Gordon Brown Has Lost The Plot.

[Smurf]

In the end of September he had the Tories on the brink of death..

In the middle of Tory party conference he bypasses Parliament (that he specifically promised NOT to) to make Iraq troop announcements.

Then the Tory party with no policies whatsoever announce plans on Inheritance Tax.

Brown reacts by ridiculously matching this...

Brown calls off the Election that became a certainty.

So much so it was accepting money from anyone who'd give it..

NOW he's 15 points behind in the opinion polls.

So what does he decide to do? Pick a fight with the Police..

No backdated pay settlement.

He's claiming that £200 for every member of the Police force would have a negative impact on Inflation...

This PM really is feckin politically inept.

[Pilrig]

Other than that of self-interest did he ever have a plot in the first place ?

[Smurf]

Originally Posted by Pilrig

Other than that of self-interest did he ever have a plot in the first place ?

He had long enough preparing one..

[egb_hibs]

it must be a crushing disappointment for you smurf?

[Colr]

Originally Posted by Smurf

He had long enough preparing one..

That's the surprise. Everyone expected a dramatic first 100 days as when Labour first came in 10 years ago. Like you say, he spent long enough upsetting the apple cart and bleating that he wanted the job. You would have thought he had also thought what he was going to do with it.

I would have put money on him introducing elected chiefs of police and freeing the NHS from political management but all we've had is a continuation of the ward closures.

He's going to find it VERY hard to recover from this as people have lost faith. The New Labour Government is petering out the way the Thatcher government did. What I fear is that we will have a re-run of the appauling government of Major if Brown gets back in (presumablyy without a big majority).

[Stew the Hibee]

Originally Posted by Pilrig

Other than that of self-interest did he ever have a plot in the first place ?

hes a raith rovers fan.

sums it up really

[Smurf]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

it must be a crushing disappointment for you smurf?

It is. I expected him to be quite radical..

Disappointed on policy and his politics.

It's also a cabinet that's probably more lightweight than ever in British political history..

[Stirlinghibee]

As someone who works at the heart of manufacturing industry, I can see exactly what woes are about to greet us.

For the past ten years we have lived in a bubble fuelled by credit and housing supply and demand. Whilst this has been going on, we have all been seduced by the fact that the cost of a 42in Plasma, Holiday to Greece et al has "covered" by our rising house equity, and we better get it now whilst "the money is there".

In this time, the real economy, that is "I make it, you buy it" is rapidly being removed from these shores.

What we are seeing now is the time of reckoning.


My own thoughts are -

1. Repossed? - These will go through the roof until the Government (Either ours or the UK's) drags out a policy that the Major Government was mooting in the 90's. You lose the ownership of your house but you can still live in it. Thousands of familys living in emergency accomodation will see this policy in.

2. Personal bankrupcy - This will also go through the roof. Debt collection agencies will be the only growth industry.

3. Manufacturing - This to me is so sad, all the old establised companys who I visit are dwindling in number , and the work they are taking on are at a smaller and smaller margin to beat the Chinese. We are having to keep up by reducing our margins so they can win the business. All in all it means that Manufacturing is just treading water.

Feck. That's my Christmas spirit just gone....

[Colr]

Originally Posted by Stennyhibee

As someone who works at the heart of manufacturing industry,

He's the man that makes the thing that drills the hole that holds the spring that drives the rod that turns the knob that works the thing-ummy-bob.

[HaarlemShuffler]

Once a bean-counter, always a bean-counter. He doesn't have the media flair to be a modern PM. And I cannae see him phoning up 'old mate' Tony for tips...

To be fair to him, he has also had a $hitload of bad luck to deal with in his first few months but even if he stays on to the end of the current term, I can't see him winning his way into the public's heart.

[Stirlinghibee]

Originally Posted by Colr

He's the man that makes the thing that drills the hole that holds the spring that drives the rod that turns the knob that works the thing-ummy-bob.

Yer no far wrong, but I go even further back in the supply chain. I make the thing that makes the thing that drills the hole that holds the spring that drives the rod that turns the knob that works the thing-ummy-bob

[Pilrig]

As much a friend to pensioners as was Robert 'bouncing Czech' Maxwell.

[Colr]

Originally Posted by Stennyhibee

Yer no far wrong, but I go even further back in the supply chain. I make the thing that makes the thing that drills the hole that holds the spring that drives the rod that turns the knob that works the thing-ummy-bob

All together now:-

But it's the man that makes the thing
That holds the oil that oils the ring
That makes the thingummybob that's going to win the war.

[egb_hibs]

history may yet record that tony blair was a political genious who through sheer projection of will held together a bunch of intrinsically fractious malcontents.

or not.

[Smurf]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

history may yet record that tony blair was a political genious who through sheer projection of will held together a bunch of intrinsically fractious malcontents.

or not.

History will IMO be very kind to Blair. (Shock!)

[Keepitgreen]

Yep I'm with Smurf on this one.

Bitterly disappointed with GB so far.

How ironic though that the biggest dampener of all on his tenure will be the economy he helped to create.

[Colr]

Originally Posted by Keepitgreen

Yep I'm with Smurf on this one.

Bitterly disappointed with GB so far.

How ironic though that the biggest dampener of all on his tenure will be the economy he helped to create.

Given the choice between him and Cameron, will his unpopularity be enough to loose Labour the next election?

[Smurf]

Originally Posted by Colr

Given the choice between him and Cameron, will his unpopularity be enough to loose Labour the next election?

IF he's still performing as poorly this time next year i wouldn't rule out a challenge to his leadership...

However, surely Brown has got more to offer?

[Colr]

Originally Posted by Smurf

IF he's still performing as poorly this time next year i wouldn't rule out a challenge to his leadership...

However, surely Brown has got more to offer?

I'm beginning to doubt it!!!

Who would take over, though?

I can't stand Cameron but he has a very good front bench team. If his approach was more cabinet based some folk might give him the benefit but as ou don't really know what type of PM someone will be until they are in the job, maybe not.

As Charles Clark suggested earlier the Labour government has been rudderless since 2005.

[Stirlinghibee]

Originally Posted by Smurf

IF he's still performing as poorly this time next year i wouldn't rule out a challenge to his leadership...

However, surely Brown has got more to offer?

The three fundementals of retaining political power are -

1. Keeping people in work.

2. Keeping people in their homes.

3. Making people think that only you can supply #1 and #2.

Until this radically changes, Kermit the frog could get elected for labour in the UK.

Even "Daves" big lead will evaporate like sna fae a dyke when/if the next UK election is called.New Labour, even if it has been fuelled by consumer credit, will get the benefit of the doubt.

[Daddy'O'Hibee]

Arghh, Blair, Brown and New Labour best described as the Violin Party put up by the left and played by the right. I'm sure this term was used first in Cenral America, Panama, Nicaragua etc.
Yes, i was caught up in the things can only get better crap.

[egb_hibs]

new labour are a left wing party, just a modern one. fucks sake even lenin realised that marxist economics didnt work, it just took the western left another 70 or 80 years to switch on.

labours leftism is manifest in their authoritarianism and moralising which is the continuous theme of leftism.

i think the tories will win next time and in fact i hope they do, because:

1. it will hasten scottish independence and

2. even if that fails, the uk needs anyone else but labour before all our civil liberties are lost

3. this 'generational' govt shit we seem to be heading for is nickers. i'm a centrist and i believe whats healthy is like riding a bike; a straoght course cannot be maintained by keeping your wheel in the centre, but by lots of small adjustments to the left and right

4. it'll keep all my lefty friends happy; they much prefer to be in opposition