Politics
Greg Evans
Jul 28, 2022
BBC
Birmingham - the UK's second biggest city, home to Black Sabbath, Jack Grealish, Peaky Blinders, Cadbury's, 'more canals than Venice' and the Bullring - has been 'put on the map' according to culture secretary Nadine Dorries.
The Tory MP who has a habit of putting her foot in it was doing the media rounds on Thursday morning ahead of tonight's opening ceremony at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Speaking to Charlie Stayt (we've all seen how well their conversations have gone in the past), Dorries said: "It's putting Birmingham on the map, it's putting the West Midlands on the map."
She then went on to express how much the government have invested in the games and the legacy it will hopefully leave. That's all well and good but claiming that a sports games which, at the time of writing, hasn't even begun yet is responsible for getting eyes on a city that has a population of 1.149 million people and in 2017 attracted 41 million tourists seems a little farfetched.
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As you can imagine, Dorries's comments about Birmingham didn't exactly gone down well.
\u201cNadine Dorries on @BBCr4today telling us that "Birmingham is on the map". About four times. Huge news if true.\u201d— Sathnam Sanghera (@Sathnam Sanghera) 1658992507
\u201cSo.. our Culture Secretary says the Commonwealth Games have \u2018put Birmingham on the map\u2019. She needs a new map - and some history lessons @bbcbreakfast\u201d— Simon McCoy (@Simon McCoy) 1658990179
\u201c#SpongerJohnson \n\n#BBCBreakfast \n\n#GoNads on the outdoor sofa in Birmingham\n\n"It's put Birmingham on the map"\n\nAlways wondered what that black hole in the middle of the country was?\n\n#ClownsIdiots\u201d— Suki Hothi (@Suki Hothi) 1658990482
\u201cConsider this: Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK; yet @NadineDorries says that the Commonwealth Games is putting Birmingham on the map. How deliciously London-centric condescension. @BBCr4today\u201d— Ian Parsons #FBPE #FBNHS #JOHNSONOUT No DM's (@Ian Parsons #FBPE #FBNHS #JOHNSONOUT No DM's) 1658992553
\u201cNadine Dorries on #gmb 'the Commonwealth Games has put Birmingham on the map'. \nSigh \ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d— Chris (@Chris) 1658994503
\u201cDorries also claimed the Commonwealth Games will "put Birmingham on the map" - because until now no one was aware of the second largest city in the country.\u201d— Mark Hebden \ud83d\udc99 (@Mark Hebden \ud83d\udc99) 1658994234
\u201c"It's putting Birmingham on the map." Dorries.\n\nErm...\n\n#BBCBreakfast\u201d— Steve Hyett (@Steve Hyett) 1658990204
\u201c#nadinedorries said #CommonwealthGames2022 has put Birmingham on the map - I think @ThePeakyBlinder already did that...so much for our culture secretary...\u201d— Shelley Silas (@Shelley Silas) 1658996448
Surely, if anyone or anything put Birmingham on the map it was Terry Savalas but we'll let you be the judge of that.
Telly Savalas Looks at Birminghamwww.youtube.com
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