic images of yet more innocent children. Why should people like these two deserve sympathy and help, when they show no remorse for their actions, I believe that they will never change and that they will inflict more damage on innocent children. They are incapable of redemption or rehabilitation and should not be protected and cosseted by the bleeding hearts brigades
The dignity of Denise Fergus remains an example to us all - whereas the vile words of Charlotte Raven still leave one dazed with disbelief.
If it's any comfort, shortly after writing that piece, Charlotte was committed to a mental clinic.
SHAME on EVERY single last one of you that are placing ANY blame on Denise for her son's disappearance. Victim blaming never solves anything! That's like saying "that girl deserved to be raped-did you see what she was wearing?!" EVERY parent has had that moment where they take their eyes off their child for a quick second. I'm sure that even Denise herself would say that she wouldn't wish her situation on any of you, even after reading what you've written blaming her. You should be ashamed of yourself. And if you want my opinion, I think that it's insane that these boys were just given a whole new lease on life. They should of tattooed their names on their foreheads so their actions would follow them for the rest of their lives.
Couldn't agree more Celia, reading some of comments on here has really quite worried me about the society that we live in
I am orginally from Liverpool now living abroad I am so disgusted at the comments on here, maybe Mr Wulf Franks should read a book by Morrison Blake called "As If" and then he would maybe change his mind about the offensive comments he has made. This book will tell you the details of the full trail and all the events that added up to the murder. Remember these children went out that day to get a kid lost that was there purpose. All I can say is you should be ashamed of yourself for your comments and maybe if it upsets you so much stop reading about the situation. All I can say is shame on you. Rest in peace James and my thoughts and prays of for the Bulger Family especially Denise.
I am appalled. Spitting feathers. There can surely be no comparison between Stephen Lawrence and young James. The murder of anyone is despicable and my heart goes out to Stephen's family, but what happened to James was quite unprecedented in terms of his age, his abduction and the horrific violence that followed. The loss of a child is something that no parent would ever want to contemplate and I would defy anyone to cope with the knowledge of his death that Denise and Ralph and their families have had to live with all these years. How anyone can think that it is ok to knock Denise in this way I do not know. Denise represents the majority of Mum's in this country, doing her best to bring her child/ren up. So what if she took her eye off James for a split second, how many of us haven't. We have an ABSOLUTE RIGHT to expect our children to grow up in safety, we are after all a supposed civilised society. Made worse by the fact that our so called Children's Commissioner chose now to raise a debate about the age of criminal responsibility,SHAME ON YOU, if this debate IS required did the 'spin doctors' not realise that the timing was wrong? And is a debate required? I have two daughters, one is 23 and one is 10 and both have grown up knowing right from wrong. Any right minded person, young or old knows that children should be cherished, not abused and murdered. And to all the bleeding hearts liberals who posted the appalling comments after this article GET A LIFE. Children are for life not just for Christmas. It's very easy to sit in judgement when you don't live in the real world and can afford to pay for them to be looked after by someone else. I just pray for you that you don't EVER find yourselves in the same position as James' parents. Rest in peace James xxxx
How dare anyone claiming to be of a reasonable standard of education and understanding judge this woman for the way in which she grieves for the murder of her toddler!!!!!! Its a very sad world we live in when the victim of a hideous crime like this is the one to be bad mouthed!!!!! These two evil specimens should have never been released, they pose a huge risk to our society and why should we the general public not be made aware of potential threats!!!! As for watching him closer, what a ridiculous statement, the fact is those two boys committed an unthinkable act of cruelty and would have always found a way in which to do so! If it hadn't been James it would have been someone else s child. People unknowingly put their children at risk every day. Making the identities of these two vile creatures known would at least lower the risk for innocent decent human beings.
We were not present with Denise Fergus when her child was abducted so how can one claim it was she only looked away for seconds? We do not know this to be factual. We only have Deniseâ??s word
for it. I have seen many parents try their best to ignore their children when out shopping, as they are deemed a nuisance at times! To claim that no parent would deliberately neglect their child in similar circumstance is also false. The McCannâ??s went out and left their children home-alone, and look what happened. Yet this type of neglect was ignored! The McCannâ??s neglect helped cause the terrible situation that occurred. I find Mrs Fergus dangerous as her hate campaign should never have been allowed to have taken place! If some reports are accurate then she should have been arrested and prosecuted when she offered a reward for the death of either Venables or Thompson! This is a criminal act. But because some people see her as a SUPER-VICTIM, she can get away with it!
No one has a right to spread such venom that she and her friends in the media have spread! This is morally wrong. Victims do have a right to be angry and even unforgiving but they have no right in trying to impose her form of justice on the rest of us! Venables and Thompson have paid for their crime according to due legal process. Any new or future offences that they commit have nothing to do with Denise Fergus as an individual. Her claim that she should have unlimited access to information concerning these them is ludicrous and unacceptable behaviour. We cannot allow ourselves to lose whatâ??s right and fair just because we become very emotive. To give in to her demands is to give away our humanity and compassion! Would we, who are supposed to believe in a fair system of Justice, ever put the mother of a murdered man onto the jury of the man that is accused of killing her son? No we wouldnâ??t! Why because fairness would be out the window, so why do we open ears to the screams of a woman who wants revenge! Had Mrs Fergus campaigned in a more respectable manner, with none of this hatred seeping through her veins then I would still feel for her lose, but she didnâ??t she campaigned as a woman possessed with so much hate that it is frightening! I am sick of hearing the stuff that she promoted over the years even if the pro-Fergus camp doesnâ??t! Remember that Venables was abused and neglected as a child so he was growing up oblivious of empathy! And since his conviction, he and Thompson have only learnt that society as a whole hate and despise them with all of their hearts! What has this hatred done over the years to their mental well-being? Only these two individuals can answer that, we can never truly know! Everyday must be torture for them, just like it is for James Bulgers family! We have no right to keep hatreds going. For societyâ??s sake we need to turn our backs on all hate campaigns. Let our legal system do what it is supposed to do, try people for their crimes in a just and meaningful manner. Hate and revenge have no place within our courtrooms!
Judith Longmuir - classic example of 'blame the victim'. Walk round the streets and you'll see mothers taking far greater risks with their kids every day. This includes putting tiny babies in nurseries run by poorly-trained and unsupervised strangers. Also, where do you get off with the 'like a lot of scousers' thing. That's pure snobbery and prejudice and rather makes the writer's point for him.
I am totally disgusted in comments made by from what I would describe as a 'Judgemental' human being. How can Denise be judged for anything other than the actual reason she has been placed in the media, she lost her son to Murder, a murder which caused outrage from the day it happened to this present day. I am disgusted that the comment says she should of been watching James and then this incident would not of happened!? Do you not think that Denise would of tortured herself with the same thought, as a Mum of four myself I can say that it is hard to keep a watchful eye on your Children at all times, accidents happen every day this was not a Mother who was in any way negligent, yes she turned her back for a matter of seconds but nobody in the world would of thought that two boys aged 10 would take him to his final moments in such an Evil way. I am disgusted at the thought of anybody judging this Woman for her accent, her appearance or what apparent class she is. Denise wants Justice and she deserves to get it, regardless of any other opinion small minded people chose to have!
I do think that Denise Fergus is the wrong kind of victim. She has used the death of her son to catapult her to a quasi-like fame and she used this ill-got fame as a tool to keep her in the spotlight.
She has for the past nearly two decades spread her hate campaign and it has been this campaign that has triggered many unhappy events within our communities. People have been encouraged to find either Venables or Thompson with the aim to killl or maim them. This has caused a lot of mistaken identies where individuals have taken it upon themselfs to identify (falsly that is) so-and-so to be one of her sons killers and that in turn has caused a few innocent people to be harrassed, and chased out of their communities with the fear of being violently murdered. These mistaken identities are as a result of the hate campaign led by one of our country's demagogues in the name of justice. In her mind there is only Fergus Justice. No wonder Jamies father divorced this spiteful woman. It is alarming that she has so much to say for herself that we now see Cabinet ministers rushing to her side to pacify her. How dare Jack Straw do this. the case against Jon Venables has to be left within the country's legal system. Imagine it. Everytime a crimminal commits another crime, our elected politicians run after previous victims to pamper them. This is not what he was elected to do. Has anyone ever stopped to think about why this woman is like she is? It may be that she knows that it was her neglect of her two-year-old whilst out in a busy shopping mall that contributed to his abduction and death.
I know of no parent that would take their eyes off the toddler, especially in a busy public place. But this woman did! How long was it before she realised he wasn't there? and what was was more important than carrying out her responsibilty to keep her child safe, the price of new bra? Only she knows the anwer to these questions. But we, who have to suffer the venom this woman spreads within our society will never know the real reasons.
I am in no way attempting to water down Venabless and Thomspon guilt but we do need to look at the reasons how these two children managed to lure a toddler away from someone who was supposed to be looking after and protecting him so easily.
The blood that is on Thompson and Venables hands are, in my view, also on Denise Fergus's hands too. So before she continues her revenge and hate campaigns, she needs to stop and look at herself a lot more closely. Without her parental neglet, their would have been no murder of a toddler that day.
I do not accept that people should be allowed to to poison society with so much hatred and encourage vigilantism. Denise Fergus has set up herself to be Judge, Jury and Executioner.
I for one have had enough of her antics. She needs to let her son rest in peace.
Aha so thats it ! Denise Fergus didn't keep an eye on Jamie ! So she should have been charged with neglect ? Jamie wandered off as kids are wont to do, and then was stolen by a couple of predators. I can't believe how cruel and crass Judith Longmuir is to say such a thing. Who hasn't turned around and experienced the panic when their little one was gone, usually in the next aisle or around a corner , but nevertheless gone. And how disgusting to stero type her as a scouser enjoying the attention. More snobbery.
She should've been watching James better. It's as simple as that. She needs to take responsibility for the role she played in the death of her son. James Bulger would still be here if she'd been paying more attention on that fateful day. It's the difference between being a good parent and being a bad one. James was two years old. He wandered off in a shopping centre. What was Denise Fergus doing that was so important that she couldn't keep an eye on her son? She gave the killers the opportunity. She should be at the top of the list when it comes to playing the blame-game.
What baffles me is the fact that Venables and Thompson's names were ever relaeased in the first place. In Canada their names would not have been released under any circumstances, and we usually follow along behind the UK in lawmaking. That aside, the Liberal Media journalists (paper sellers) have probably never suffered the loss of a child by anything other than by accident or natural causes. To lose a child is terrible in itself without having to live with the horriffic circumstances under which Denise Fergus's Jamie died. Hate is a perfectly legitimate human emotion. Its also so typical of British snobbery to pigeon- hole people by their accents both regionally and economically. I well remember the advice "if you want to get ahead , lose the accent ", my Geordie accent that is. I much prefer Canada where accents don't mean anything, except perhaps to identify you as a recent immigrant.
Denise Fergus has lost her son we all know that and under horrendous circumstances but lets not forget that if she had kept a closer eye on him when she was in the shopping centre this would not have happened, she cant move on with her life as she wants to play the victim and sorry to say this but like a lot of scousers she enjoys the attention
An accurate analysis-but there is a problem with the media elevating Sarah Payne and Mrs Fergus into higher victimhood status than others in the same situation.