All about Gordon
"This job" - the prime minister declared today - "is not about me. It is about you". His speech, however, was all about him. It was an invitation to both party and country to look at him again.
A man normally so awkward talking about himself did just that - trying to turn weaknesses into strengths. Just as Tony Blair claimed he was the man to deal with the world post 9/11, he presented himself as the man to deal with the world that had, he claimed, just spun on its axis.
The conference reacted with joy and relief at seeing a Gordon Brown that some had never seen before. He restored some of their faith in him and themselves. It is, though, the public's verdict that will decide whether the party will keep him as their leader.
Today Gordon Brown was, in effect, reapplying for his own job - well sometimes you have to in difficult times.
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Well I'm a member of the public and I wasn't convinced. He set out many laudable objectives, but didn't seem to have any ideas as to how to achieve them. And he didn't even apologise for the 10p fiasco - all he said was:
"So what happened with 10p, it stung me because it really hurt that suddenly people felt I wasn't on the side of people on middle and modest incomes - because on the side of hard-working families is the only place I've ever wanted to be."
That is not an apology - he was hurt because of our reaction.
What arrogance.
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Taxi for Gordon...
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Brown tells us this is "no time for a novice".
Well, he would say that, wouldn't he!
Broken promises, nanny state, surveillance Britain, ID cards, HIPs, constitutional mess, soaring taxes, runaway borrowing, etc etc.
It's time for a change.
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Gordon has the courage of his own convictions. At this crucial stage of his political career, he needs to assert himself and be more forceful. Everyone loves a committed leader not a vaillating one. At long last Gordon has decided to show his fighting instincts and not allow sly politicians to put him in a corner. This will improve his image and the Labour faithful should rally to his cause!
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Gordon has the courage of his own convictions. At this crucial stage of his political career, he needs to assert himself and be more forceful. Everyone loves a committed leader not a vacillating one. At long last Gordon has decided to show his fighting instincts and not allow sly politicians to put him in a corner. This will improve his image and the Labour faithful should rally to his cause!
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The way to (re)apply for his job would be to offer himself to the electorate in a General Election
Only then could he achieve the necessary authority to govern.
Not going to hold my breath on that one
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Brown says in his speech:
"My children aren't props; they're people"
Yet, what is this in the Daily Mail I see?
http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/03_01/FamilyBrownDM1503_468x413.jpg
For once in your life Nick, can you be a little objective and actually say Brown seems to forget what he has done in the past and much of what he says is selective.
Why do the BBC protect this wretched Prime minister and why are you his unoficial spokesman? You seem to regurgetate cart-banche what ever you are fed?
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Did he really shake hands with his own wife?
As for the job application, I'd prefer a novice to reappointing the man who took us into war and ran such a loose economy that we are now all paying for it. The giveaways will all cost US money, did he imagine we didn't know that?
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This is all well and good - it is make or break time.
I said he won?t go previously and it appears that was right.
But feel he has manoeuvred himself into a corner ?I am the man to lead the country do you agree is more or less the sense i got from his speech?.
I sense depending on how well the Tories do next week and result in the upcoming by election, these will decide his political future one way or another.
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dull.
how many billions has the country spent on labour trying to save gordons job so far?
do we have to keep digging deep just for one mans vanity?
goodbye gordon.
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Nick,
isn't that the point as to why this speech failed. It was just so demeaning, so lacking in dignity.
The man was looking to keep his job, just like we have to do in the real world with our annual staff appraisals.
Please let me keep my job, I am so deserving.
When he atlked about banking let's see what he said :-
Transparency, yeah like we are going to look at your trades and positions
Sound Banking, yeah like sound banking, not quite sure we can have sound banking without sound banks and sound bankers
Responsibility, yeah like we are seeing what is happening with Lehman staff and the Nomura bonus payments
Integrity, yeah like a banker with integrity
Why are these guys getting bonuses when the banks collapse. This is unreal, a promise of a bonus of £11 million. I mean how much.
So, we have Gordon, we will do something about these people, these bankers and what actually do they do!
The Americans are meant to bale these bankers out, the American people will not stand for it, they will be most unhappy and why should they bale us out. Let them sink, without a trace, Gordon is letting them walk away with their millions. Talk of stable doors...As Mr Darling would say, I think the taxpayer will be 'pissed off' when they see what is really happening.
You're too late Gordon, it is time to go.
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He can stand on a stage and talk to a large audience - no one doubted that...
Content...
Spend, spend, spend.
He is going to take money from me and use it to make prescriptions free for cancer patients - thats if NICE decide that the drugs will be available at all (and don't you dare try to 'top up').
He is going to take money from me and spend it on internet access and computers for the poor (hope they can afford the electricity, and keep their fingers warm enough to type).
He is going to take money from me and spend it on very young children to go to nursery (what are their mums going to do? surf the web all day, or work and hand the money over to gordon in taxes).
Now, if he had abolished university fees so we didn't have an entire generation thinking that debt and loans are a basic part of life - then it might have had some substance.
But as it is - just bribes to those who are most likely to vote labour.
And if the state have all kids under their control from age 2 to 18 - maybe they can be taught to be 'good sheep' and do what their masters tell them with out complaint.
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That speech changes nothing.
The very best he can hope for is to stay leader of the Labour party and even that is doubtful.
After the next election, no matter when it may occur, he will no longer be prime minister. That's a racing certainty.
Fortunately it's the electorate that pick the PM's party - not the party lap dogs.
Nice try Gordon but somebody better tell him, you've gotta be in it to win it and unless he joins the Cons. he ain't going to be in it.
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Nick,
what a coincidence, Gordon mentions new nuclear power in his speech and then EDF announce take-over of British Energy. Weird or what.
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A solid fortress of a speech. With a little luck and some bold thinking, Gordon Brown can take back the initiative. There is a distaste with celebrity politics and whilst there is a difference between good leadership and good government, Gordon can restore the public's faith in an exceptional and talented politician, and perhaps the next 9 months will show him to be a leader.
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Not a bad speech.
Didn't try too many funnies, which didn't come off, but then this is Gordy.
It really does look like this financial crisis has helped him out no end (no, it's not his fault) after all Cameron has been rather conspicous by his absence recently.
I reckon a good cabinet reshuffle, bring back some heavyweights from the backbenches, to balance out the "just out of short trousers" feel of the Miliband boys, Balls and Purnell, and he can play the "experience vs novice" card from here til the Spring 2009 election.
Gordy you might just have pulled this one off my son :)
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Poor old fox...the cons won't shoot him as he is their best weapon, but they will pin the blame on him, for relaxing the banking rules - in 2004 especially - and for boasting of a boom fuelled by false accounting.
No point in him trying to shift the blame-he is a dead man walking.
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Well done on your speech Gordon but I think the next election will be about the future and not the past or present and a change in leadership will be required for Labour to secure a fourth term.
A real star of the Labour Conference has been Ed Milliband and together with the talent of his brother David the future of the Labour Party is in safe hands and a change in power is inevitable in mid to late 2009.
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He's " looked after the health service", why cant I get a NHS dentist? " Cared for old folk " yet they have to sell their house to pay for care. " No job for a novice", this from the man who has run up the largest debt this country has had since Attlee. A degree in Politics is hardly qualification to put right the world financial crisis. This was not a speech , it was a sermon, delivered with all the aplomb of the average clergyman which is a job much more suited to Brown's talent. Does he honestly think that promises of the unattainable and downright untruths will impress the electorate? After the Glenrothes by election, at which the people of Scotland are going to crucify his party, the nodding dogs of the Labour conference will turn back into the baying jackals they are and pick over his carcase.
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Nothing he has said has changed my opinion-Merely reinforced it. He is not capable as PM- He has neither the ability nor aptitude
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is that it nick? a bit more detail might be good but i guess you're doing live link ups on the news right now.
bottom line i think is most people don't really hates labour - they're just annoyed about their house prices - i also think the general feeling on brown is he's a bit dull after blair. most of the anti-gordon stuff is just hype - there is not the real hatred of philosophies and individuals that there was against the tories in '97
i think gordon could do well to tell the british people to grow up/get a grip and stop believing the stupid media editiorials and he'd be respected for it.
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He restored my faith in him as probably the most mendacious Prime Minister ever to have passed through the doors of No.10.
Lies, lies and more lies piled haphazardly, one on top of the other.
Will no one rid us of this creature?
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"No time for a novice" says Gordon Brown.
He hasn't covered himself in glory since deposing Tony Blair in an evil smelling coup.
I agree: go now.
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An impressive speech. He gave some impressively aggressive attacks on the Tories, showed combativeness and talked about why Labour are a much better prospect than the Tories because they believe in economic prosperity and social justice. Labour have proven they believe in free market economics through the difficult times in the 1980s and 1990s and they have a long and deep tradition of fairness and equality. The Tories on the other hand still want to leave too much of society to the market, whilst undergoing a very shallow and unconvincing conversion to social responsibility. The Tories policies are still those of the 1980s, which are completely inappropriate for the current economic climate.
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Yet more spin.
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(TAG) - just reverting to our discussion on the previous page, I now have to give some ground to you on the question of submarines/dreadnoughts. A bit of background reading has revealed (to me) that the RN was indeed paranoid about subs during WW1, after losing three armoured cruisers to a single u-boat on one day (which would be enough to make anyone paranoid I guess). Further, if you define 'dreadnought' narrowly, it could be argued that that perceived threat led to the later designs of super-dreadnought and WW2 battleships, with anti-torpedo armoured belts designed in, and thus to the relatively rapid demise of the original designs.
I still think your argument went too far, but I think you deserve at least a draw.
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Obviously nothing the man says is going to be good enough for some but I thought that was a pretty decent performance all in all. He comes across a lot more sincere than Blair ever did and a lot more sincere than Mr Cameron, without a doubt.
We've basically just got to let him get on with the job now and hopefully, with his wealth of experience, he can steer us in the right direction. Frankly, there isn't anyone better equipped for the job at this moment in time.
A question for the Brown-haters on this blog (I hear there are one or two out there): Do you really think Gordon wakes up every morning saying to himself "how can I wreck havoc on the UK today?" He's doing an impossible job!
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He is the cause and the problem NOT the solution!
Jack Straw said 'we elected him 15 months ago'. NO we flaming well didn't and we want an election now to get rid of him!
Taking a while to moderate the comments tonight ? - maybe they're all derogatory ones about Buffoon Brown!
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Nothing a Nu Labour politician be it Brown Milliband straw ever says is really worth listening to anymore.
They lost the ability to tell the difference between truth and convenient lies years ago. and they lie flagrantly on a regular basis. Only last week it was claimed short selling had been banned, yet the FSA had heard nothing about it
The speak in some foreign language designed for each other which means nothing to anyone else,
They live high on the hog at tax payers expense so have no idea about life for ordinary people
they are corrupt incompetent and facist on a monumental scale
Their statistics are rigged Their spending announcements are made 3 times over the laws they make are at best designed to generate newspaper headlines at worse to take our freedoms or to allow Brown and his Cabal to enrich themselves or cover up failure.
Their incompetence at ever doing anything that actually helps people is well documented
The things that are interesting are the laws they try and pass unoticed
For example Local Authorities are being relieved of their 130 year legal obligation to take away waste-- In england not scotland of course- so the man does not give a damn about public health
Jaqui Smith is introducing a new class of Accreditied persons alledgedly to deal with low level crime but who in practice will function almost exclusively as fine gatherers (who will keep part of the proceeds)
1 council is actuallly fining people for leaving their car engines on in traffic jams under laws passed last year
Road pricing is being introduced by stealth
From last month you can actually go to jail for the heinous crime of using your mobile while driving - even where no accident has occured.
So really anyone interested in what they are really about should pay attention to the laws they pass on the quiet they are designed to take your money bully you take your freedom
The only things these people really beleive is they have right to do what they like to any of us and we have a god given duty to obey them.
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Moderators are on strike again!
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"Today Gordon Brown was, in effect, reapplying for his own job - well sometimes you have to in difficult times."
What does he want another coronation by Thursday?
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Everybody I speak to (and that is a lot of people) say Brown is finished. Not even sitting duck - dead duck. He is so stubborn he just won't accept it.
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Gordon preached to a desperate choir for an hour and suddenly they're jubilant and think their troubles are over.
From the electorates point of view, nothing has changed except that they're even more smug, complacent and completely detached from reality than they were before.
They've had another chance to change their fortunes and decided to throw it away ...again!
It seems, if you're a Labour MP lessons simply don't come easy no matter how many times they're repeated.
Bring on Glenrothes.
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Before casting stones, Gordon should remind himself that in 1997 he was a novice at running the economy. Look what a fantastic job he made of it! So much so that he says he is now going to wisely spend taxpayers money. Makes you wonder what he was doing before, doesn't it?
I suppose presiding over 11 years of spend and tax must count for something, but acting as an example to the rest of the world? Surely not!
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I'm a hard-working single person. I'm self-employed, I pay my taxes and I make no demands whatever on the education system and very few if any, touch wood, on the health service. Since all Brown ever does is bang on about "families", he obviously doesn't care about my vote. Which is just as well, because he isn't getting it.
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i know 'reapplying' is Nick's phrase - but surely there's only one way to do that and that is to call a general election and stop all this madness
or else it shows the arrogance of Brown that he regards it purely as a matter for his party to pick the leader of the country - it's not good for democracy and it's not good for government
(yes the party, not the leader, is elected - this party was elected on the grounds that its leader would serve a full third term)
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15. thundertiktok..."perhaps the next 9 months will show him to be a leader."
What's he been doing for the last year or more - his novice training?
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George 'silver spoon' Osbourne claims that Brown has 'retreated to the left to save his job'. Good: that is exactly what the country needs. The thing that has been strangling Brown has been the Blair legacy. Brown has made a start, but he needs to knock ID cards and the wars on the head. That is where our money is going. It can be better spent. The next three months will be crucial for whether he will fight the General Election or not.
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21 uptownavondale
bottom line i think is most people don't really hates labour - they're just annoyed about their house prices - i also think the general feeling on brown is he's a bit dull after blair. most of the anti-gordon stuff is just hype - there is not the real hatred of philosophies and individuals that there was against the tories in '97
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i'll provide you with an example of someone who disagrees with their philosophies and individuals
ID cards, 42 days, cannabis, positive discrimination, tax credits, scrapping of the 10p rate - and i personally don't care either way about the smoking ban, but plenty of ppl would add it to my list
i only say this because i'm fed up of the basic defence of brown being that "he's brilliant, he just can't speak well" - there are plenty of policies to fundamentally disagree with, if i trusted Brown to enact some policies that i agreed with i could easily vote for him, but i don't, he's a threat and speaking as a non-tory, but a realist, i would prefer to see them in over labour, something i wouldn't have said 3 years ago
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What about the continued occupation of Iraq, he'll probably wait for the Conservative conference to make an announcement.
What about Afghanistan, where were the names of the heoes, just a two second mention, the man is a disgrace. We are going to do something really stupid, reinforce defeat.
What about Pakistan, or have they given up on trying to get the Muslim vote. Its alright for American incursions, but not alright for insurgents.
What about the labour party finances, loans, cash for honours, Manuel Brown, I knew nothing.
What about reform of the House of Lords. I want to know what he will do if the Queen dies, remember Stanley Baldwin and the abdication crisis. You think that nobody is thinking about what happens next.
Nothing about 42 days, nothing about abortion, what about identity cards.
Why mention the BNP, what have they done to deserve a mention. I wish he would clarify that he means Britain not Scotland. As for his Palin moment, the reference to the establishment. Surprised he didn't mention David, pigs and lipstick!
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The big problem with this speech is that it did not even begin to address the big issues facing the country today. It should have been about the tough choices ahead on tax and spend in particular, but was found wanting!
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Gordon Brown's blown it already, so speeches - good or bad - are not want the country needs now. Gordon Brown is the principal architect of the UK's lamentable economic preparedness for tough times; we are in a dreadful state. He sold gold at the bottom of the market (nice one Gordon); we're in debt up to our eyeballs (nice one Gordon); we're taxed half to death (nice one Gordon); the official inflation rate is an equally official lie - who really believes it's less than 5%? (nice one Gordon); our public sector is terminally obese (nice one Gordon); we've got a budget deficit close to the size that triggered IMF intervention in the 70s (nice one Gordon); our population is exploding and our public services are shot (nice one Gordon); his cabinet colleagues hate his guts (nice one Gordon); and in terms of leadership qualities, patently he couldn't run a bath ... shall I go on? And this man expects me to vote him back in to power to save my bacon? Go on, pull the other one Gordon.
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All promise, promise everything Gordon.
Promise to let us vote on the EU,
He refused to stand by that promise.
Who on earth would believe a word he says now.
His speech was to try and keep his job, the party applauded. (clap your hands if you want to hang on to your job)
Labour a waste of time and money.
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38 - so you're glad that he's retreated to the left, yet want him to scrap ID cards? - a left-wing policy...right...
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the thing is with gordon brown is without notcing his shot himself in the foot he says his kids not for show then 5 mintues earlier gets his wife to do a bit of pleading for him cos gordon lost his brown bottle hehe
then the oh poor me stories all i gotta say is anyone for a bucket i wanna be sick. the public dont wanna know about gordon personel life no need for it unless your desprate for stay prime minister which he is
as for policy ain't we heard it all before even the new stuff if we can call it that, where does the money come from?
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Nick,
no wonder he is letting these bankers get their bonuses, do they not pay tax and national insurance. The Treasury is so desperate for money, shame on them, shame on them all.
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I was unsure about GB before his speech, but he has convinced me of his values and direction. I thought he came over as firm, fair and genuine. I believe he has much more to offer than Cameron and i'm convinced he really wants to improve life for all of us. As he pointed out, it was the Tories that encouraged the City to behave in the obscene manner that brought about the credit crunch. I look forward to hearing about more policies like free medicine for Cancer patients, well done Gordon.
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Tories Tories and more Tories.
Almost every bleedin' post.
Either that or you're all too young, forgetful or just plain stupid to remember the last time we had a Tory government.
"Time for a change", shut the hell up.
Change to what? Tory Blair, Mr I-won't-tell-you-any-of-my-policies-because-then-you'll-realise-actually-I'm-just-as-much-a-part-of-the-old-nasty-party-as-I-ever-and-not-vote-for-me-Cameron!
I'm with Nick Clegg on this one (never thought I'd hear myself say that!)!
Cameron's only aim was to make the Conservatives inoffensive. Problem is, once you strip out the offensive parts of the Conservative party, there isn't much left
A new Prime Minister/Labour leader, might have mattered once, but I'm not so sure now.
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When the economy was going well it was all as a result of his policies, now it's all gone to pot, it is all the fault of the world outside and we are really well placed because Labour have managed the finances so well? Not a hope, better an apprentice than a failure who will not even admit his mistakes.
However all we have heard from Labour ministers and MPs is there is no one else who comes close to his skills in the party; it doesn't say much for succession planning or the strength of the rest of his cabinet does it. Of course there is no strength in depth because he is terrified of ability and keeps it out of his cabinet, which probably explains the economic situation we find ourselves in.
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We should all take Party Conferences with a pinch of salt.
Brown says the country isn't ready for a novice - the Tories used that example in the mid-1990s when there hadn't been a Labour Government for nearly 20 years. Didn't work well.
Iain Duncan-Smith said in 2003 at his Party Conference 'That the quiet man is here to stay and he's turning up the volume.' He was ousted after a matter of weeks.
The trick at this party conference has been to place the focus on Brown and not everything else. Labour is in trouble - and I don't mean in terms of it's poll figures. The party is now torn between the 'Old' Left and the more progressive wing of the party. What has been very interesting at this conference has been the marked contrast between Union demands and those of the Cabinet. For example, one demand was to re-nationalise or tax out of existence utility companies that made excessive profits yet this pledge was mainly ignored by Darling.
Some comments here suggest Labour would be wise to retreat to the left. Comments such as demands for excessive taxes on industry, renationalisation drives, etc will put the party out of office quicker than Cameron et al ever could. It is clear that there is a real tension between the differing ideologies of the party and Brown is not strong enough to hold the fragile unity together. Blair's modernisation of the party was to banish the unacceptable (and unelectable elements) of the party such as the extreme union views. He was popular enough to ensure that he could get this - look at the money that flowed into New Labour during his leadership.
You take away Blair and the whole thing collapses. This has been an OK conference for Brown personally, but he has taken his eye of the greater problem - the demand to return Labour to the ideological position of the 1970s-1980s. Comments here suggest that the Tories are still fighting the battles of the 1980s, it is clear that a faction of the Labour party still want the same thing for their party. If that happens (Brown's leadership is weak on this and Labour is bankrupt) then Labour might as well confirm itself to opposition for many years. Blair detoxified Labour to the electorate a return to the leftist policies of the 1970s would be a disaster.
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Brown says "And so let's hear no more from the Conservatives - we did fix the roof while the sun was shining. "
but doesn't add
"Unfortunately we still owe the money we borrowed to pay for the job."
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In his speech Brown was saying: -Will a novice like boy Dave manage the country any better?
I am an ordinary member of the public and I am not convinced, so as an ex Tory I'll stick to Labour.
I will never ever, ever trust boy Dave to run the country as some of my friends and I, ALL ex Tories, remember the days when we lost our jobs in the City and some even lost their house, all thanks to the incompetent advisor that Lamont had in 1992.
So Nick, how many Banks around the world were going bust in 1992?
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As conference speeches go, it was a fairly good one, and for Gordon one of his better ones. But then again it needed to be. Let's remember that he wasn't elected into the job, neither was he the Party's choice, or the electorates choice as PM. He was "put" in it by Blair as a thankyou for his support in getting his name into the history books after 10 years in post.
Therefore Gordon is in effect belatedly applying for his own job. Fair enough, just as long as we all realise that.
Not much mention of the economy I noted, nor of knife crime, nor of the house prices crisis. What he did achieive was a breathing space. Remains to be seen what he does with it.
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From the brief extracts I've seen, the general shape of Gordon Brown's speech and performance is better. It's not up to the quality I'd like to see but that will come in time. I'm sure a new speechwriter and coaching has helped but there's nuances in the content and flow of delivery that need working on. But, yeah. Good effort. I'd like to see some of the mouths around here do better from a cold start.
Most folks will miss this but the issue of confidence and tone, and the content structures and connectedness is key to fixing the broken British economic fundamentals. The British don't do leadership or communication, and a better lead by the Prime Minister will help set a better focus other folks can follow. This has the potential to create more wealth than blowing money on feel-good projects.
I noticed some key words and sentiments in that speech that I've floated in here over the past few weeks. Not sure whether it's worth reading anything into that but it looks kinda spooky. If there's a point, here, it's that whining might create a lot of froth but positive challenges are more useful and more likely to be picked up. Complaining is easy but shaping outcomes is something else. Folks around here might want to reflect on that.
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Tories Tories and more Tories.
Almost every bleedin' post.
Either that or you're all too young, forgetful or just plain stupid to remember the last time we had a Tory government.
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and you're clearly too young or whatever to remember the labour government before that
the tories are weak, so are labour - why does it have to be a choice between the two? it's just becoming who's the worst between them because people are so hard headed they won't look elsewhere
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I do hope that Brown's speech confirms his leadership until the General Election.
This will ensure Nu Labour's complete obliteration.
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Brown claiming Labour is needed now more than in 1997 seems to make all the progress he claims to have made look less valid.
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The kids arnt props.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/06/09/article-1025355-05EE4CAF0000044D-494_468x336.jpg
OK
And nors the wife.
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Well the speech didn't work.
The next move will come when the Labour Party announces that for the good of the general public (thats you stupid) there will be no voting necessary for elections as the Labour Party may not get the result they want.
There is no point in wasting good money voting again and again as Ireland will do.
Just accept the dictatorship.
It's for your own good.
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Doesn't seem to have changed people's opinions of his governance, according to radio interviews.
And the 'Best NHS' stuff still doesn't seem to hold water - here's a quote from the BBC webste only today: "A hospital has apologised to a mother who had to rely on her husband to deliver their baby because there was no midwife available."
Isn't that scary?
Kids aren't props? But wives are?
Oops...
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What's happened to the Moral Compass rubbish then?
Did Brown realise that he couldn't peddle that clap-trap and continue to be a typical leading politician and tell bare faced lies? Or is that no longer fashionable?
What about Blair's decision (with Brown's support) to invade Iraq in 2003 or to get involved in Afghanistan? Our Armed Forces are at breaking point yet nothing was mentioned about that either.
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You can only have one leader. The Green Party finally figured this one out. The problems happen when you have too many chiefs or unofficial comment: everything goes fubar and nobody's happy.
It's a sign of maturity that the government isn't caving in to vested interests. In contrast, the Tory party still writes blank cheques for big business and blue-rinse shareholders. And look where that got us.
I really dispair of the management and negotiation skills a lot of folks have in Britain. It just undermines personal success and drags everything down. I suggest folks make a case for better workplace training at all levels, or buy some books.
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51,
Don't forget that the roof seems to be leaking very badly; no guttering, no tiles, and the rafters seem to be rotten.
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Gordon said his children aren't props..lucky he didn't include his wife . What a load of self righteous hogwash
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Great speech. Great man.
I love Britain too and believe it can be great again with vision and I believe Brown has what it takes.
Shame on you cynical critics - please offer some solutions. Don't you understand what's going on in the world? Its really really bad and its not Browns fault so stop blaming and start contributing.
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Camelot? Well, a Brown Camelot!
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Why does the BBC bother perpetuating the charade of being impartial? Political correspondent Reeta Chakribati can hardly contain her enthusiasm for bottler Brown: "Has he done himself good? Most certainly," she gushes. When are you going to acknowledge the facts and start reporting them? The British people, left and right, loathe Brown and loathe the Labour government for what they have done to once-great Britain. Brown is a disgrace, so is the BBC.
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This speech was yet another hollow, "it's all about making me look good" effort. Really quite minor initiatives were dropped in that Mr Brown and The Party figured would garner favorable headlines. Many of these had the customary Brown to start in 2 years or 18 months hence tacked on to them.
There was plenty of talk about changing the country for the better but the obvious question must be, why haven't we seen these changes after 11 years of this administration?
The guy claims to be against image politics but is a bigger spin doctor than his predecessor. Just witness things such as the sudden appearance of a broad grin, the massive effort to avoid that annoying habit of dropping his jaw, etc., etc.
Move on Gordon, move on New Labour. You are increasingly looking like a washed up sportsman trying to make yet another comeback, unaware that his best years are long gone.
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Yes he came across as a man of great conviction. I'm quite convinced that his beliefs are sincere.
The trouble is one of those beliefs is that to tax those that work and give it to those that won't work is being 'fair'.
It isn't.
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Doesn't anything think Blair limited Brown the past years?
Blair was the one that made compromises, he's the one that took money from people for titles. He's the one that pandered to the rich guys, not Brown.
Why do you think Brown wanted Blair out? Blair was doing exactly the sort of stuff, we and Brown didn't want happening!
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Hiddenranbir, Brown wanted Blair out so that he could have the top job....pure and simple.
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For a man who has been supposedly preparing a defining speech for weeks, this was a limp effort. Halting, and with syntactic and tense errors, it made for uncomfortable listening, and the time is past for 'honest Gordon' , and an American style parading of his wife.
The only thing saving him is the lack of a credible alternative, and I include myself as a Liberal, among those who do not recognise Clegg (who comes across as a schoo;boy speaker), and Cameron, a snake-oil salesman, as obvious contenders.
Miliband looked so much like Mr Bean, in the press photos, protests too much that he is Gordon's supporter. JonathanCruddas' fluency, and obvious intelligence make him a much more credible long-term prospect.
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He talked a lot about his experience. Well I am more concerned with my experience and all of our experience of living in a Britain run by this shallow excuse for a Prime Minister.
This experience is not a pleasant one and it is getting worse and worse all the time.
I would rather have a talented and knowledgeable novice in charge than a thoroughly experienced idiot.
Brown's experience has created a total mess. He has shown no sign of even being able to demonstrate that he knows what is wrong, therefore he is completely incapable of putting it right.
Please can we have a general election now?
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I would agree that Chakribati gushed a little but beneath the presentation that's some interesting points made about organisation and peoples sentiments. Let's face it, dude, you're not the target market so anything you say doesn't matter.
Some folks would whine whatever was said. Sure, they can run off the the Tories who will say they're right and give them a shoulder to cry on, but will that make them a winner, or just a bigger loser? The truth is the Tories know this but can't admit it.
Now, one of thinks folks don't get about Gordon Brown is is sense of vision and teamwork: building success and helping folks, even if they're Tories, is natural for a guy like that. If the Tories weren't so narrow minded and partisan they'd get it.
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to #48 dylunydd
Are you mad? It is about a basic direction. The direction of "get off your backside and help yourself" or "sit back watch Jeremy kyle on your free PC and somebody else will pick up the Bill"
As far as I am aware Maggie and her right wing policies took more people out of poverty than Gordo's loony left will, because people need to get themselves out of poverty, giving them stuff for nothing encourages nothing. Does he honestly think giving PCs to layabout's will change anything? Education is the key but if you expect nothing from people that is exactly what you will get. If you keep doling out "Free Money" then they will not do anything to earn it. And by the way Gordon none of this money is free it is ours. I earned it, and I wouldn't mind paying so much tax if I saw anything improving. If I even saw the bins being emptied without being threatened if I put it our a couple of hours early of it it is open by 3 inches.
I could go on but I think the majority of people are more than well aware of what labour stands for, they have had enough of being fleeced to pay for layabout's and a bunch of people who have no right to be here. The Gurkha issue is just one more example of the hatred Labour have for anything British or people who have helped Britain. How can Hook-hand remain whilst people who have fought for us cannot?
Labour are far more obscene than the Tories ever were.
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I have read the blogs and it seems to me that all of them reflect, nay, mirror which ever newspaper or TV news programme the writer subscibes to. Have none of us got an opinion of our own any-more? Must we ape the views of the 50p nasty that we buy in the morning? Brown said from the out-set that he would drop "spin", so the newspapers make up their own news about him now. Who do you believe - the news writers who have to make up their stories - or the government, which doesn't. We will only ever get the government that we deserve if we make up our OWN minds
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I do not think that Brown will be the Labour leader that takes them into the next General Election.
There is simply too much negative baggage from the past decade for him to overcome, now that the economy has turned down.
Under Brown, Labour are going to struggle to be the second party at Westminster post the General election.
If they change the leader and that person happens to be English then I think they may avoid a total wipeout.
As part of a healthy political mix, England should have a meaningful socialist party, that true to its roots, standing up for working people.
Maybe New Labour will revert to that one day.
PS. Even the concession on cancer treatment for England in Browns speech merely highlighted the raw deal that the English have been getting in this area compared to Scotland. The English will be far better off running their own show, as the Scots and Welsh are demonstrating.
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@15 "Gordon can restore the public's faith in an exceptional and talented politician, and perhaps the next 9 months will show him to be a leader."
Well he's already had more than 12 months and only showed cowardice, dishonesty and rank ineptitude, so I doubt that another nine months will allow him to show any aptitude that could be described as talent.
He could restore my faith, but it would take a massive policy shift from him and mean that he would have to revert to implementing part of the labour manifesto that he was elected to his seat on. Give us the referendum!
In addition to this he should scrap the expensive ID card, NHS database, Childrens database and the plans to monitor and track every living human in this land in whatever they do ever. All their travels, all their spending habits, every email they send and recieve, every website visited, etc etc....
IF he did any of that, I may just consider voting labour after all, but since they basically tore up their last manifesto within about 2 years of the last election, scrapping their leader and the manifesto promises he made that won the election, why on earth would anyone ever believe any election promise from labour ever again???
This speech is way way way too little about 2 years too late!
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He'll use his wife as a prop though, Brown you are still the arrogant bully!
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Nick, you say that Gordon getting his wife to introduce him gave him the "surprise factor he needed"
I think he got Mrs. Brown to introduce him because she was the ONLY person he could trust to sound pleased
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@ 55.tarquin
What damn revelance does the Labour government of 1979 have?
In case you haven't noticed, the Tory government I am referring to is the last example that we have of them in power.
Jim Callaghan is not the most Labour PM
Fool.
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The slant of this speech is in part the outcome of Nick Robinson's insistence on addressing issues in terms of personality rather than discussing and evaluating policy, perhaps because he cannot do the latter. It has spread in BBC political reorting and is corrupting our approach to politics.
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14. At 6:51pm on 23 Sep 2008, T A Griffin (TAG) wrote:
Nick,
"what a coincidence, Gordon mentions new nuclear power in his speech and then EDF announce take-over of British Energy. Weird or what."
Weirder still TAG....Gordon's brother Andrew works for EDF
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Take a closer look at the ten pence tax fiasco ? the single error he almost owned up to today.
For the climax of his last Budget (2007) he wanted a rabbit to pull out of the hat. Something which would wrong foot the Conservatives and leave them speechless and open-mouthed, while producing adulatory cries of praise from his backbenches. Something so he would sit down with acclaims of his brilliance ringing in his ears. So capping his time as Chancellor and beginning his Prime Ministership.
His rabbit was the cut in basic rate tax to 20%, funded, as he brushed over at the time, by the abolition of the 10 pence tax rate.
He knew the implications of that. It was an effective doubling of the starting rate from 10% to 20%. It would hit the poorest hardest. He was warned by his officials in the same way they warned him of the impact of the abolition of the dividend tax credit on pensions. So he dressed it up with some protection for those on tax credits and income support but left millions of the poorest exposed to significant (for them) tax increases.
But ?so what?? The tax increases were small in absolute terms (for someone on £180,000); the change would not take effect until April 2008. He would hold his general election in Autumn 2007 and be safely back in power before the fools noticed the fall in their pay packets.
The poorest working people sacrificed on the alter of his ambition.
He did not come out about this in full. There was no sincerity in his mea culpa. What integrity does this man have? Take his moral claims with a large pinch of salt.
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No time for novice uh.... and he's the right guy for the job.
He's the 'only' guy for the job 'in' the Labour party of which he's been part of it for 11 years and dithers overnight and 'will have to do better' this is a self bigoted Prime Minister.
He mentioned Northern Rock, he dithered and dithered....wheres the leadership there? A Novice would have done better, more like he was concerned about the Labour votes there, not to mention the 10p tax fiasco.
Where has the 11 years of experience gone, please DO bring on the novices.
A little too late in the day to shout about the roof tops of what to do, clearly they this Government had any idea they would have put words into action long ago.
Bring on the Novices, 11 years of your experience has ruined this country.
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Nick says: "Gordon Brown was, in effect, reapplying for his own job"
When John Major reapplied for his own job, he resigned and triggered a leadership vote - which he won.
Gordon will hang on to the bitter end as Labour MPs know there isn't really an alternative candidate.
To be fair, it's not all Gordon's fault. He seems a decent chap. The reason Labour is in this mess is because of their disastrous polices.
How much more damage can this government do as they blunder on?
The Party's over.
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I thought Gordon was magnificent, why don't u all stop being so pathetic and start appreciating what a decent human being and Prime Minister Mr. Brown is. Brilliant.
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81 - that was my point, the original argument was that the last tory government did bad things, perfectly reasonable to say that the last labour government did too - or do we have to wait at least 18 years before a party is allowed to change and not be judged on its past governments
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If you are running a political party then you cannot make much use of the past or even the present.
You have to be planning for the likely political landscape of the future.
Some politicians are arrogant enough to think that given a bit of time, they can 'shape their public'.
I'd rather try to herd cats than attempt to 'shape' the English, Scots or Welsh.
For once, the pieces really are in flux, and the likely political landscape of this land in the near future is very likely to be England, Scotland and Wales as independent political entities.
Politicians would be wise to plan for that outcome rather than trying to maintain a zombie entity - political Britain.
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In relation to anotheroldboy's comment i would like to say i feel that if Gordon had have made an apology he would have been probable been called weak and i lay mans terms a 'lick-up' by the very gentleman in question.
i think that its a sad day when we fail to back this remarkable man. i do thoroughly believe that Gordon Brown is a great leader. i feel that his intellect and the intellect of his government far out-weighs that of the opposition.
i also think it would be a very sad day if we watched the power of this country drift back to the tories who for so long under thatcher rule brought the uk to her knees.
i dont think we should go back to old etonain rule and elite politics for priviledged people.
Long live Labour
and long live Gordon Brown may he steer us threw threw these trubulent days and back to the prosperous days when labour lead for equality.
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# 81 dylunydd
"What damn revelance does the Labour government of 1979 have?"
Well, in 1979 we had a country with rising inflation, borrowing out of control, a government that had lost direction, unions flexing their muscles.
When the Conservatives won in 1979, they inherited a terrible mess. Unlike 1997 when Labour inherited a healthy economy. It didn't take long for them to mess up though.
But I agree, we should stop going on about ancient history. It's the here and now that really counts. And right now, we need a change.
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I am now really worried....!!!
I just watched the Newsnight trailer on Brown's speech and it has concerned me greatly...
It was when he said "I'm all for apprenticeships........but this is no time for a novice".....he then gave the most sickening grin/laugh that I have ever witnessed in my 40 years of adult life. It was creepy......In fact it was deeply disturbing.
He displays such megolamaniac tendancies that i sincerely fear for th efuture of this country.
The wife bit at the beginning was garishly american glitz, and cr@p, afterwhich he proceeded to say his children are not props for photo shots they're people. It just makes me want to barfff!!!
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The odd thing is that the Labour party have zero understanding of how awful they are or how appalling their delivery record is.
After years of Tony Blair - it is so weird seeing the sudden lurch to the hard left. The Unions, Kinnock and full on tax and spend against yet more unmeasurable and undeliverable 'clap trap' policies.
We only need Gordon and 'non-prop' Sarah to take a walk on the beach and for Gordon to fall into the surf and we will have gone full circle.
Bring on Glenrothes.
Bring on (soon please) a march against the Government on London.
P.S. New policy suggestion:
We plan to move 1 million children out of mobile phone poverty.
We propose free mobile phones for all under 18 year olds so that parents can take more responsibility for the whereabouts and behaviour of their children (I think everyone will agree that the cumulative cost of ring tone downloads are a price worth paying by the taxpayer).
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
"58. At 8:48pm on 23 Sep 2008, CarrotsneedaQUANGO2 wrote:
The kids arnt props.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/06/09/article-1025355-05EE4CAF0000044D-494_468x336.jpg
OK
And nors the wife."
so, hes not allowed a photo of himself with his wife and child? seems a little unfair - there is a difference between a photo and putting your children on TV. how many times i wonder have you heard about camerons children, and seen them, and compare that with brown.
and whats it got to do with his wife? there is a key difference - shes an adult and has chosen that life for herself. clearly, children cannot
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The thing that really frightens me about Brown is when he smiles; be afraid, be seriously afraid!
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92 BankRSlicker- I just watched the Newsnight trailer on Brown's speech and it has concerned me greatly...
It was when he said "I'm all for apprenticeships........but this is no time for a novice".....he then gave the most sickening grin/laugh that I have ever witnessed in my 40 years of adult life.
--
i saw that too - to me he looked like it wasn't something he really meant, like he was just reading out some gimmicky line - i don't think it's a particularly good idea for gordon to do that sort of thing
but then the conferences are just a time to pat yourselves on the backs and basically have a love-in whilst ignoring reality
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love the way sarah brown had to come back to the mic and tell everyone gordon's name!
the bloke is full of contradictions:
"the tories let manufacturing fall and walked away from it!" - after losing 1.7 million manufacturing jobs in the last 10 years replacing them with civil servants paid for by the taxpayer? thats good policy is it?
"this is no time for apprenticeships!"
after getting rid of hundreds of thousands of them, so much so, that we have a trades person shortage in the uk.
"never before seen financial times"
so how can he say he has the experience to lead us through it?
"some children dont yet have access to the internet!"
shouldnt have closed down the libraries then should he? and if brown/blair past promise of every school having access to the internet (even though 80%of them already had it) was actually done instead ofbeing used as a soundbite, then all children would have access to the internet wouldnt they!
"i wont use my children as props!"
no you just send your wife out to introduce you before a major policy speech, or perhaps tell the eye story again (for the umpteenth time) then reveal an operation you had that no one knew about before.... or tell everyone about your mum and dad, his kids are the only things he wont use as props.
"im just me... this is who i am!"
so why pay for spin doctors with taxpayers money?
the "advisor" whos job is to stop the media from using embarassing photos of you
the "advisor" who leaks your cabinet reshuffle to the media
the "advisor" who leaks the theme and some details of your key speech to the country and your own party
are they worth the cost?
the pre speech video was even more contradictory:
"I cant be seen to be supporting either american president candidate"
after publishing a magazine article favouring obama, obama also features on the promo video prior to his speech
"GB cycle team - olympic champions and the best in the world"
based in the velodrome in manchester... built under john major's government.
the bloke is a complete waste of space!
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He's awkward in public but I still feel he's the right Labour leader; he will continue to steer the Party down a business-inclusive path whilst retaining his strong social core. Those were the policies, the ethos I voted for and I see no reason to change that. He's winning people over, slowly...and would you really want kiddy Cameron in charge anyway?
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Apologies Tompride.....as I have only just read your post #84.
It is the most succinct, accurate and honest appraisal of Gordon Brown's 10p tax fiasco on all of the blogs I have read on the BBC website to date. His half hearted apology in his speech today....was exactly that....half hearted. THERE IS NO INTEGRITY IN THE POLITICAL SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY; WHAT SO EVER!
We are a bankrupted society, in every sense of the word, today.
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If Gordon's fixed the roof, why is the rain coming in?
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If anyone thinks that selling your wife and a couple of false grins changes anything, they are as deluded as he his.
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# 92 BankRSlicker
# 97 tarquin
"I'm all for apprenticeships........but this is no time for a novice"
I think the reason Brown laughed was because this barbed comment could have been meant for Cameron, but in reality everyone knew he was probably talking about the scheming Milliband.
Interestingly, as the audience laughed, the BBC cut to a shot of Milliband smiling and clapping 'enthusiastically'.
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#100-102
Your whines are music to my ears...suddenly Labour are back on the up and you lot just can't stand it. Stand up and give Mr Brown some credit; come on you whiners and whingers, stand up and applaud a man who is not ruled by flim-flam and fickleness, the man who will lead Labour to the next General Election win
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I'm looking forward to hearing Nick Robinson's snide remarks directed (for once) at David Cameron and his public school chums next week. Am not holding my breath though.
Brown's performance was masterful and sincere.
The UK's standard of living and self-confidence have grown enormously under Labour - those of us who lived through the previous ten years under the Tories will know how the morale of ordinary people was totally bludgeoned by the government's mercenary and arrogant policies.
They must be making lots of promises to Nick and the BBC to get such biased political reporting onto our screens.
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Gordon's speech, Gordon's promises.
They mean nothing.
Just like the promises already broken.
Referendum comes to mind.
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105 MinnieSouris
There was nothing "sincere" about Brown today.
As usual with the man:
- read the small print
- wait for the U-turns
- listen out for the economy of truth
- or - just use common sense.
That speech was dripping with waffle (Left-wing-cat-nip-waffle)
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That's pretty much on the money.
Remember, Cylons are people too!
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#107 jonathan_cook
"Left-wing-cat-nip-waffle"
Pfff...have a word with yourself, son.
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Unfortunately.....most of the those who have been talking up GB tonight on this blogsite obviously don't read any of the other blogs on the BBC website....namely Robert Peston's financial blog or Paul Mason's superb economy blog. If you did...the full extent of GB's incompetance would become immediately apparent. If you think the CDO fiasco related to the sub-prime mortgages disaster was bad enough....just wait until the CDS insurance tsunami hits us. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. However, the impending economic disaster has only just begun. You won't be so supportive when the real economic crises takes a vicious hold of this country. It's going to get very very nasty.
You heard it from here first.....it won't be last time!
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Gordon's always been good at saying things,it's actually doing them he falls down on.The man's a disaster and has to go,as a former Labour voter I'll vote for whoever's got the best chance of turfing my local Labour M.P. out.Her voting to keep her sticky snout in the expenses trough was the last straw for me,not only for her but for the whole sleazy,dishonest shower.
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I noticed the change of rallying song. Perhaps as well Things can only get better would have gone down like a lead balloon!
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#110 BankRSlicker
I don't want to come across as Mr Peston too much but you are spot on. I gave a talk about a month ago on the state of the economy and can only echo your assertion. I don't think people realise how bad it's going to be.
It still amazes me how many people, after more than a year, still don't really grasp the kernel of the Sub Prime crisis. This has not been caused by irresponsible lending which will therefore only affect the people who have overstretched themselves (a misunderstanding that even an educated man - Ian Hislop - showed he had fallen pray to in the last edition of BBC's Question Time). Rather it has been caused by the fact that mortgage lenders have funded their lending through CDOs from the US which are now pretty much worthless. This means that the whole banking system is affected.
The CDS wave will be very nasty indeed. If the Thatcher detractors think 3 million unemployed was bad then you ain't seen nothing yet. I think that by December 2009 you will regard 1984-85 as the garden of Eden.
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Only the name has changed as NuLabour stumbles into another by-election crisis.
You would think these numpties would have learnt a lesson from Glasgow East. Apparently not.
Never mind Brown - Things can only get better - or can they!
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At Conference the headline speeches usually obscure speeches from lesser mortals. The following from Jack Dromey, NuLabour party treasurer was one such speech:
Naw surely Jack this cant be right NuLabour - lack of financial discipline and proper controls. But Jack are you not the guy that missed the millions slushing around NuLabours coffers post Cash for Honours and the so called Loans scandal. Looks like this week has been all about mistakes.
That really stretches credibility Jack, fourth successful GE, you must be intoxicated on those stickers that Prezza is handing out. Just an illusion Jack, an act. Once the razzmatazz has died down and the circus has moved on NuLabour are back in the Brown quagmire.
I hate to burst another bubble Jack it was "crucial" for Labour to recruit new members but there is one of your numpties who wants to kick out 60% of your current membership - Alan Sugar Get Out. Have the balls to get out. Hey Jack don?t shoot the messenger - His words not mine!
I think the above speaks volumes. But we all know who your paymasters are Jack, we see they have started pulling the strings this week!
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I know it?s a bit of a downer signing on the rock and roll. But look on the bright side it will be more than likely that your NuLabour MP will be along side you.
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108# Charley
Whew only 2 lines from you, that?s a fist, and they are sooooooo deep. Have you been gazing at your navel again?
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It wasn't a bad speech, but i'm still a long way off coming back to the fold.
He started off talking about fairness and then played the familiar "Familys" and "Pensioners" card, if you're not over 65 or married with a couple of kids it's blatantly obvious that Labour isn't the party for you.
His 10p tax "apology", well as close to an apology as we'll get from him, was good to hear but it doesn't really wash. He must certainly have understood the consequence of his actions when he took away the 10p tax rate, and then to continually deny there were any losers, from "Labour" thats an unforgiveable sin.
Its going to need strong actions not words before I vote labour again.
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Nick,
so now we know that Ruth Kelly is to resign, apparently to spend more time with her family. I think that it is also widely known about her problems, as a Catholic, over the abortion laws. I hope that Harriet Harman is interviewd over this issue and that her comments are recorded for posterity. Furthermore, there are other well known Catholics in the cabinet with problems over this contentious issue. Will they also take the decision to resign to spend more time with their families.
We also know that there is to be a cabinet reshuffle next week, it had better take place now because are the media being misled.
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Nick,
now some of us knew that the World Bank had pulled out of the funding for the Chad/Cameroon Oil Pipeline Project. Nothing much there you might say.
Then you begin to realise about the connection to the Dafur region and also Sudan, with President al-Bashire, and also China, because it is the main beneficiary of the oil from Chad/ Cameroon.
Now where am I going with this one. Listen to the Today programme broadcast and just pay attention to the item on the possibility that the President of Sudan may escape prosecution for genocide at the International Criminal Court.
International finance, the international dictatorship oil, and politics, are pretty dirty business, are they not Nick?
How the party faithful applauded the PMs speech, yeah they really agree with nuclear power. Sure they do, especially when it is going to be run by a French Company.
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At the end of WWII some Germans pleaded their innocence of war crimes on the basis that either they were following orders, or that they did not know what was being done in their name.
Now, we have the break-down in the glaobal financial system. What are people saying? That they either did not understand what was going on, or that they were following instructions from their managers/directors/chief executive.
I see no difference in the attitude we took to the war criminals as to how we should be treating the financial institutions who have failed the world in their trading policies.
Consider this, a manager would receive a staff appraisal saying that he has not been selling enough mortgages to the public. Therefore, he sells them to people who really can't afford a mortgage. He is following orders, he knows from his experience and previously acquired knowledge that this person really should not have a mortgage, but he has to reach his target.
He is as guilty as the Nazi soldier or camp guard who followed orders. The mortgage was granted because he needed to keep his job, he had a family to feed, a standard of living to maintain. We are all guilty, the system is breaking down, we are all shamed. Where were the whistle blowers.
As Shakespeare would say, 'we are all pimps and whores'. Nick, we are all guilty and are we going to pay for it!
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What will be Cameron's reposte? A cheap jibe and sound bite, or gravitas.
Everyone is going on about Labour's internal politics. Unimportant. What matters is does the country see Cameron as an alternative? He has got to start building up his leadership credentials soon or the public mood will move back to Brown as inflation gets lower and the recession bottoms out. When lots of people feel that the worst effects have passed them by they will think again.
If Gordon keeps the flickering fire that he started in his speech and it begins to burn a little stronger he could yet survive. A performance with stubstance from Cameron could quench the fight back. The electorate is more volatile than even they believe.
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Still trying to understand Brown'd thinking.
He's going to legislate to prevent child poverty?
No doubt there will be a formula you can apply, but how can you legislate against poverty? You can't stop a parent taking whatever tax-credit-based payment and spending it on a 60inch plasma screen. Or have I got the wrong end of the stick?
("Hello, hello, young person. You do realise it's against the law to be poor, don't you...")
Children aged two will have free nursery places. Covering 30 locations in year one, 60 in year two.
By the time a quarter of UK locations are covered, there will be no point in them attending, as Brown has failed to ensure power production, so the lights and heating will be off.
He "did fix the roof while the sun was shining". Roof = part of infrastructure = something that endures beyond individual worker's employment. Brown refered to more policeman, nurses, etc. But they (like all employees) are a cost-of-doing-business NOT infrastructure. Or has there been a change in accounting rules?
And he's going to create a global financial services regulatory framework? For goodness's sake, he's created enough of a mess with the attempts at a UK solution.
Don't see how you build a fair society when you deliberately withdraw a 10p tax-rate for the poorest. Still can't believe they couldn't work out a simply way to retain that for the genuine low income people. That showed a real lack of imagination.
There's a difference between having a "political vision" and having a wet dream
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I think it's probably fair to say that Gordon Brown bought himself some time as far as The Labour faithful are concerned. He certainly saw off the implied challenge by the young upstart David Milliband who performed very poorly. Judging by TV interviews with ordinary families and floating voters they appear however to have seen through the false smiles and the rhetoric. They just want him to do something for their plight instead of persisting with gimmicks and they still blame him for not taking appropriate policy action when he was Chancellor of The Exchequer. The Labour hierarchy have been blaming David cameron of hiding. He is likely to tear into Brown's record at The Conservative Conference and the feathers are bound to fly. It'll be interesting to see how he reacts to all the desperate criticism directed at him by Labour hardliners.
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Watching Mr Brown's speach yesterday was like watching the end of "The Apprentice" where after failing to grasp the concept of the task in hand the "Sir Allan" wonnabes try to plead their case as to why it wasn't their fault things went wrong, when anyone watching can plainly see that it was.
Sorry Mr Brown "Your Fired"
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Nick,
in his interview on the Today programme our great leader was talking about solvency and, off balance sheet, and liquidity. The man is a disgrace.
He should have been pressed about PFI, off balance sheet in the government statistics. I could scream at him, he is so duplicitous, he is mandaceous, not sure about the spelling but you know what it means.
We want to protect our children, but Sarah and me are a team. This stuff is rubbish, I feel like throwing up. Just pass the lipstick.
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To those people who still support Gordon and, in particular, trumpet him as the greatest Chancellor ever etc etc I have 3 questions.
First, can you name me ANY finance chief of ANY major country that DIDN'T keep inflation and interest rates low during the period 1997 - 2006? After all, if everyone was doing it, it can't have been all down to Gordon now, can it?
Second, if it was right to discard competition rules to swiftly allow the sale of HBOS (a mortgage company) to Lloyds TSB in order to prevent financial problems, why WASN't it right to allow the (smaller) sale of Northern Rock (a mortgage company) to Lloyds TSB in order to prevent financial problems?
Third, given the amount of time you spend demanding real policies from David Cameron when we are still at least a year from a general election, can we assume that you made exactly the same demands from Gordon and Tony during 1995? After all, they produced basically no policies at all until the election manifesto was printed, and that's been seen by everyone as not worth the paper it was printed on given their actions over the last 11 years.
All answers gratefully received.
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Nick
Did you see this story?
http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2008/09/gordon-brown-twists-the-words-of-the-shadow-chancellor/
Also... a BBC reporter claims to have heard millibands 'hestletine moment' comment... milliband denies it -- is milliband a liar? or is this anohter BBC Gilligan moment?
Gordon may be satisfied if he helps 'just one family' - but he would have had to have helped far more than that to have any respect from the general public. He may be happy if he feels he has done his 'best', but his 'best' just isn't good enough.
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Nope. No difference to fuel prices, collapsing house prices, devalued pensions, creeping surveillance, rising tax and falling income.. Now selling the UKs only independent energy security to EdF. Arrgghhh!
Tough and not soft touch Regulation is needed now. Giving the UK's Regulators teeth and making their decisions and processes transparent will start to clean up the mess.
Only question is how much more damage can be done over the next 20 months as Nulab cannot afford an election and Lab MPs will not vote themselves out of power until they have to. How does a democracy rid itself of a failed regime?
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I had bad dreams last night featuring Gordon Brown and his smile. Is it only me, or do others think he looks creepy when he tries to smile? Gordon - stay serious, I can't stand it when you try to smile!
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To me, when he said "no time for a novice", those were the most chilling words of all.
Because what he's saying is that intelligence, reason, logic, ability have no place in the decision about who runs the country, and that he is the only person in the universe who is the "right man for the job" purely because he's been physically running/ruining the country for the last 11 years.
The logic that he's using there is basically laying down the groundwork for a permanent coup and a dismantling of democracy under the guise of an "emergency" situation.
By 2010 things will only be worse (as long as he's running the country), so my guess is that he'll sow a few more seeds to try and convince people that nobody else is allowed to ever run the country between now and 2010, and then in 2010, when the country is totally dead in the water economically he'll pass a law to stop the general election until the "emergency" has passed.
Of course I might be wrong (I hope I am), but I think that his delusion and stupidity is so absolute (ie he's explicitly said that he thinks he's the only person in the universe capable of running the country) that come 2010 he'll reach for those "emergency" powers in a bid to remain in charge.
His logic is flawed though; being a novice doesn't stop you from being capable of running the country. If it did then Blair would never have become PM because in 1997 none of the labour shadow cabinet had any experience whatsoever, either in the real world, or in the political world of running anything.
Besides, I'd rather have a novice in charge than someone who's constantly lying to save his own skin and who doesn't understand basic economics/maths.
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As with those in the past who didn't like what the common herd were saying, first cull those who criticise, brow beat the rest of the herd and then the Great Pretender can follow the course as laid out in Dictator 101
If history does not suit the current personna
Then rewrite history
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Some postings really do take the bisuit. Extracts from guess who...
"The British don't do leadership or communication, and a better lead by the Prime Minister will help set a better focus other folks can follow. This has the potential to create more wealth than blowing money on feel-good projects."
I've seen plenty of good British leaders and communicators. Maybe they don't wander into your virtual world of games development...
Which "feel-good projects" do you expect Brown to drop?
I'd have been happier if he'd announced a permanent solution to the problem he created for thousands by withdrawing the 10p tax rate.
"I noticed some key words and sentiments in that speech that I've floated in here over the past few weeks. Not sure whether it's worth reading anything into that but it looks kinda spooky."
Sounds more frightening than spooky.
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To pick up on one point,If the losers from Brown's incompetance with the 10p tax fiasco are not fully and permanently compensated he will have just been using their loss and hardship to gain sympathy.Which is worse using your family for political points or using the lowest paid for political points?
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i am interested in estimating how much money the country is being committed to on policies and measures which have the sole purpose of saving gordons job.
yesterdays announcements are said to cost us 1.6 billion.
plus - can anyone remind me how much the country invested in trying to buy the crewe and nantwich by-election?
is there anything else that I am forgetting?
p.s. clangers like selling gold off don't count - because the sole aim of the sale was not to protect gordons job
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Mr Brown states that now is not the time for a novice.
Yes Mr Brown has experience, and so have the public - of years of stealth taxes.
Despite experience Mr Brown was shocked at the 10p reaction, which penalised the lowest paid.
Mr Brown in a recent Sky interview makes a couple of telling points in just the first 2 minutes of the video.
At the outset of the interview he states:
?We can?t excuse the irresponsible behaviour of a number of companies, it has got to be cleaned up and it has got to be cleaned up quickly?
A
Treasury Press Report from 2005 states:
"A risk based approach helps move us a million miles away from the old assumption - the assumption since the first legislation of Victorian times - that business, unregulated, will invariably act irresponsibly. The better view is that businesses want to act responsibly. Reputation with customers and investors is more important to behaviour than regulation, and transparency - backed up by the light touch - can be more effective than the heavy hand."
Despite his "experience" Mr Browns naivety led him to impose a light touch regulatory system that led to the irresponsible behaviour he now castigates as being the cause of many of the current problems.
Mr Brown in the same Sky interview claims "What we are discovering, was that there were large off balance sheet activities that were not fully disclosed and have had to be bought back on balance sheet to clear up the mess".
Mr Brown introduced PFI. Large off balance sheet sums of money used in addition to the huge stealth tax increases, for public spending. These off balance sheet PFI activities will have to be paid for by generations to come.
In his speech he claimed to have fixed the roof while the sun was shining - No, he took out a mortgage to fix the roof, and frittered the stealth taxes.
His golden rules only survived during good times because economic cycles were redefined, the rules were stretched and PFI did not count. Now in bad times they will be blown out of the water.
Gordon Brown allowed the economy to live beyond it's means during the good times, and now the golden rules really need to impose a discipline, they will be removed.
In the Sky interview he then goes on to talk about how he has for some time been trying to persuade other countries for the need for regulation. Whilst he has been trying to persuade the rest of the world that a globalised approach to regulation is required, it is the lighter touch regulation, the risk based approach, that he has been advocating ? the very approach that led to the irresponsible behaviour he naively assumed would not happen.
Gordon Brown, it has been said by some, has the reputation on the International stage, with International Finance Ministers, to help solve the problems - but he should be seen as a laughing stock.
He has been pushing for years for a lighter touch regulation. He even set up a Government department, BERR, to oversea it.
The FSA led the way in introducing this light touch and following the principles as was stated in a BERR report into how well the FSA was integrating the recommendations of the Hampton Report. The Hampton report was commissioned by Gordon Brown in the Budget of 2004.
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file45356.pdf
In the forward it is stated:
Philip Hampton?s report: Reducing administrative burdens: effective inspection and enforcement, published in 2005, is one of the cornerstones of the Government?s better regulation agenda. The principles of effective inspection and enforcement set out in the report, putting risk assessment at the heart of regulatory activity, are designed to encourage a modern regulatory system which properly balances protection and prosperity. Since 2005, the Government has established an expectation that regulators will embed these principles in their approach to regulation.
In November 2006, the Chancellor of the Exchequer invited the National Audit Office and the Better Regulation Executive to develop a process of external review to assess how much progress regulators had made in implementing the principles of Hampton.
In the body of the report it is stated (page 5):
· The FSA has internalised a strong culture of ?better regulation? ? the FSA as an organisation appears to have internalised the key elements of ?better regulation?, and has made strong progress on implementing the principles.
· The FSA is a leader in driving the better regulation agenda in Europe ? it is using its influence to try and increase the importance attached to cost benefit analysis in the development of European Financial Services policy.
And so it can be seen, Gordon Brown, in a climate of globalisation, has indeed been championing a global approach to regulation. But that approach is a light touch, risk based approach, where businesses should be trusted, not the old Victorian view that unregulated they will act responsibly. In every instance it appears he is calling for less regulation, not more. Gordon Brown has his fingerprints all over this light touch regulation in a globalised economy. The FSA has adopted the risk assessment approach, and has used it?s influence in the development of European Financial Services policy. He naively assumed that companies would not act irresponsibly ? but as he has belatedly realised, they did.
So he may well be experienced, but the experience is one of poor decision and indecision.
The public have witnessed the indecision and have felt in the pocket the poor decisions. These are experiences they will happily do without.
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Nick,
After all the froth has died down, Gordon Brown will still be faced with a weakening economy, inflation, rising union resentment and a financial headache.
To have so called analysts going around talking up Brown on the back of a stunt is not just misleading, it is downright pandering to the Labour Party.
Brown has had his chance to run the country (just ask Blair who was pulling the strings during his years as PM), and he has been found wanting at the first real hurdle. I would much rather that he left now before he finds new and innovative ways to cripple the economy.
All the best.
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Nick,
I think that you underestimate yourself. Yes, Ruth Kelly is going, he knew about this back in May, or so he says anyway, he being Gordon Brown.
Now the, we all know about the problems which many Catholics have over the abortion laws and times that were being pushed through by Harriet Harman. I think that the catholic members will now be changed and that this will be the main cahnges brought in by the PM with respect to his reshuffle. They are not happy.
Remember, that the timetable over for this was changed, it was delayed. What Gordon does not want is for this to be seen as some sort of rebellion against his leadership. It will be for reasons of conscious.
Some ministers are still concerned about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The unity will soon disintegrate. It will be spun, but this is the end game. It is not Gordon who must go, it must be the end of this whole parliament, a general election, NOW! hey've all got ADHD over the economy, there are serious other issues which cannot be democratically solved.
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I look forward to seeing how Gordon's new found "Fairness" will be applied to those Equitable Life members who have lost thousands of pounds from their pensions pots due to poor regulation by his government!
After 7+ years some fairness is long overdue!
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#136
Excellent post. No doubt CEH will try to use ZEN to rebut your comments.
I assume from your analysis and use of published sources that you do not work as an economics or political reporter for the BBC. Perhaps Panorama might want to pick up on this and actually examine Brown's record in a lot more detail, but I doubt it.
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This speech was one of the weakest plea bargains I have seen for some time.
These are very dangerous times so you need me around....
Gordon Brown set up the Tripartite structure that led to the collapse of Norhten Rock and an expansion of cheap credit unprecedented i modern times. No he wants to regulate it because it didn't behave the way he thought.
He couldn't regulate a gas ring.
Nothing he touches works properly; PFI has been abused by construction companies; the money supply got completely out of control; incapacity benefits have become a standing (or sitting) joke; the newdeal has been the subject of massive fraud and now a write off; the NHS morale is at an all time low despite his showering with cash; he ruined the private sector pension scheme; his idea of sorting out the lack of power generation is to sell british Energy to the French (presumably so he can blame someone else when it goes wrong)
The list of his failures is endless and yet he stands on stage with Nelly and Glenys Kinnock weeping at his feet.
Endless platitudes about caring for the poor, fair society, bunny rabbits for all...
Endless handouts from Generous Gordon for internet access and loft lagging....
Will it be a surprise if Gordon Brown asks the Queen next year if he can hand out the Maundy Money....?
You can't polish a turd.
This was old Gordon with a few wifely PR spin tips.
He's going down to a mammoth defeat at the next election....which should be called immediately if he thinks he's done such a good job.
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Gordon's children are not a prop, but clearly his wife is. More cynicism.
It doesn't matter if Gordon goes or stays, the Labour party have had it at the next election and they (and most media commentators) don't seem to understand why.
A great article here at the Times which I'm sure articulates many people's views.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/daniel_finkelstein/article4813038.ece
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TAG - although this pains me to say it, but Harman was right.
Right to push the Abortion laws through. Religion and Religious beliefs should have no bearing on what or how laws are passed in this country.
Especially not a minority sect such as Catholicism.
If you let them stop abortion, what next? No contraception? oh excellent just what the planet needs.
All hail the spaghetti monster, he moves amongst us.
Also Dreadnaughts were fantastic ships that revolusionised surface naval warfare, Submarines werent the problem, torpedo boats were, but thats how its always been with warfare, something gets designed thats excellent and a counter was developed.
WW1 submarines were only really good going against merchant ships as they couldnt stay submerged for long and instead did most of their damage running on the surface. Not a good idea against something with 12 inch guns
A better analogy would be Battleships against aircraft in WWII. Only going to be one winner there.
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All these comments, about the BBC being biased in its reporting make me laugh. I probably is as i often had how they exagerate things. However its accused of both labour and tory bias. People who cant argue there points always accuse people of bias instead of defending there own points.
I actually disagree and think the speech was very average and preaced to the a converted crowd (in terms there not going to criticise there own record).
However just a side note, did anyone else notice that the BBC New used to be blue under a Tory government and changed red and has been red since labour got into power?
Just a thought, a little coincidental maybe?
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Quite a good speech I thought. Said all the right things, just the right amount of humility mixed with belligerence, and Sarah made a big difference.
Pity the substance didn't match the performance, and essentially consisted of empty platitudes. Telling us he cares is irrelevant when he does nothing to help us out. More handouts for people who don't work and free drugs for smokers doesn't help the average man one bit.
Knocking a few pence off fuel duty would have been far more helpful; but of course he should have done this months ago.
The digs at the tories were misleading and hypocritical. Can't believe he kept a straight face talking about his kids being "people, not props" after he shamelessly used his lovely wife to soften up the hall.
But of course isn't that just Gordon in a nutshell; he just doesn't get it.
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#105
"Brown's performance was masterful and sincere."
Cringingly hypocritical would describe it better for me.
The speech was big on who is is and what has shaped him, but delivered in a voice schooled to disguise his roots. Is he ashamed of being Scottish?
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Daoism suggests that people can be prevented from doing bad by enforcement, people can be encouraged to do good by rules or, best of all, they can be encouraged to do good because they want to.
Daoism also suggests that more law, especially more complex law, gives rise to cheats, and turbulent times give rise to feudal lords. Less law and more calm, or a more nuanced and patient approach, is useful.
Media comment suggests that Gordon Brown understands the big picture and fine detail, but the final delivery remains to be seen. While the Tao is no guarantee of anything, it may help provide a clue as to how things will unfold.
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Nick - I know the media are in a frenzy about this but I think it's actually a disrtraction.
As an Englishman I would prefer someone who was elected PM and not a foreigner as my leader but thats not the big issue.
You can have who you like as PM and it still won't make me like labour if they continue with the same policies - taking my money and giving it to people I don't know, destroying my way of life with their 'reforms' etc etc
In an effort to placate their socialist members they actually seem to be stepping all this up a gear rather than stepping back.
Apparently I'm now going to be paying for people I don't know to have free internet connections. Great.
With Brown as leader or not, if they dont change POLICIES then I just want to see the back of them.
I would love the news to focus on the policies not this leadership trivia.
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The irony of this desparate piece of theatre is that it wasn't "the real Gordon" at all.
He clearly had to force himself to "open-up" which makes it creepy to watch and odd to listen to.
The real Gordon is the 11 years of lists, statistics and undelivered promises.
Yesterday was fluff, puff and denial.
here's hoping that the Daily Mail reprint the shot of Gordon and his props (sorry children).
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I am afraid I dozed off. The next thing I knew Countdown was on !
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Why is Gordon Brown a serious man for a serious time? I mean seriously-why? As head of our Government he has been at the helm of a quite forseeable meltdown in the Financial Markets. He has had the devices in place to monitor the worsening situation such as the FSA who report to the Treasury. The reason they (the FSA) never anticipated the Northern Rock fiasco was apparently lack of resources or being spread too thin so that it took place under their 'radar'. It seems to me that if we stick with Brown who has been at the helm whilst all this mess has been building up we can be assured of similar mistakes in the future. When economic growth is largely sustained by spiralling debt should he not have put more into the nation's coffers to protect us all from this inevitable 'crunch'.
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"This is no time for a novice".
The cheek of the man, does he not remember that ten years ago the entire labour cabinet was composed of novices, having been out of power for some eighteen years.
Furthermore his own 'exalted' reign at the treasurey started with full coffers and sound policies inherited from the previous government. It did not take him long to destroy the legacy and plunge the country into it's most debt ridden state in it's history for which we shall all be paying for many years to come.
Prudence indeed. His record is based on riding a wave of cheap money and easy credit at a time when the global economy was booming. He did nothing to regulate this wave of looming indebtedness and has to bear responsibility for his lack of foresight and neglect.
History alone, of which I understand he is a student, should have told him that economies go in cycles yet, this profoundly arrogant and unresponsive man stated on many occasions that he had got rid of the 'boom and bust' cycle in the economy through his own clever (sic) policies.
The 'towering intellect' has indeed come crashing down. Trouble is we are all going down with it.
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The interpretation is always the same, isn't it? 'PCs for layabouts'. The fact that the idea that 'poor' = 'layabouts' still persists is really the root of the problem, and sadly the next government will be the one we deserve, and more will lose out then they think. Or is it the case that, given that London and the South East are far more affluent than, say, South Wales, the North East, or Scotland, the Welsh, Scottish and Northerners are all 'layabouts', too?
Labour are about offering opportunities to those who were not born with them, and the Conservatives are about restricting those opportunities to those who already have them. It's actually that simple. Hence Cameron wants to scrap SureStart - probably the most successful policy initiative that Labour has introduced, which supports families in deprived areas, is increasing child literacy and enables mothers to access community support (which has the happy side-effect of tackling rising rates of post-natal depression) - and replace it with women closeted inside their homes waiting for the health visitor.
The policies speak for themselves. It's sad that many don't appear to want to hear it, or are happier to believe the interpretation in the right-wing press.
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And to 151, sorry to say that deregulation of financial markets started in the late 70s/early 80s (whose fault?.....), hence the pensions and endowments misselling scandals in the late 90s.
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It was all going so well until Sarah sat down and Gordon got up to speak. Winston Churchill he isn't. And despite the standing ovations and wild enthusiasm in the hall, we can take it as read the big beasts are waiting and watching from the bushes, ready to pounce at any further sign of weakness.
The speech was probably the best of a bad job. Much though it pains me to agree with anything Simon Heffer has to say, his column in the Telegraph this morning was spot on. Gordon was addressing the delegates, not the rest of the country. He boasted of record investment in public services but as he said it the country as a whole was pondering exactly where all the money had gone. It doesn't work when he talks about his unparalelled experience. He's the one who took us from the largest budget surplus in this country's history to its largest deficit during 8 years of economic boom. Note to Gordon for the future. That's something else you probably want to play down in future along with the 'end to boom and bust' chest-beating.
He attacked David Cameron for talking about a broken society but when knife crime is spreading with viral speed, violence and drunkenness makes most town centres a no-go area after dark most weekends, teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease are both rising... well, maybe those things don't happen in Gordonworld.
Like economies, politics seems to be cyclical. Parties and politicians seem to have a sell-by date. Do they get tired, do they become complacent, are they overtaken by events? Or is it a simple reflex of voters, that after a while we get fed up and want a change? I'd venture to say this economic crisis is irrelevant. New Labour has reached the end of the road. Sorry so many MPs are going to lose their jobs and have to find work. That's democracy for you. No doubt Gordon will get plenty of money for speaking engagements, although on the substance of yesterday's performance maybe not.
The job he was offered at the IMF back in 2004 must look very attractive now he's so far up the creek, paddle-less and soon to be friend-less.
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153:
No-one would seriously take issue with the idea of helping the worst off. BUT, given limited resources, to which of the following would you direct government aid?
A. Working people, on low incomes, facing price rises, struggling to make ends meet, and getting poorer in real terms all the time; or
B. Benefit recipients?
In my view, group B have been helped a lot already; no problem with that.
But now the time has come to help group A.
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I was a little confused by this speech..... is this not perhaps a year or so out of date?
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Brown tells us this is "no time for a novice".
Hmmm, if the ships captain is captain Ahab, then yes, I would recommend the ships cat take over the helm, novice or not.
Brown trotting out his wife I found very distasteful and insulting to the electorate, especially when he then has the cheek to say that he wouldn't be using his family as props. I sincerely hope that British politics is not trying to emulate the vulgarity of American politics in this respect, as it won't go down well.
Well, it was the usual "fairness", "family values" and the same old tired rhetoric to the choir. However, it is the country he has to convince, not his acolytes. He will find out, come the election.
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#153
Surestart is NOT increasing child literacy; the numebr of chidren leaving school without the three Rs has gone UP under newlabour...3million in total.
Their numbers are made up, just like the unemployment data - surpressed by 2.7million on incapacity (workshy) benefits.
Just like the £100bn newlaboutr has wiped of the value of prviate pensions since Gordon Brown's tax grab and the fact that four out of five priate sector defined benefit schemes are now closed....whereas one million extra public sector ones have opened to be paid for by guess who?
Lifting children out of poverty? I don't think so...there are 3.9m children below the poverty line...up 100,000 under newlabour,
You can't believe a single statistic that comes out of this government not one of the boasts in yesterday's speech.
There is a reason why he got straight on a plane to go to the US.
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Sure Start ha ha. Where I live the SS employees have to go round the town centre approaching mothers with their children to ask them if they would like to come along because they can't be boverred (sic) and the take up is so low.
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153:
No-one is suggesting we go back to the Victorian workhouse. When you add the not inconsiderable cost of getting to work, council tax, dentists, etc, it all adds up. Benefit claimaints get all that for free.
The problem is that working people have had their disposable income hammered by taxes and now increasing bills over the last 11 years, and as such we aren't really that much better off than those on benefits.
Part of Gordon's problem is that he has a romantic view of the "poor", no doubt from his upbringing. In reality the poor are the chavs drunkenly roaming the streets at night, their 17 year old mum watching Jeremy Kyle in her free council house and their dad nowhere to be seen as he gets more benefits that way.
People should be rewarded for making the most of themselves. If you keep giving people something for nothing they have no reason to stop doing nothing. And it's costing the rest of us a fortune to pay them to do nothing.
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It is the same old stuff about his vision and how he wants to help the "hard working" people of this country. I suppose by his definition of "hard working" means those on benefit who rely on state handout. Anybody else who have to work really hard in real world are taxed up to their neck by this labour government.
It is ironic that he gets us into this mess and now dare to say that he is experienced to get us out. What a joke!
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Now is not the time for a novice?
Mr Brown, as a man for whom work and life in the real world are alien, and for whom politics has been the sole career, YOU are the novice.
Move over.
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re: 161 DukeJake
True, but it's deliberate; labour want to make as many people dependent on the state as they can, and they want to sting the tax payers as much as possible to increase the dependents' cashflow.
It'll give them more "core" votes. They'll never get the swing tory vote again, so they'll go after trying to keep their "core" vote instead to help minimise their pending electoral oblivion.
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Congratulations to Ruth Kelly for putting family first - well done
Now can someone remind Gordon he has a lovely family too
And Harriet Harman
And ...............
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Since Brown was neither voted for as PM by the country nor his own party, he really ought to apply for his job (not reapply) by holding a General Election.
Then we will be able to kick him out!
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No speech has ever saved a child from neglect, a family from poverty, a father from despair or a mother from worry. No speech has ever transformed national economies, prevented wars or shortened them, or reversed environmental harm. Actions are needed, and action is the one thing this PM can't deliver.
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All Attitudes and Platitudes.Nice intro from Sarah Brown who is a PR expert with a long association with the Labour Party
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Having Sarah introduce Gordon wasn't the only American convention-inspired innovation.
Didn't Hillary, then Obama, say 'it's not about me, it's about you'?
I'm thinking GB's political future is more like Hillary's then Obama's though...curtailed against all expectations.
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No 127 Grawth
Your first - no don't think it was all down to Gordon, nor was it ever claimed to be. Inflation in the UK and most G7 economies has been kept artificially low by
(a) Ultra-cheap Chinese imports and
(b) Cheap labour migratijng into the EU from former bloc countries - Polish engineers working in Lidl and the like.
Both these distorting factors are now diminishing. Meanwhile the resultant low inflation has been used to justify low interest rates which in turn have been used by a greedy and unregulated finance sector to get people into debt they shouldn't be in. I've known this ever since Natwest tried to sign up my firstborn (at the time on YTS and with assets of no more than fifty quid) for a credit card. Should it have been regulated? Probably. Would the Conservatives have opposed it? Almost certainly.
Your second. Gordon hasn't confided in me but my guess is that they thought/hoped that Northern Rock would be an isolated case - after all, the financial sector were assuring us there was nothing much wrong. Now the extent of the contagion is clearer then monopoly is better than failure.
Your third. Personally I don't recall Labour being backward in coming forward in 1995. However during what is being billed as the biggest financial disaster since the 1930's, Cameron's silence is deafening. Poor little Osborne was dragged in front of Paxman last week and looked like he was speaking at gunpoint. No, they don't owe us an alternative until the election but the fact that one hasn't been offered suggests.....
(a) They don't know what comes next (Brown may not either
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he may well have been man enough to apoligise for the 10p tax debarcle, but what I can never forgive him for is devising it in the first place. How on earth could a reasonably thinking man, let alone the chancellor, believe that the abolishion of the 10p rate, which in effect doubled the tax paid by those on the lowest incomes, could be beneficial. Whereas if he had added a new tax band with an additional 10p in the £ for those earning £1000 or more a week ... well that would have left nobody on the bread line!
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All Brown?s speech did was to confirm -
1. He has an overweening ego with an over-inflated sense of entitlement.
And for those who argue he is a leader because he has such a powerful intellect, well those two are often mutually exclusive.
2. This Labour government gets more like Northern Rock every day. The bank dished money out with little thought about the integrity of what it was doing simply to buy market share. In Labour?s case the money is also being dished out, again with little thought about the integrity of what it is doing, to buy its market share [ie votes]. In NR?s case the bill for its irresponsibility has already landed on the taxpayer. In the case of the Labour Government, it is about to do so.
3. Labour may have re-branded itself ?New? but is landing us in the same old mess as did the original variety. The 1974-79 Wilson/Callaghan administration pumped money into the public sector only to discover that, in doing so, they had virtually bankrupted the country. Denis Healey, the Chancellor, had to go cap-in-hand to the IMF for a bail out. That was followed by a split in the government between those who thought public sector spending should be cut and those who wanted to raise taxes. In the end, the cut-the-public-sector camp won. That fuelled union disruption, which, in turn, lead to the Winter of Discontent with rubbish piled up the streets and bereaved families unable to arrange the funerals of their loved ones.
And, of course, when Margaret Thatcher came to power she inherited that mess and then suffered the flak from the lefties because she took the hard decisions and necessary measures to sort things out.
Now doesn?t that all sound horribly familiar?
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Nice speech,
I look forward to helping the rest of the country wipe the Labour party out at the European elections next year!
Revenge will be ours
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Brown's speech has confirmed that he is the best person to lead the country both now during this financial crisis and also after the next general election. He is a serious politician and not a performing seal like Cameron and Clegg, who you can see are simply clones of Blair, full of presentation and nothing of substance.
Brown gave an excellent speech and performed to his strengths. Labour?s performance under his leadership over this crisis has been better than we would have had from any other political party by far. Simply look at the woeful ideas coming out of the other parties at that time.
I think Brown will do well over the next months before the election and the UK will benefit. Then those complainers who are calling for his blood will have to go back into the same hiding place they have inhabited for the last 10 years.
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oo-er peter @174,
C'mon, 'fess up: tell us how much Brown's diminishing camp of supporters paid you for writing such a touching encomium.
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I think Gordon did a brilliant job. He's not interested in celebrity politics or winning an election from the pages of OK! magazine, like Cameron. He's a CEO not a celebrity! He's a normal, not like Cameron who would find it impossible to reach the level of a normal family. And he's right, we need someone with experience.
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Is it any wonder that Cameron fights shy of making concrete policy pledges when Brown either steals them or traduces them - or, in the case of inheritance tax, both.
All part of the political game you could say. Certainly Blair was just as shameless but at least one expected it of the old ham, and he remained likeable, and personable - someone you could have round for dinner.
Brown is none of these things but makes great play instead of his own personal integrity. A potentially strong pitch in current circumstances, but by blatantly misrepresenting Tory policies, he serves only to highlight his cynicism and trash his own brand. I can do no better than Simon Hoggart's description of Brown's personal credo in today's Guardian: "I am greedy for power for its own sake. I am paranoid and vengeful, obsessed by unimportant details."
Tactically, Cameron is better off keeping specific policy pledges to a minimum and letting the great helmsman take the good ship NuLab down with all hands in 2010.
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I think the only clever thing Gordon Brown did was to creep in on his wife's skirt tails. Despite the havoc he has wrecked upon this country, his wife is innocent, and even today, there are enough gentlemen left who wouldn't throw eggs or hiss at a lady.
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For once there was good television tonight. I watched a film on the formation of the NHS by Nye Bevan, this being followed by a short history of the man. Whilst not being a socialist, I remember as a lad how thrilling it was to hear him speak, and after so many years it brings a lump to my throat listening to him describing the hardships the miners endured. It more than ever brings the so-called Nu Labour into disrepute, when one thinks of the present members of Brown's shambolic crew, remembering the ideals and sacrifices men such as Nye made. Blears, Miliband, Harman, what is the point continuing, they are all self-serving petty people who I believe Nye would have accused of being what he called soem of the Conservatives of his day. I dare not write that word, for the moderators will not accept it.
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The theme of Gordon Brown's talk was"Fairness" in society. A theme that all of us of a socialist disposition and from a variety of different political persuasions would fully support.The problem is that the first 20 minutes of his talk could have been made by any politician from any party.It is not just Gordon Brown and New Labour who feel the sense of injustice-we all do,whether we are Labour,Conservative or LibDem.So high-jacking the high ground we all believe in is just a cheap shot.
He should have spent more time defining where thing are so unfair and presented solutions rather than bad mouthing the opposition parties.For me a poor show and not inspirational.
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On two major points with regard to his Conference speech let's just examine the thrust of what he says:
1: A serious situation needs a serious approach.
The lack of a decent approach is the very reason he has fallen so far behind in the polls. People don't believe he is the one to get us out of this mess and they don't believe he is in touch with their concerns.
2: You cannot have a novice in charge of this situation.
This thinly veiled attack on DC and DM forgets to take into account that he has only been in office one year and his record is already shambolic! He and TB were themselves novices when they took over in 97. Should we travel back in time and discount them as serious contenders for high office. No and rightly so!
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Yes,yes,.......... Quite right too.
How long has Gordon Brown actually been a Prime Minister??
Oh.
I'm confused now.
Is he the novice ??
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-449823/The-iron-chancellor.html
Mr Brown says his children "aren't props; they're people"
Except when they appear in the Daily Mail.
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It wa a rather silly hypocritical observation which I am sure he now regrets making. If he meant it then he is more daft than I give him credit for.
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"So what happened with 10p, it stung me because it really hurt that suddenly people felt I wasn't on the side of people on middle and modest incomes - because on the side of hard-working families is the only place I've ever wanted to be."
If you are so sorry about the 10p tax fiasco, Gordon, then bring it back. That would be a nice simple and 'Fair' (to quote his speach) way of helping middle/modest income famillies cope with the credit crunch.
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