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Harriet Harman: I dropped my cut-glass accent for Labour
Jonathan Prynn, Consumer Business Editor28 Jan 2010
The public school-educated deputy leader of the “People's Party” has admitted for the first time that she has made her accent less posh because “I sounded like Lady Diana”.
In an interview with the Standard, Harriet Harman denied that she had formal voice training but said she just lost her “Fifties cut-glass accent” to fit in with Labour Party colleagues.
Ms Harman, a former pupil at St Paul's Girls School in Hammersmith and a niece of Lord Longford, said: “I didn't consciously change it, but I agree, I lost it somehow.”
By changing her voice, Ms Harman is following a path well-trodden by politicians.
Margaret Thatcher coached away her faux-posh paint-stripping stridency —itself the result of early elocution lessons — in favour of a deeper timbre.
More recently, shadow chancellor George Osborne has been coached by Harley Street speech consultant Valerie Savage to sound less clipped.
Voice experts believe that even Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been at it.
Voice coach Philippa Davies, whose clients have included Sir John Major and about 100 Labour MPs, says Ms Harman's accent “journey” is one we all take when we try to fit in.
She said: “If you took a teenage boy from Newcastle and moved him to Chelsea you would find that within a week he would have modified his accent. And certainly if it was the other way.
"But if you told that boy you could change your accent' he would say no. It's an instinctive thing.”
Interview: Harriet Harman - from Sloane to class warrior
Reader views (34)
I fink Eliza Dolittle is great!
- Professor Higgins, Newtownabbey UK, 30/01/2010 11:52
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"I dropped my cut-glass accent for Labour"
Shame you dropped your standards too.
- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark, 28/01/2010 21:42
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Who the hell cares what she says, thinks or drops ?
- Michael, London, UK, 28/01/2010 18:38
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Her ideas are certainly as out of touch as her grandfather's. Another aristocrat trying to be down with the hommies ugh they make me sick. How dare she talk about elitism she is a product of it. If she had any morals she would resign and make sure her replacement was someone of true working class bring back John Prescott as an equality minister!!
- Duncan, Kent, 28/01/2010 17:26
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I think she droped her brains at the same time,although maybe she has always been dumb.
- Dave, london, 28/01/2010 17:16
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@ Kerry, Purley
Why is it you assume I am voting Tory?
Objectivity? Ha, ha, ha! Kerry I will vote Labour until I die. Bloody Toffs!! Ha, ha, ha! You make me laugh so.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 28/01/2010 16:48
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And she ends up being hated across the social spectrum and political divide. Shrewd move, What Harriet befell.
- Gwilym Rhys-Jones, marbella spain, 28/01/2010 16:43
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What is it with NuLabour lately. We have had Ed Balls stammer. Harriets posh voice. Mandy getting upset about being rich as a result of his mothers legacy. Why are they all going, "very public", like this? Rather an odd campaign ploy. Just where are in the votes in it? All a bit like those celebrity articles I read in my wifes magazines - I find them to be very weird and unbeliveable.
- Brian G, Norfolk Gorleston, 28/01/2010 16:42
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She didn't mention the safe seat she has got her husband in the next election.He is a union man and the safe seat is a thank you from Labour for getting his union to tow the Labour line.
- David, London.UK, 28/01/2010 16:42
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Freak.
- Jules_London, london, 28/01/2010 16:25
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Why do Labour always want to bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator? She is such an inverted snob and what exactly is wrong with speaking like Lady Diana. At least one could understand what she was saying unlike a lot of people leaving school today. If Labour want to redress unfairness why did they destroy the Grammar School system but always seem to find a grant assisted or church school for their offspring. Labour seem to think that being intelligent and working hard is unfair. Their destruction of the middle classes and middle class values has been a disaster
- Patricia, LONDON, 28/01/2010 16:14
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In my opinion, Harperson is not even being completely honest in saying that she changed her accent for Labour.
I say that the whole truth is that she did so that she could get in on a Labour ticket which would give her the platform to excercise her ridiculous feminist hatred of men.
This would not have been possible as a Tory MP.
I also say that she has made use of other cosmetic means to make her look like a real woman, such as getting married while despising the institution of marriage and doing everything she can to undermine it.
She has kept her name and all of her children have Harman as their surname.
I say that any men or women who hate the opposite sex has somehing seriously wrong with them, which should ban them from attaining any kind of high office.
For that reason, in my opinion, she got married to make it look to other women as if she was the real thing, not just a spinster, man-hating feminist.
- Eric Legge, Ongar, England, 28/01/2010 16:07
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She also wants people to send their children to the local state school because they have become so fantastic under Labour. Wouldn't dream of sending her own children there, though, same as lots of Labour politicians. Why do they pretend to be something they are not? Should have stood for the Tory party, that's what they are deep down.
- Ted, London, 28/01/2010 16:01
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So she`s not really a socialist. Just sounds like one; but really deep down she`s posh. Bet Gordon doesnt like her too much then. Bit like most of NuLabours upper class who have dumbed down just to get into government. With exceptions of course like John Prescott, who never really fitted in, even though he tried his best by having a stab at the odd game of croquet.
- Brian G, Norfolk Gorleston, 28/01/2010 15:34
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Can she do a Scottish accent?I haven't heard it.
- Eddie, London, 28/01/2010 15:33
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I don't trust these so called politicians that born into wealth.
They all live in a Mickey Mouse world with their barmy idea's and totally deluded from us who live in the hard real world.
- Joe, Swanley Kent, 28/01/2010 15:31
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Silly mare
- P Staker, London, 28/01/2010 15:14
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Some people will drop anything to land a top job!!!
- Jacob, Kanterbury Kathedral in Kent, 28/01/2010 15:06
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This woman is becoming more deranged by the day. Will she revert to her other accent when she is booted out of Parliament?
- George, Cambridge, 28/01/2010 15:06
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And this is "news"? I don't know who is more ridiculous; the politicians or the press...
- Jay, London, 28/01/2010 15:03
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Perhaps her first honest comment as a politician. Quite a feat for a champagne socialist !
- Jose Luis, London SW18, 28/01/2010 14:59
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Just another example of Labour dumbing down. Language exists for communication, therefore we should try to communicate in such a way that makes it easiest for the listener to understand. This means speaking a standardised version of a language is the optimal choice. Also sounds a lot nicer. Verbal acumen and the ability to speak well are not something to be ashamed of.
- Mark, London, 28/01/2010 14:42
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And what exactly is wrong with (having) a Lady Diana accent....????
- Janet Sampson, Limassol, Cyprus, 28/01/2010 14:36
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Oh Frank, Objectivity has never been big with you has it? I despise harman as much as any decent person, however, how is she any different from "Call me Dave" Cameron?. he claims to be a champion of the people, but comes from an even more priveledged background than harperson.
At least Harman has tried (not very well) to make a difference. Cameron will return us to Fuedal ways.
- Kerry, Purley, 28/01/2010 14:31
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If only she had Diana's looks, manners, tact and charm people might not detest her so much. Plus I think Diana was probably smarter. Certainly Di was more in touch with us 'umble peasants. And I speak as someone who wasn't that keen on Di and not at all keen on the Royals.
- Ethan, EUSSR, 28/01/2010 14:25
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It should not be your accent that counts, it should be your intelligence, enough said!
- G S Randall, herts, 28/01/2010 14:07
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Rather than change her accent, she should just keep quiet. She is a devisive influence in the Labour Party, and everything she does or says just seems to lose votes for Labour.
- Bob, Stratford, London, 28/01/2010 14:03
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She is such a waste of space but she really thinks she's a heavyweight. She certainly does women MPs a disservice.
- Robert Thornton, Malaga, Spain, 28/01/2010 13:54
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Presumably she will go back to being posh again when she gets elected out in May.
- Nick, London, 28/01/2010 13:48
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Patronising is the right word!
- Tojo, Hythe, 28/01/2010 13:37
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ha ha ha ha ha!What a country that still judges its people on their accent
- Amoreno, Luxembourg, 28/01/2010 13:19
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So what she's saying is that she's patronising us ... that we knew already. Rather makes a nonsense of any attempt to try and win the election on class grounds.
- Paul, London, 28/01/2010 13:15
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Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! What a Labour Toff!!
This is a perverse individual who wants to deny a decent education to others and decries the "privileged" background of the Torys. How is your uncle Lord Longford, you pathetic mad hatter?
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 28/01/2010 13:06
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In other words, politicians who change their accents are pretending to be something they aren't?
No change there then!
- Anil Chatterjee, Manchester, 28/01/2010 12:56
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