Brown: I’m going nowhere
On an extraordinary day when he lost six ministers, frantically reshuffled his Cabinet, took a pounding in the council elections, and stood accused of sexism by Caroline Flint, Gordon Brown says he's going nowhere
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Independent Minds
Badly wounded but unbowed, Gordon Brown won a temporary reprieve last night by shoring up his position with an emergency cabinet reshuffle.
On a day of high political drama that threatened to cost him his job, the beleaguered Prime Minister vowed not to "walk away", insisting he was the best man to tackle the economic crisis and clean up politics after the MPs' expenses scandal.
But Mr Brown is not out of the woods yet. There are growing demands by Labour MPs for him to quit in the wake of disastrous results for the party in Thursday's council elections. Labour lost more than 250 seats and was virtually wiped out in a swath of authorities across England. Labour won just 23 per cent of the vote – its lowest showing in a local election, trailing a humiliating third place behind the Liberal Democrats(28 per cent) and the Conservatives (38 per cent), with other parties on 11 per cent. Labour critics warned they would press on with their plan to force the Prime Minister to stand down when they return to Westminster on Monday. By then, they will have digested another terrible set of election results – for Thursday's European Parliament poll – to be announced tomorrow night.
Mr Brown will come face to face with his critics on Monday night when he addresses the weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party. That is seen as the next crucial hurdle in his battle to survive.
Bolstered by the support of his new Cabinet, Mr Brown hopes to win the breathing space to unveil new policies on the economy, public services and reforming the political system in the next few weeks. They will be drawn up by three new councils of ministers he will chair.
His allies will urge backbenchers to give the new Cabinet a chance to turn round Labour's fortunes. They were relieved that the rebels failed to hand in a "go now" letter to Downing Street as planned yesterday and hope the plotters will back off amid warnings that installing a new leader would force him or her to call an early general election that would be calamitous for Labour. Some rebels may give Mr Brown until the autumn – so that a new leader could name an election date next year, in the hope that the economy will improve by then.
Mr Brown endured a difficult day, and his reshuffle displayed weakness rather than strength. It was less radical than the one trailed by allies and promises of a big injection of fresh blood failed to materialise. The surprise resignation of the Blairite James Purnell on Thursday left him powerless to lever Alistair Darling out of the Treasury and install his close ally Ed Balls as Chancellor, as he had wished.
When he seemed to have pulled off a difficult reshuffle, there was a last-minute walkout by Caroline Flint, the Europe minister, who failed to win promotion to the Cabinet despite showering Mr Brown with praise when he was at his most vulnerable point on Thursday. In a scathing resignation letter, Ms Flint accused Mr Brown of running a "two-tier" government in which women ministers were kept out of his inner circle and treated as "little more than female window dressing".
Ms Flint, a close ally of Hazel Blears who quit the Cabinet last week, accused Mr Brown of being responsible for hostile media briefings against her. She told him: "Time and time again I have stepped before the cameras to sincerely defend your reputation in the interests of the Labour Party and the Government as a whole. I am a natural party loyalist. Yet you have strained every sinew of that loyalty."
Brownite MPs dismissed her complaints as a cry of frustration for not winning promotion. But her exit revived criticism of the Prime Minister's record on the way he treats women ministers.
Mr Brown also suffered another wave of resignations. John Hutton and Geoff Hoon left the Cabinet,. Margaret Beckett, the Housing minister, also stood down as did Tony McNulty and Paul Murphy. But only Ms Flint joined Mr Purnell in attacking the Prime Minister.
Nick Raynsford, a former minister, said ministers were falling "like leaves off a tree" as he joined calls for a change of leader. He said Mr Brown's authority was "draining away". Writing in The Independent today, the Labour MP Paul Farrelly attacks the Prime Minister's "machine style of politics" and says: "In the interests of the Labour Party, Gordon Brown should step down. We need a breath of fresh air." In another headache for Mr Brown, Ian Gibson, a Labour MP, who has been banned as a party general election candidate after an investigation into his expenses claims, resigned immediately. That will trigger a dangerous by-election for Labour, which had a 5,459 majority in his Norwich North constituency at the last election. Mr Gibson said he was "bowed but not broken" by Labour's ban but it was "untenable" for him to remain an MP until the general election.
Mr Brown admitted Labour had suffered a "painful defeat" in Thursday's elections and insisted he was not complacent or arrogant. He told a Downing Street press conference: "If I didn't think I was the right person leading the right team ... I would not be standing here." He added: "I will not waver. I will not walk away. I will get on with the job."
In the reshuffle, Alan Johnson, the man most likely to succeed Mr Brown if he is forced out, was promoted from Health Secretary to the Home Office. Lord Mandelson's role as Mr Brown's right-hand man was formalised as he won the title of First Secretary – which is Deputy Prime Minister in all but name.
Hell hath no fury: Caroline Flint’s resignation letter
Dear Gordon,
I believe the achievements of the Labour Government to date have been monumental and you have played an immense part in the creation of those achievements.
However, I am extremely disappointed at your failure to have an inclusive government. You have a two-tier government. Your inner circle and then the remainder of Cabinet. I have the greatest respect for the women who have served as full members of Cabinet and for those who attend when required. However, few are allowed into your inner circle.
Several of the women attending Cabinet – myself included – have been treated by you as little more than female window-dressing. I am not willing to attend Cabinet in a peripheral capacity any longer. In my current role, you advised that I would attend Cabinet when Europe was on the agenda. I have only been invited once since October and not to a single political Cabinet – not even the one held a few weeks before the European elections.
Having worked hard during this campaign, I would not have been party to any plan to undermine you or the Labour Party in the run-up to 4 June. So I was extremely angry to see newspapers briefed with invented stories of my involvement in a "Pugin Room plot". Time and again I have stepped before the cameras to sincerely defend your reputation in the interests of the Labour Party and the Government as a whole. I am a natural party loyalist. Yet you have strained every sinew of that loyalty.
It has been apparent for some time that you do not see me playing a more influential role in the Government. Therefore, I have respectfully declined your offer to continue in the Government as Minister for Europe attending Cabinet. I served six years as a backbencher and, therefore, I am not unhappy to be able to devote myself to promoting my constituency's interests and to support the Labour Government from the backbenches.
This is a personal decision, which I have not discussed with colleagues.
Yours, Rt Hon Caroline Flint MP
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Comments
He also lied when he said his recent budget plans did not include for cuts following the election. And in case your interested he lied about claiming conservative cuts - an imbicillic move since he was misquoting the very man who was asking him the question.
Brown is a thoroughly nasty man - possibly the least objectionable of his dubious qualities being that he is a barefaced liar.
How do you feel, knowing that he has blatantly lied to you Mr Grice? How will you treat him in future? In your usual servile manner.
And obviously read 'em too, which is where you get 'em - eh?
If you choose to believe everything peddled by those who make their livings largely speculating about things like cabinet reshuffles then might you not do it in private, rather than tediously re-peddle it as though you were practicing your typing . . ?
The most remarkable thing about this reshuffle was its extreme and speedy competence and the storm of abuse and libels fostered by the lackeys of the billionaire press into which news of it was launched.
You are one of their more minor suckers, think on.
Even Nick Robinson had to admit the PM lied. Grice knows the same.
The press were briefed that darling would be moved. They KNEW! Yet Brown yet again had to hide from reality.
Competence? They spent ages trying to rustle up a new defence secretary, when the present one resigned unexpectedly. And look who we are lumbered with. But soldiers - what socialist gives a shite about them?
HMG will be continuing to fight the recession and bringing in a new Bill of Rights, and much, much more . . .
HMG will go begging to the IMF. HMG will shut down hospitals and schoools. There will be no recovery, only stagflation after a staggering drop of GDP.
Bill of Rights? LOL. Last rites, more like.
Michael Foot still has principles, and what do mean you at least ?
I tell you, since you ask.
He who pays the piper, calls the tune Mr Brown, we are told. So; as you could not even raise the thirty quid to pay for this one, it appears the tax-payer did instead . The irony is, that yon piper wasn't expecting to be paid anyway, he was happy to do it, and, it seems, was surprised when a cheque turned up from you. You are all heart Prime Minister, but still, before you lose every shred of decency and respect, go somewhere now, before you lose what is left of your dignity,; leave and take your new pet monkey with you. Do it for yourself, your family, and your country. We don't want fights, at times like this- whoever is to blame- we ALL need to be on the same side, no more time for cheap point scoring in and out of Parliament, in this column and others. These are desperate times.
I remain sir, your humble obedient servant
The only problem is this discredited PM has left our children and grand children to unfairly repay the biggest Government debt in history and unemployment growing at an alarming rate.
At the risk of boring everyone, he did not have the mandate to govern anyone at all.
Is yours a standard pro forma, or do you rewrite it on a weekly basis?
I read that Labour's 23% this time was 1% less than the corresponding elections 4 years ago.
Around that time Michael Howard lost the parliamentary Election by 65 seats or so I recall.
You might try a history primer re Stalin, and Wiki re Brown, who was the first student ever elected to become Rector of his uni.
He has the habit of being elected, to the chagrin of the tories who try ever so hard to put up candidates to oppose him. Hazel Blears' turn perhaps . . ?
Endlessly fascinating but sad at the same time.
The Prince would be proud.
Brown's authority stems principally from his performances at the G20 and in our country's expansion out of the International Recession. We shall be able to add the Bill of Rights and other constitutional reforms too shortly.
But don't let the truth stand in your way, will you?
But then I suppose having a referendum on the Lisbon treaty, no increase in the 40% tax rate, etc.
And Labour put it all down to the expenses. In fcat I believe the expenses are worse for the Conservatives - with duck houses, moats, etc. After all, Labour has only sent 4 MPs to its star chamber and the Conservatives have lost a lot more with a lot more publicity. Instead of asking the public why, they are guessing and maybe ignoring many of the real reasons (e.g. Lisbon treaty referendum, 50% tax band, 10% tax rate, the economy, unemployment, ID cards, freedoms, etc.)
Accordingly the public blames HMG for the state of these, despite the attempt by Gordon Brown to suggest to Cameron & Clegg pro tem reforms shortly before the Dully Tele tendentiously published its stolen info. They knew it would damage Labour more than they, which is why they turned his proposals down, without putting forward any of their own.
The Dully Tele published stuff re ministers first, and second, rather than a balanced selection from all 3 parties, because they wished to damage Labour in the interests of the BNP, UKIP and the Tories, obvious that those first accused would be damaged the most, the first mud thrown would be most noticed, whether it was fair or not.
Labour's star chamber will interview more Labour MPs, and of course other Labour MPs have announced they will be stepping down, just as Tories have, and we shall never be entirely sure who is going for which reasons.
The fact that expenses were allowances until 4 years ago, and MPs were encouraged to claim as much up to the limit as possible, because MPs' pay has been held back so often as an example to the rest of us is presumably news to you.
Your notions that the 50% tax band and ID cards are unpopular - tres amusant! Might not your pratfalls be attenuated for greater effect?
What have we done to deserve another year of der! what do we do now government.
The people have voted and said. Leave the Bunker.
We have Mr and Mrs Balls (Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper) a family business in the Cabinet. Olympic Minister Tessa Jewell, her husband Mr David Mills was found guilty in February in the Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi perjury case. Could it be that using different names avoids mud sticking? Add the Miliband brothers. Yes the Bunker Cabinet is a family run and defended business,
Alan Johnson Home Office Minister? Another disaster in the making? I doubt Alan will secure our boarders? Another mad with Bunker power.
Caroline Flint praises Brown, then resigns attacking him. She did not get a plumb salary and Cabinet post. Spitefully showing the public that New Labour are political careerists on a gravy train. Few have had real jobs
Harriet Harman said they would listen to voters. They always say this.
Blame the economy or expenses stupid.
It is for more than this. New Labour for example destroyed the IT industry. Outsourcing jobs and government contacts to countries like India. They issued 23,000 IT work permits almost annually to countries outside the EEC, while UK workers were made unemployed or removed by ageism.
How many call centre jobs similarly vanished?
We have been sold out to Browns misguided vision of globalisation. Globalisation is the movement of manufacturing or migrant labour to facilitate low cost production. Globalisation is not about social justice or cohesion, it is about profit.
Sir Alan Sugar if you are not a Brown gimmickry trick? Start bringing our manufacturing jobs and call centres back from abroad. Get British industry back under British control and stop the exploitation by foreign owned water and energy companies.
In fact there was actually an alternative assessment carried out over the last few days, which quite clearly came to a very different conclusion. Several million people assessed this man as inadequate for the job, devoid of ideas, devoid of authority and most important of all quite unable to offer any semblance of leadership. The Prime Minister chooses to ignore this independent evaluation of his abilities. He refers to 'fighting on'. Most people see it as 'hanging on'.
We should remember that this man, tortured by his own timidity and by his inability to inspire colleagues, is the de facto head of our armed forces - and with potentially a finger on the nuclear button. A civilised country should have a method of enforcing the removal of a leader who has quite obviously lost the plot, not caring to dwell on the idea that he was never up to the top job in the first place.
A pathetic attempt to identify with the vox populi made him look stupid - which he is not. But it certainly demonstrated a lack of judgement to go along with the YouTube fracas, the pence per week rise for pensioners which he announced while acting as 'one of our greatest Chancellors'... and many other moments of crassness.
And finally. I firmly believe that the PM deliberately sought to avoid any member of the royal family travelling to the D Day ceremonies. I don't know how this sort of thing works, very few do. But the prospect of being seen as a "Head of State" and to renew his grovelling to President Obama must have been overwhelming. If Prince Charles was made aware of the situation by reading about it in the Daily Mail, as reported, then the meeting between these two VIPs would have been interesting at the very least.
Now hast thou but one bare hour to live,
And then thou must be damned perpetually.
Stand still, you ever-moving spheres of heaven,
That time may cease, and midnight never come.
Fair nature's eye, rise, rise again and make
Perpetual day. Or let this hour be but a year,
A month, a week, a natural day,
That Brown may repent, and save his soul.
O lente lente currite noctis equi.
The stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike.
The devil will come, and Brown must be damned.
O, I'll leap up to heaven; who pulls me down?
One drop of blood will save me.
Yet will I call on him. O spare me, Lucifer.
Where is it now? 'Tis gone.
And see a threatening arm, an angry brow.
Mountains and hills, come, come, and fall on me,
And hide me from the heavy wrath of heaven.
No? Then will I headlong run into the earth.
Gape, earth! O no, it will not harbour me.
You stars that reigned at my nativity,
Whose influence hath allotted death and hell,
Now draw up Brown like a foggy mist,
That when you vomit forth into the air,
My limbs may issue from your smokey mouths,
But let my soul mount, and ascend to heaven.
The watch strikes.
O, half the hour is past! 'Twill all be past anon.
O, if my soul must suffer for my sin,
Impose some end to my incessant pain.
Let Brown live in hell a thousand years,
A hundred thousand, and at last be saved.
No end is limited to damned souls.
Or why is this immortal that thou hast?
Oh phythagoras' metempsychosis' were that true,
This soul should fly from me, and I be changed
Into some brutish beast.
All beasts are happy, for when they die,
Their souls are soon dissolved in elements,
But mine must live still to be plagued in hell.
Cursed be the parents that engendered me;
No, Brown, curse thyself. Curse Lucifer
That hath deprived thee of the joys of heaven.
The clock strikes twelve
It strikes, it strikes! Now body turn to air,
Or Lucifer will bear thee quick to hell.
O soul be changed into small water drops,
And fall into the ocean ne'er be found.
Thunder, and enter the devils.
O mercy, heaven! Look not so fierce on me;
Adders and serpents let me breathe awhile.
Ugly hell, gape not; come not Lucifer!
I'll burn my books! Oh, Mephistophilis!