What is significant of course is the strategy and analysis that to not go now, having allowed his Cabinet to openly speculate, Brown will look like a ditherer and weak. The tories will have scared him off will be the meme. Whilst that line is good for political reasons I have my doubts about how long it could stick for. The media, the old and new, moves at such a pace these days that in fact it is unlikely to hold much longer than the next big political story. Of course, if that story gives further evidence of 'dithering' then all bets are off.
I don't think the election has ever been officially on. Instead what we have witnessed was a strategy to maintain speculation. I was effectively told this in an 'off the cuff' remark by a Labour member a few weeks ago. The speculation, at that time, was in their interests because it (a) freaked the Tories out and (b) gave their man opportunities to enhance his 'father of the nation' status. Their mistake was to let it run for too long and now they face the prospect of a backlash, albeit short-lived I think. Brown needs to pray that something really bad doesn't happen in the next few months that can keep the dithering line running.
10 comments:
I'm sorry, did someone say 'falling house prices'?
http://lettersfromatory.wordpress.com
When the PM looks in the mirror he sees Tony Blair. Same DNA, same lies, same arrogance that only he can deliver for the Nation. Only difference? Blair would never have pulled the Basra stunt that the Great Leader performed.
Gordon Brown lost the battle of Basra and in doing so jolted the Media and the Nation who, despite the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have enormous respect and admiration for the brave men and women of the Armed Forces and their even braver loved ones.
There are some things that you do not do and that blatant and disgraceful abuse of men and women who are prepared for the ultimate sacrifice showed the PM in his true colours. Yellow. The nearest he will ever get to Courage is that book he wrote on his heroes.
Here are my Heroes.
Her Majesty's Armed Forces - Our Colours do not Run.
Our 'esteemed leader' IS a ditherer, and he can never be seen as anything else. Even if he tries, the media will eventually put dithering back into the vocabulary.
It is because he is a ditherer that I never did, and still do not, believe an election is coming yet.
Speclation is that Alistair Darling will announce a forecasted slowing down of the economy. Something that's been on the cards for a while. Brown can't turn round, shrug his shoulders and say "nowt to do with me".
He's put himself in a silly position by playing a silly game. He thought the Tories would fall apart under pressure and the opposite has happened.
Going for an election in November is idiocy, nobody else wants it, and the only reason Brown wants it is for entirely cynical reasons, which is precisely the sort of thing he's claiming to be against.
Actually, that book on heroes - he just wrote the intro and the links; researcher did the rest. Bit more genuine than his speeches, then ...
Elby is right the economy will decide it for Brown in particular tax receipts which are down spectacularly .Brown has made his first two mistakes , the troop disgrace and the willy-wonty-a-thon.
I can`t see he has any choice but to go now Dizzy..although the Martin Bright has discuussed the "Courage of forbearance " this AM( arf) which means running like a beetch to me.
My advise to you Brown " Run and hide motherfucker , run and hide"
Film?
I don't think that the dithering is the killer charge for Brown. It is the calculating, the grubbing in the political dirt whilst pretending to rise above it and the breathtaking arrogance and cynicism of it all. If I were Brown I wouldn't just be praying I would be sacrificing virgin goats and the whole shooting match because the media seem to have rumbled him, as have the public so he is going to find it incredibly difficult to get the kind of free ride that Labour are used to.
"I don't think the election has ever been officially on. Instead what we have witnessed was a strategy to maintain speculation."
Spot on Dizzy. The correct response to any NuLab whisper is 'Why are they trying to put that story about?'
Have a look at the column by Alf Young in yesterdays Herald, that says it all about Brown. A coward and a bully, just a typical Scottish Labour machine politician. I know the type well and he will never understand normal people. The man makes my flesh creep.
"The media, the old and new, moves at such a pace these days that in fact it is unlikely to hold much longer than the next big political story."
I disagree. These sorts of incidents can stick in the media's collective conscience--think of Portillo's telephone lines or his SAS speech, both of which he was not allowed to forget for many years. Imagine also if the Sun ran a headline / image capturing Brown as a ditherer, with this headline/image sticking in the collective conscience. Not quite as bad as Graham Taylor and the turnip or Kinnock and the light-bulb, but an unflattering image/headline could stick.
Post a Comment