[Archived] Gordon Brown

[Billy Castell]

Me. Hence why I should never be PM. I'd press the big red button labelled 'missile launch' when I'm in a really bad mood and laugh at the end of humanity.

Don't know how I'd be deluded though, as that implies a sense of grandeur.

[joey_big_nose]

He knows New Lab have not a snowflakes chance in hell of staying in power so he's not offering anything at all. He is just polliticking for the General Election after that. The financial Labour time bomb laid by Brown is in place and ticking away.

Strange thing this, just what sort of an ego or mentality has Brown?

1. He knows that he has failed and damaged the country irretrievably, everybody tells him so and his record is undeniable.

2. He knows he has failed the Labour party cos his own party members are telling him that.

3. He knows that he has never been elected.

4. He knows that he is hated and reviled across the board, and ridiculed by his peers from other nations.

So what sort of mind set must he have to cling on for grim death when just about everybody cannot wait for him to go? Has his long standing craving for absolute power twisted his thought processes? Are the gloating Blairs responsible? Just what is it that is driving him to what looks like might end up an early grave?

Hmmm.

1) Not sure thats true. How is the country damaged irretrivably? We are going through a recession, but then so is the whole world. To be honest I am unsure what is really that bad about the situation if it is viewed with a level head. Peaks and troughs.

2) Granted. He has contributed to a massive image disaster for Labour.

3) True. Obviously had a thing about it too because he nearly called an election when he first came in as PM. It is a big problem for him.

4) Don't think thats right. He is very well respected internationally as far as I can tell. He has had an enormous inflience on the economic response to the crunch, right or wrong, across Europe and the world.

I think he is holding on to see what happens. The public are notoriously fickle and have extraordinarily short memories, and there is no real policy gap between Labour and the Conservatives. Its extremely unlikely, but if he gets two or three good news stories and the economy turns up substantially suddenly he could be electable again. There is something almost admirable about him sticking in there. He is a survivor.

Plus the Tories will have to put out some sort of manifesto at some point, which they have really been trying to avoid because it means people will be able to attack them.

And on a party level I am not sure the position would be improved at all be changing the PM. All the rest of them are as uninspiring. If they go down, perhaps it is better for Gord to absorb the flak a la Thantcher and let the new guard come out seeming fresh.

Its not over till the electorate sings.

[broadsword]

Plus the Tories will have to put out some sort of manifesto at some point, which they have really been trying to avoid because it means people will be able to attack them.

They'd be on a hiding to nothing putting out a manifesto now. Any policy written now might be inappropriate in 12 months time and would be used as a stick to beat them with.

The country has certainly been damaged by the public borrowing we've had to undertake to bail out private banks. That will take decades to pay off/

[joey_big_nose]

They'd be on a hiding to nothing putting out a manifesto now. Any policy written now might be inappropriate in 12 months time and would be used as a stick to beat them with.

The country has certainly been damaged by the public borrowing we've had to undertake to bail out private banks. That will take decades to pay off/

I'm not denying that. But what else could he do? Let the banks fail? I think the Tories, Lib Dems, whoever is sensible would have done the same.

The area of error was probably deregulating the market so severely in the first place. But then you have to way off the penalties of that now against the enormous wealth boom in the UK in the late 90s/early 2000s. On balance you could actually say it was worth it...

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8099408.stm

I thought we were meant to be doomed?

[jim mk2]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8099408.stm

I thought we were meant to be doomed?

Shhhh . Keep it quiet. You'll upset the Tories.

[thenodrog]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8099701.stm

Somewhat contradictory.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Not really.

The first one said that the British economy was the strongest.

The second one said that it'd take a long time to recover.

They can both be true, you know?

[Flopsy]

unfortunatly its likely to be a dead cat bounce.

Oil price rises will prevent any recovery for a while

[jim mk2]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8099408.stm

I thought we were meant to be doomed?

Strange how an independent observer at Princeton university in the US sees Britain as emerging stronger from the global economic turmoil yet non-independent commentators in the right-wing British media are keen to cut off the green shoots of recovery before they have taken root.

I wonder why ?

[Flopsy]

The Gruniad is right wing?

[thenodrog]

The Gruniad is right wing?

In the view of Jimski I'm sure that everything is.

[RibbleValleyRover]

I see Krugman is continuing his love affair with Gordon Brown, i remember him praising Brown just after he won the Nobel prize. Politically he is left-leaning so I am not surprised by his views towards Obama and Brown.

I can't agree with his belief that Britain is in the best position to ride out this downturn/recession, i'm not totally opposed to some fiscal stimulus if the money is there to do it. Brown didn't save during the boom times and has now saddled the next generation with a huge debt. Whoever comes into power at the next election is going to have to make some serious spending cuts or seriously raise taxes.

Labour governments always leave the economy in a mess and the Conservatives have to come in and make the tough choices to turn it around.

[jim mk2]

Labour governments always leave the economy in a mess and the Conservatives have to come in and make the tough choices to turn it around.

Conveniently forgetting the three-day week, industrial strife and an economic crisis under Edward Heath from 1970 to 1974 and the 3m unemployed, miners' strike, inner city riots, social divisions, and boom, bust, boom, bust and bust economy under the Tories from 1979 to 1997.

[thenodrog]

Conveniently forgetting the three-day week, industrial strife and an economic crisis under Edward Heath from 1970 to 1974 and the 3m unemployed, miners' strike, inner city riots, social divisions, and boom, bust, boom, bust and bust economy under the Tories from 1979 to 1997.

And in turn tou have not mentioned the main reason for Margaret Thatchers rise to prominence and legend status caused by this.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_Discontent

Nick Griffin apparently is on record as denying the holocaust Jimski... so how different are you in denying historical facts also?

[jim mk2]

Nick Griffin apparently is on record as denying the holocaust Jimski... so how different are you in denying historical facts also?

And how differnent are you in denying the consequences of Thatcher's reign of terror ?

[Hughesy]

If Britain starts improving by the next elections then Labour should be able to run with the 'We sorted the mess out' style campaign.

Its a world downturn - not like we have created it ourself, its global.

Just hope that Pound keeps getting stronger against the Euro.

[dave birch]

Just hope that Pound keeps getting stronger against the Euro.

That can work against a country as it makes exports dearer.

[Hughesy]

Maybe - but it would help me out for my holiday ha ha!

And it would help my mum out in Spain as more tourists would visit her!

[thenodrog]

If Britain starts improving by the next elections then Labour should be able to run with the 'We sorted the mess out' style campaign.

Its a world downturn - not like we have created it ourself, its global.

Just hope that Pound keeps getting stronger against the Euro.

Personally I hope to hell that it doesn't.

[thenodrog]

More worries for Labour.

http://news.aol.co.uk/data-to-show-rise-in...220523118474328

This will take some working through cos the single worst issue in business is employing people. It usually ends up as a lose lose situation for employers. The best business equipment / systems are those that do not require human input imo.

[Paul]

"prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting"

Redact. It's nice to learn a new word every day, helps the Scrabble game no end.

Surely there have to be some MPs who have not been tainted by the expenses scandal? Why on earth has no one in a position of power or responsibility, in government or not, had the intelligence to realise the chosen publication method for MPs expenses exasperates the issue rather than helping to reolve it? On Question Time last night, Ken Clark - a Tory I always enjoy listening to or did, - and the Liberal guest, stated MPs did not know of or influence the manner in which expenses claims should be published. I can't recall what Lord Falkener said, which is the only reason for not mentioning Labour. Surely someone, of whatever political persuasion, should have had the intelligence to appreciate this "redacting" would only inflame a difficult situation? What on earth are the party leaders doing - nothing, absolutely nothing.

Is there a single MP worth voting for? I very much doubt it this morning. None of them appear to have any sense of real responsibility or understanding of how the voters think.

[colin]

Is there a single MP worth voting for? I very much doubt it this morning. None of them appear to have any sense of real responsibility or understanding of how the voters think.

Actually yes. there are quite a number of them who are honest and upright and don't screw the system for every penny that they can get out of it.

The thing is they don't get the credit for it because they are not news- worthy.

I'd like to nominate Hilary Benn, DEFRA minister, who has not only been described by the press for his expenses as "Bargain Benn," but also as "the nicest Minister in the Cabinet" by his own staff. They didn't have to do that.

So there is some honour and decentness amongst the greedy parasites.

[thenodrog]

Actually yes. there are quite a number of them who are honest and upright and don't screw the system for every penny that they can get out of it.

The thing is they don't get the credit for it because they are not news- worthy.

I'd like to nominate Hilary Benn, DEFRA minister, who has not only been described by the press for his expenses as "Bargain Benn," but also as "the nicest Minister in the Cabinet" by his own staff. They didn't have to do that.

So there is some honour and decentness amongst the greedy parasites.

Correct Colin. Given the recent revelations 1 honest chap out of 349 New Lab MP's aint bad! I applaud him.

[philipl]

Brown is a really poor politician.

The Tories are by far the biggest offenders in this expenses malarky yet Brown is copping all the flak.

The ten biggest claimants Eight are Tories and one of the Labour guys is an ex-Tory.