Gordon Brown hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory this week. Having just published a book called “Courage”, he chooses not to show any himself in ducking an election.
It has been an unedifying sight to see the Prime Minister allow election fever to continue in the media and in Westminster when he could have snuffed it out weeks ago. His trip to Iraq during the Tory Party Conference was nothing but electioneering as illustrated by the announcement that he was bringing 1000 soldiers home, depite the fact that 500 of these had already been announced and 270 were already home. The following day he “opened” a new medical centre in Basildon that had, in fact, opened three months earlier.
He has now alienated many journalists as evidenced by ITN’s Daisy McAndrew telling viewers that GB had called his “pet interviewer” (Andrew Marr) into No. 10 to tell him that there would be no election. In this interview he assures us that he never meant to have an election all along and that the polls showing a 7% swing in a single week, had no bearing on his decision. These polls included one for the News of the World showing the Conservatives ahead in the marginal seats that will swing an election. He has spent the first 100 days trying to show himself as a Statesman, dealing with admittedly difficult situations such as the terror attacks, the floods and foot and mouth. However he has undone this work in a few crazy days, when he has shown that when push comes to shove, he is just another politico that wants to play party politics. Unlike the previous situations, his love of party politics meant that he found himself like a child in a sweet shop unable to resist the temptation.
Two things shine out from this debacle. Firstly, if the PM can treat the truth and therefore the public with such disdain and condescension what will he be doing when it comes to other serious state affairs. Secondly, he has confirmed what those in Westminster knew, that he is cautious to the point of losing his best opportunity to win. This happened in 1994 when he did not contest the Labour leadership after the untimely death on John Smith and haunted him through the Blair years. The Conservative Party now has plenty of time to complete its policy review and come up with a comprehensive plan for change over and above the excellent proposals for cutting Inheritance Tax and Stamp Duty. Things won’t be getting any better for Gordon.
Brown was off to a good start i think. His different style was playing a blinder with some voters but all this indecison over his election has made him look weak. The conservative party is right to say he has bottled the election and they should keep on reminding the people of this.
I’ve deleted a comment here not because of the content which said “Still, he’ll stil win the next election when Cameron is proved the fraud that he is.” but because of the offensive pseudonym used.
I’ve been out of the loop for two weeks Councillor Scully, but your article is right, Mr Brown has bottled it, as you say.
Now The Chancellor is shamelessly pinching your party’s policies. The Brownite get-out clause is that they’re “looking at the long-term future of the country” and “getting on with the job” – how can they do either of these things when Mr Brown doesn’t have a mandate from the people as Tony Blair pledged to serve a “full term”, and with Mr Brown’s supposed abilities now very firmly in question.
I hope the Conservatives keep on applying the pressure on this issue – how are your candidates applying the pressure locally?
I think, from his own political future perspective, he has made a big, big mistake by delaying an election. “Things can only get better” doesnt apply anymore, the reverse is true and the many unexpected vagaries of domestic and world events will sap his support over the next year or two