Perhaps they are waiting till conference, or after disastrous...
euro elections, or till the worst of the recession is over, or until we have been out of power for a decade, who knows what they are thinking?
Whatever they are thinking, it is wrong, we need to get rid of this Stalinist figure this year at the latest and replace him with someone who at least can pretend to have some humanity.
Alan Johnson is the most popular among members and the most believable candidate - he has performed brilliantly as health secretary - even getting rounds of applause from health workers, John Cruddas another MP willing to face up to some hard truths, and John Denham does really have a 'moral compass' as he demonstrated with his resignation over Iraq. Any of these would be better than Gordon, indeed even Milliboy would be better.
I wrote here countless times that the economy was built on debt and speculation and that Gordon would be a disaster as PM - no communication skills and more right wing than Blair.
Gordon could have proved me wrong by having the cohones to call an election last Autumn - but instead he killed the electorate's initial good will stone dead - never to return. Nobody with any sense believes Labour's woes can even begin to be put right by someone who has taken us to unprecedented levels of collapse in his first year and even before the recession has even started yet.
So instead we drift towards another Thatcherite Tory government with a massive majority on a minority of the vote. None of the things that is wrong with this Labour government will be put right by the Tories and a lot of the things Labour has got right will be reversed. It is a lose-lose situation under this electoral system - but given the gutlessness of this Brown-led Labour government I can see why the electorate are willing to have ANYONE but this lot. Years of Tory press headlines have finally wore us all down into submission. We know our place - well we certainly soon will under the Tories and their new breed of arrogant corrupt chancers - worse even than Labour's worst. Wait and see if I am right about the Tories as I was about Gordon as PM.
Whatever they are thinking, it is wrong, we need to get rid of this Stalinist figure this year at the latest and replace him with someone who at least can pretend to have some humanity.
Alan Johnson is the most popular among members and the most believable candidate - he has performed brilliantly as health secretary - even getting rounds of applause from health workers, John Cruddas another MP willing to face up to some hard truths, and John Denham does really have a 'moral compass' as he demonstrated with his resignation over Iraq. Any of these would be better than Gordon, indeed even Milliboy would be better.
I wrote here countless times that the economy was built on debt and speculation and that Gordon would be a disaster as PM - no communication skills and more right wing than Blair.
Gordon could have proved me wrong by having the cohones to call an election last Autumn - but instead he killed the electorate's initial good will stone dead - never to return. Nobody with any sense believes Labour's woes can even begin to be put right by someone who has taken us to unprecedented levels of collapse in his first year and even before the recession has even started yet.
So instead we drift towards another Thatcherite Tory government with a massive majority on a minority of the vote. None of the things that is wrong with this Labour government will be put right by the Tories and a lot of the things Labour has got right will be reversed. It is a lose-lose situation under this electoral system - but given the gutlessness of this Brown-led Labour government I can see why the electorate are willing to have ANYONE but this lot. Years of Tory press headlines have finally wore us all down into submission. We know our place - well we certainly soon will under the Tories and their new breed of arrogant corrupt chancers - worse even than Labour's worst. Wait and see if I am right about the Tories as I was about Gordon as PM.
If Brown is meant to be right of Blair how come those of us who you would class as being right wing can't stand him or, more improtantly, his policies?
ReplyDeleteGS: I suppose that in these days of post-left/right politics (as some would have it) Brown is to the 'idiotic'-right of Blair would be more accurate.
ReplyDeleteThere are different types of right-wing. I think right-libertarians ultimately would end up turning into authoritarian fascists once in power - but in principle at least they are different to social-conservatives. Brown is more social-conservative.
If you think that exchanging Brown for Straw or Milliband is going to give you a more 'left wing' Labour government, then you are very much mistaken. And you are also mistaken in thinking that replacing the man at the top can revolutionise your fortunes when the problems are with the party itself. You've been appeasing the socially conservative middle classes for so long that you've got out of touch with your core support. You've been pursuing your authoritarian agenda for so long that you've lost the support of social liberals like me. And the Daily Mail crowd that you've been assiduous in wooing are going back to their natural home, the Tories. If you think that someone else can undo all of that, especially when the economy is failing and people are losing their jobs, in just two years, then you ha ve a higher opinion of politicians than I have!
ReplyDeleteBig Al Milburn is the man for me!
ReplyDeletestephen: Never say never. Who would have thought Brown could be 10 points ahead in the opinion polls within 3 months of ditching Blair?
ReplyDeleteSo in 24 months who knows, but I admit at 20 point behind, the GE is looking a lost cause whoever takes over now.
I think a radical shift in policy is easily possible. For instance John Denham and Alan Johnson are both long term supporters of PR - and you cannot get more radical than a PM saying he is going to change the electoral system.
I know people will say this is not a vote winner - but I actually think it is if we had a referendum and really discussed the issue. Since the Tories even have plans to scrap PR for London and Euro elections, the divide between the parties would be clear and the Tory position is effectively indefensible when you look at, for example, the number of 'wrong winners' on councils and the inept and corrupt governance that is bred by having a monopoly of power on a minority of the vote.
The majority never voted for the Tories and never voted for new Labour either - both only ever had minority support - this is why we end up with governments so hated and not doing what the majority want. It it time power was given to voters not politicians and their lobbyists.
It makes you wonder why so many people ignored the "right-wing" press and vote Labour so often doeen't it!?!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Alan Johnson comes over much more like a human being on the telly and seems like a decent chap.
ReplyDeleteBut I am not really persuaded that any of the current lot would be much better as far as policies are concerned. Don't you think they are all too tainted with Blairism?
Maybe the election outcome we need is a hung parliament so that Lib Dems can negotiate for a cross-party temporary govt just to get PR and then hold another election under the new system. It would put people like Alan Johnson on the spot to see whether they have the courage of their PR convictions.
Well I am going to vote Lib Dem anyway. As it stands, Labour are more authoritarian and less green than the Tories, as well as hardly being noticeably any more left-wing.
I'd prefer Straw over Johnson.
ReplyDeleteI do think Brown built the economic on debt BUT you cannot blame him for all economic woes; oil prices have shot up beyond prediction and its not just the UK economy, the US is suffering terrible inflation now as are other nations. It can't all be dumped on Brown (not that that will stop the general public, tories et al)