It has been quite amusing to observe the events in politics over the past week and watch just how quickly Gordon Brown has shot himself in the foot so soon after taking over.
I make no secret of the fact that I am a Conservative through and through. As a young career girl working in the City during the '80s the excitement of the Thatcher years was palpable. I also think David Cameron is the greatest thing to happen to the Tories since they lost Thatcher (hugely charismatic, very handsome and I also think he has great integrity). And appearing on stage in a Dragons' Den style policy review panel at last year's Conservative Party Conference with Oliver Letwin, Anne Widdecombe and Michael Brown has to be one of the biggest honours of my career to date.
By contrast to the newly emerging fresher, younger and much more dashing Conservative Party, Gordon Brown looks like a tired old windbag. Nervous and jittery in front of the cameras and always awkward in the presence of the media. None more so than appearing in the desert with the troops in a hot and uncomfortable looking navy suit and blue tie, totally inappropriate for the occasion.
In every Party Political Broadcast and interview he spouts about 'change' and 'building a stronger Britain' - almost as if he hasn't been around for the past decade and had nothing to do with the state the country now finds itself in. The attempt to distance himself from the Blair Government simply isn't working.
The speculation over a possible November Election should have been nipped in the bud as soon as it was aired - not allowed to carry on while Gordon assessed how the polls were unfolding only to back out scared at the last possible moment. It seems to the passive onlooker that 'Being PM' is more important to Brown than any consideration for this country or the opinions of its electorate.
And then to the Inheritance Tax debacle.
Gloriously trumped by George Osborne's announcement last week that the Tories would raise the Inheritance Tax threshold to £1million, yesterday's announcement by Alistair Darling that the threshold would rise to £600k looked like a feeble copycat response, never mind the fact it was probably decided well before the Tory Party Conference. And why wasn't the decision made years before by Brown himself, while he was Chancellor?
In short, during just one week the Labour Party has descended into a shambles, quite simply due to indecisive leadership on the part of their woolly new leader Gordon Brown.
All Cameron & Co have to do now is play the waiting game until they win in 2009.
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3 comments:
We agree on a lot of things but I can’t stand beside you on this one I’m afraid.
First, I do not think that an entrepreneur blog is the right place to write this, business is business and politics is part of it, but not in this format.
However as you have started….
I have a slightly different view of politics to most people. I look at politics overall and I listen to members of parliament and I decide regardless of which party they affiliate themselves to who I think is good and who I wouldn’t go near with a large pointy pole.
I like Gordon Brown. I like the way that he thinks strategically not just from the point of view of power (you are right, he did watch and change his mind after the Tory conference) but he also applies strategy to longer term issues and errs on the side of caution where caution is an option.
This may not be the exciting Punch and Judy aggressive politics that Mr. Cameron seems to like but to be honest if I saw the type of behavior in a boardroom that I heard in Parliament today II would walk out and I really think that you would too.
Why do we allow it and in some cases applaud it in so called leaders of that most important institution the leadership of the United Kingdom.
I agree with your thoughts on Mrs. Thatcher, she was just what was needed for the country at the time, but in my opinion the Conservatives’ made their greatest mistake, (and one that they are still paying for now), when they didn’t give the leadership of the party to Michael Heseltine. Who in my opinion is one of the greatest prime ministers we never had.
I do not care if Gordon Brown is jittery in front of the press or nervous in front of a large group of children.
I don’t want him to be a TV presenter I want him to be a leader, and I think that given time we will see through Mr Brown a gradual ending of the ridiculous cross hall slanging matches and the development of a more rounded political scenario where opinions that are good, no matter which party they come from are credited and admired.
When I hear Mr Cameron shout about their idea of changes to inheritance tax, I remember listening to radio 4 about six months ago where politicians from the three main parties discussed this issue. It was on everyone’s mind then. It was a good idea and there are only so many of them, so what if two party’s thought about it and came up with different solutions at the same time. If an idea is good, why shouldn’t it come from two sources.
I’m sorry, but I find Mr Camerons playground cry of “we said it first Mr. Speaker” to be infantile and annoying. I have been waiting for a stamping foot and crocodile tears.
Now, lets see how long he raises the issue over and over again because he can’t bring himself to believe that there are clever people who think the same on both sets of benches.
There is a game called fantasy football where you make up a team of the best players from all over the world and see how they would have fared against other teams.
Maybe it’s time to take that attitude with UK politics and get rid of the sulkers, the complainers, the snipers and the whingers on both sides and to produce a fantasy political party where we take the best from all and sit them in a room together just to see what happens.
As I said earlier I have no real political affiliation myself, but from my outward looking perspective I think that currently Mr Brown can shoot himself in both feet, one hand and get a slight head wound and that Labour will still carry the election.
If Mr. Cameron is good at what he does, maybe that situation is what he should concentrate on.
Look Ian, it's my Blog and I'll write what I want to OK?!?
Seriously though I'm not going to get into an argument with you about this one (I know that's not like me) as there will be no winners - but one thing I will agree with you though, Heseltine would have made a fab PM.
What is it about political parties that they can't choose someone who is actually going to win an election for them? As opposed to choosing someone who sits well within the existing Party echelons (who are already won over). Basic marketing pricinples apply - if you want to expand your customer base you need to appeal to more than just your existing loyal customers.
As the Lib Dems are currently finding out!
I did vote Lib Dem once briefly (sorry DavidC, but this was I think when IDS was leader and it was a protest vote). But never again after the dastardley way they stabbed Charles Kennedy instead of supporting him through his personal crisis.
Depressing really to find Mrs Thatcher still being lauded. How long has it been? Whilst I have no truck with Marxist Union leaders that hold the country to ransom I did object to the measures that were taken at that time. If you're a Yorkshireman you remember police roadblocks and the denial of legitimate movement and people go on about the freedoms being eroded now! All I know is this country is now a country of call centres and service industries with high levels of benefits. How crap is that and the first step on that road was started in the 80s. Cameron is full of hot air and in fact Hague is probably the brightest politician to have emerged from the Tory ranks, but sadly for him came up against the best marketed politician this country has ever seen in Mr Anthony Blair. I don't believe you'll see a Tory government again soon Rachel. People care about social division and public services and the premise that these would be safe in Tory hands is risible.
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