Gordon Brown- The Final Days

[poliphilo]

Gordon Brown looks defeated. He's grey, he slumps. Even though there's little physical resemblance- beyond the jowliness- he reminds me of Richard Nixon in the final phase. When he's not slumping, he's floating around with that terrible, unreal grin on his face. I don't know which is worse- Gordon as Nixon or Gordon the bob-bob-bobbing balloon.
 
The incident with the woman in Rochdale didn't have to be as bad as it was. A quick apology- yes I'm a grouchy old bear, so sue me- might have got him off the hook. He didn't have to go to her house and stay there for three quarters of an hour while the world's media filmed the front door. First he was snarly, then he was abject. At no point did he look like a man who might be entrusted with the running of a country.

There had been complaints that Gordon wasn't getting out and pressing enough flesh. They should have been resisted. He doesn't have people skills- and a disaster like this was always on the cards.  In one of the TV debates- knowing he'd never match Cameron and Clegg for charm- he insisted that an election wasn't a beauty contest. If only he and his aides had stuck to that line. Is the British electorate really so infantile it can't see beyond the mask?  The outstanding British prime minister of the past fifty years- Mrs Thatcher- was arrogant, humourless, charmless, altogether unlovely- and it didn't matter.  What she had was strength of purpose. Gordon could  have been marketed on his strength of purpose too. He's rude, he's awkward, you wouldn't want to ask him round for tea, but he understands the economy and he gets things done. Ah well, it's too late now. And maybe the marketing of him as a strong man would also have been a lie.

Comments

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

It'll be fascinating to see how this affects the last leaders' debate tonight. It's not supposed to be on the agenda, which is to focus on the economy rather than immigration per se. But obviously there are enough links between the two issues for the other two leaders to have every excuse to bring it out. If Nick Clegg has any sense, he'll express mild surprise and disappointment, but hold off using the incident to crucify and humiliate. Cameron, though, will I suspect have no such qualms.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to tonight's debate.

I think the damage has been done- and nothing any opponent can say will make things worse. I don't see how Brown can repair his image at this point.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

No, indeed - it's very bad timing for him. I am hoping that the disgruntled voters will turn to the LibDems instead, rather than the Tories - but given the specific issue involved, I suspect it is the Tories who will benefit most from this particular gaffe. :-(

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I suspect you're right about that, though I'm hoping that there'll be a lot of people turning to the Lib Dems on the grounds that they might now be the only way to keep the Tories out. I think the Lib Dem in Rochdale, at any rate, is now a shoo in.

I'm wondering what would happen if the Tories had the most seats, some way short of a majority, but the LibDems and Labour were prepared to go into coalition. Whom would the queen ask to form a government?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

So many unknowns!

It looks as though Nick Clegg would demand the sacking of Gordon Brown as the price of a Lab-Lib coaltion. So who would be PM? Alan Johnson, perhaps.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Rochdale used to be a Liberal town- in the days of that iconic parliamentarian Cyril Smith. I think there's a good chance they'll swing to Nick Clegg.

I live in a very similar constituency- former northern mill town, impoverished, lots of Asians- and the Tories don't have a prayer.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

That's good news locally (from my point of view, anyway!). I still think it will help the Tories most nationally, though.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Because the issue he stumbled over was immigration? I very much hope you're wrong.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Yes. I think people who identify with the woman he spoke to will now see Labour as dismissive of their concerns, and will see the Tories as the party most likely to support them.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There's something deeply wrong when the leader of a political party can't relate to an absolutely typical party supporter.

GB has lived in Islington (or wherever it is) for far too long.

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

I very much hope you're wrong.

So do I, but I fear she's right. One word sums up the sudden turn towards knee-jerk, dog-whistle populism - and that word is "Murdoch".

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You're comforting yourself with the thought thatthe old geezer won't be around much longer and then along comes the next generation- and it's even pushier.

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Rochdale used to be a Liberal town

Still is. Paul Rowen defeated the appalling Lorna Fitzsimons, another lousy warmongering ex-NUS president like Woolas, in 2005. Technically it's now a "nominally Labour-held" seat owing to boundary changes; it won't be held by them next Friday, nominally or otherwise.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's good to know.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Clegg's quote thus far, which I'm heartily in favour of, was

"If we all had recordings of what we mutter under our breath we'd all be crimson with embarrassment."

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Oh, that makes me want to hug him with glee! Three hundred thousand cheers for him. :-)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Exactly. And exactly the right line to take- generosity to a fallen foe.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Strategically, perfectly played - he's re-inforced the 'I'm not like those guys - they just attack each other' message that he got across at the first debate.

Morally - also the right thing to say. Yes, Brown said something stupid. Can we move on now?