# 13 tweets designed to mock Brooks Newmark’s knitting comments

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/09/04/favourite-responses-brooks-newmarks-knitting-comment/
- Published: 2014-09-04T17:21:16+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Comments yesterday by Brooks Newmark MP on what he considered the proper role of
charities did not go down well with many charities, their staff, advisors and supporters.

The [Daily Telegraph reported](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11074061/Charities-should-stick-to-knitting-not-politics-minister-says.html)
that the new Minister for Civil Society said that charities “should “stick to their
knitting” instead of getting drawn into the “realm of politics””. Conservative MP
Newmark then added:

> “When they stray into the realm of politics that is not what they are about and
> that is not why people give them money.”

While some expressed their disgust at a charity sector Minister’s patronising and
sexist tone and views on the role of charities in society and politics, others took
to Twitter to make their point with a mixture of disdain and wit, including the 
creation of the hashtag **#knitgate**.
 Here are some of them:  

## Advertisement

> Thanks for the advice Brooks -we’ve finished our [#knitting](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitting?src=hash)
> so will get back to campaigning now [http://t.co/1dF4vD3bkm](http://t.co/1dF4vD3bkm)
> [pic.twitter.com/kgrgEK8iE7](http://t.co/kgrgEK8iE7)
>  — Fawcett Society (@fawcettsociety)
> [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/fawcettsociety/status/507485274738524160)

 

>  Concerned for our clients – there are no [#knitting](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitting?src=hash)
> preference fields [#CRM](https://twitter.com/hashtag/CRM?src=hash) so it will 
> be hard to see emerging patterns [#boomboom](https://twitter.com/hashtag/boomboom?src=hash)
> [#knitgate](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitgate?src=hash) — Purple Vision (@purple_vision)
> [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/purple_vision/status/507523638053330944)

  

> Brooks Newmark MP thinks this is what charity workers should do… [#knitting](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitting?src=hash)
> Tell him what you really do! [@TweetBrooks](https://twitter.com/TweetBrooks) [pic.twitter.com/UYkOepGcSF](http://t.co/UYkOepGcSF)
> —
> UniteForOurSociety (@Unite4Society) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/Unite4Society/status/507470870546497537)

     

>  Considering [@TimeBank](https://twitter.com/timebank) launching a new volunteer
> led mentoring course for knitters that could help charities in need?! [#knitgate](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitgate?src=hash)—
> Helen Walker (@HelenTimeBank) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/HelenTimeBank/status/507538080044445696)

  

> If charities should stay out of politics they might start by refusing to engage
> with Brook Newmark [#knitting](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitting?src=hash)
> —
> Neil Crowther (@neilmcrowther) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/neilmcrowther/status/507451878746382336)

 

>  We’re concerned by remarks today about charities “staying out of politics”. For
> a start, none of our campaigns team can knit [#knitgate](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitgate?src=hash)—
> Living Streets (@livingstreets) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/livingstreets/status/507467634955526144)

  

> … Still, I’m sure someone from the charitable sector could find time to knit him
> a moral compass. [#BrooksNewmark](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BrooksNewmark?src=hash)
> —
> Chris Connaughton (@intextchris) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/intextchris/status/507422838383710208)

 

>  Shall we knit Brooks Newmark a potted history of the sector for which he is now
> Minister? [#sticktoknitting](https://twitter.com/hashtag/sticktoknitting?src=hash)
> [#BrooksNewmark](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BrooksNewmark?src=hash) [#putitonablanket](https://twitter.com/hashtag/putitonablanket?src=hash)—
> Sohila Sawhney (@SohilaSawhney) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/SohilaSawhney/status/507512404948037632)

  

> I suspect the [#thirdsector](https://twitter.com/hashtag/thirdsector?src=hash)
> today will mainly be coming up with knitting puns. [#knitgate](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitgate?src=hash)
> [#knitwit](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitwit?src=hash) [#knithoodforbrooks](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knithoodforbrooks?src=hash)
> —
> Daniel Jones (@dmjonesoir) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/dmjonesoir/status/507444035787976704)

 

>  I like to knit but care bout social justice more. Perhaps I’ll just start political
> knitting instead. [#knitgate](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitgate?src=hash) [pic.twitter.com/wHZ5BCHRHK](http://t.co/wHZ5BCHRHK)—
> Maria Castellina (@Ramblingmaria) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/Ramblingmaria/status/507480639743225856)

  

> Charities should stick to knitting? Already on it 😉 [#tbt](https://twitter.com/hashtag/tbt?src=hash)
> to our [#woolyouhelp](https://twitter.com/hashtag/woolyouhelp?src=hash) [#yarnbomb](https://twitter.com/hashtag/yarnbomb?src=hash)
> campaign [#knitgate](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitgate?src=hash) [pic.twitter.com/79sE0ZDsDB](http://t.co/79sE0ZDsDB)
> —
> Society of St James (@SSJCharity) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/SSJCharity/status/507514857873489921)

 

>  Thanks for suggestion [@TweetBrooks](https://twitter.com/TweetBrooks) – we are
> trying to change the world, one stitch at a time. [#knittinggate](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knittinggate?src=hash)
> [#knitgate](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitgate?src=hash) [pic.twitter.com/eN5L8CoytM](http://t.co/eN5L8CoytM)—
> WaterAid UK (@WaterAidUK) [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/WaterAidUK/status/507554678385958912)

  

> Brooks Newmark is right; I’d have achieved so much more when I was a policy manager
> at a charity if I’d actually been Chief Knitting Officer
>  — Sally Percy (@sally_ah_percy)
> [September 3, 2014](https://twitter.com/sally_ah_percy/status/507272930712383488)

  Some of these are so good, they could be entered for a Knitting magazine’s competition
which has just been announced:  

>  We’ll be choosing our [#top5makes](https://twitter.com/hashtag/top5makes?src=hash)
> tomorrow at 2pm – tweet us pics of your finished [#knitting](https://twitter.com/hashtag/knitting?src=hash)
> from the last two weeks and you could win! — Let’s Knit magazine (@Letsknitmag)
> [September 4, 2014](https://twitter.com/Letsknitmag/status/507551533903667200)

## Two parody accounts

The controversy has also generated two Twitter accounts parodying the Minister:

[Tweets by @TwatBrookes](https://twitter.com/TwatBrookes)    [Tweets by @BrookesKnitmark](https://twitter.com/TwatBrookes)
Now, if the Minister had chosen instead to accuse charities of spending a little
bit too long on Twitter, then he might have had a point…