Why Brown is so happy

NickL

Yes, but... check out Mike Smithson's post on PB this morning. The eonomic competence questions might not be as clear-cut as yu suggest.

adam

I think you are wrong to say he thinks he has found a political weapon.

But I do think he realises he has come into his element and is putting to rest the notion that he is a ditherer with no right to be PM.

I would forgive him some relief that win or lose the next election he has at least proved his worth to the public.

Ian C

He won't have such a big grin on his face if he hears what the bright boys think. If he does hear he won't listen.... 10 minutes of analysis from the real world from the young blood at Tim Congdon's old home.

http://www.lombardstreetresearch.com/services/podcasts.html?autoplay=y&webcastId=368

Whilst your there, listen to the one previous to this re USA.

TrevorsDen

Brown seems happy saying the crisis 'came from America', perhaps imagining that he can persuade us to believe that the mafia came and forced loans at gunpoint on quivering banks and they kidnapped the wife of the UK banking regulator to keep him quiet.

He says this is a 'global crisis' perhaps hoping we will think its global incompetence. Well if at the very least Brown is a guilty as everyone else - than he is still guilty.

As long as Brown can field dollys from Nick Robisnson and speak to select audiences he no doubt hopes his propaganda can become the received wisdom.

No sign that the Spectator is going to disabuse him of that thought.

The current shambles at dealing with local authority exposures is a clear sign that there is still dithering at the heart of this government.

And if Brown is standing up showering blame on the Icelandic government - you have to start wondering if in fact there is something not quite as straightforward as it seems in this case.

James

Brown is over-playing his hand. The public still haven't warmed to him and they don't like him smiling while the economy sinks. Tories need to focus on their own performance - labour are still poorly funded, poorly focused and too fond of spin.

If the bail-out succeeds the news will move onto the under-lying mess of the economy - which as Nick Clegg expertly pointed out has Brown's hands all over it.

If the bail-out fails - Brown and Darling are screwed. Nobody will remember the concensus achieved with other parties - just reference the ERM debacle.

Clegg has pointed the way to Cameron and Osborne. They don't have to promise tax cuts to have the same impact - simply combine promises of cooperation with subtle reminders of the previous mis-management of the economy and the severe impacts of a world downturn on the UK compared to other large European economies.

Austin Barry

Gordon's rictus smirk is indeed a horrible thing, but this is just a transitory period of advantage. Lumpen flights of homing chickens are darkening the horizon. That said, David Cameron really does have to energise himself. Currently he seems to be inadvertently playing the role of languid, disengaged toff as cast by Labour. He should take hard-man lessons from Boris and resume putting the boot into Gordon's orchestras.

Talia

I have never seen him look so GENUINELY pleased. The transformation is remarkable. And is further confirmation of his twisted character.

Diana

Do you really think the British people will forgive the crowd who got them into this mess in the first place??

Faceless Bureaucrat

Snap General Election anyone?...

Jock

The Conservatives have been floored by the crisis pro tem and the damage may well be lasting.

However, it is very real crisis for the nation which has resulted in this unearned political advantage to Brown. He would do well to drop the ill-concealed glee and curb the smug, graceless behaviour demonstrated by his backbenchers at PMQs yesterday and mirrored by his own cheap shot in response to Cameron's final question.

We are entitled to statesmanship from our PM at such a time.To paraphrase the man himself, this is no time for a boor

JohnTaylor

I can't believe what I have just heard on 5Live, first a quote from Gordon Brown saying he had spoken to the Icelandic PM and told him that what they had done was unacceptable.

Then a statement from the Icelandic Ambassador who stated that the Icelandic PM had spoken to Alastair Darling & the tenor of teh discussion had been different. As usual 5Live swallowed the Brown line - is there someone who could check who did speak to who? Methinks Gordon Brown has been playing fast & loose with the truth again, trying to look like he's been in control.

Pat

Such jolly japes last night when the phone rang and our PM made light of the situation that is causing such heartbreak and devastation to the lives of so many.

Fast forward to the winter when another phone interupts him and he responds with another cracking line,

" I hope thats not another pensioner pleading for food or help with their heating bill!"

Oh how we laughed!

C Powell

I think the public will see a man using a crisis which affects us all to shore up his position not to do the best for the country. The public knows who got them into this mess. But it needs repeating by the Tories all the time, which is why Dave's disappearing act is hopeless. The Tories need to hammer home the message that (1) we wouldn't be in this mess if Labour/Brown had run matters properly in the first place; and (2) as a result everyone in Britain will be paying off debts for years to come. Effectively, Labour's impoverished the nation and it will take years to get back on an even keel let alone make the improvements which are needed. In short, as Lady T once said: "Labour always runs out of other people's money."

simon s

The crisis - to which Brown definitely contributed - given Brown further reasons to control the British economy and society. It's a win-win for the him and the Labour party.

TGF UKIP

The weekend's polls are going to be very interesting indeed and it's going to be surprising if the Tory headline lead isn't down to single figures at best.

The utter, utter stupidity of the Tory promise to match Lasbour spending is now coming home to roost big time. They haven't been able to scream blue murder at Borrow and Bust Brown because every time they try it the media simply and rightly point out that they have promised to match Labour spending which would only be possible via Gordon level borrowing or raising taxes.

The other major problem the Tories have got (but don't tell Fraser Nelson) is their principal economic spokesman.

David

Whatever political advantage Brown might be making out of this would be neutered and reversed if the press weren't ignoring this story of Brown making jokes about banks going bust. The BBC reported it with their typically pro-Brown slant. People losing their life savings, their jobs and their financial security because of his actions is, of course, hilarious. His level of arrogance and sheer unpleasantness is astounding. It makes Lamont's 'je ne regrette rien' seem almost tame and pleasant.

Colin

Yesterday was been described as Brown's Falkland's moment. Is today his Icelandic Cod War (which we lost)!!

Athesius the Facilitator

I do not know much about finance but there is one thing I do know. Cameron needs to shift his and the rest of the shadow cabinets backsides and start attacking this disgusting PM who is milking this miserable situation for all it's worth. He is getting the soft treatment from BBC and Sky like you wouldn't believe. I just do not understand the TV medias thinking behind this, they must know that he took us to were we are. Surely the pre-requisite for working in TV is not to be a fool or a knave.

adrian drummond

Gordon Brown is a bit like one of those arsonists who starts a fire and is then proclaimed a hero for being first on the scene to help extinguish the flames.

Short the UK

If he's not careful he could be hanging out with his namesake in Iceland. There can be no complacency as Britain could go into meltdown quickly due to a collpasing pound. It is already creaking. Just watch the pound and if it keeps falling it will be time to go into the Yen, Euro or Dollar, and pray!

seb

NickL -
Yes, Mike Smithson's site is worth a glance, especially the comments. One, in particular, says it all. 'The underlying economic situation is horrendous.' Soon, it'll be back to Gordon the Moron as fond memories of Gordon the Messiah fade into history.
The next twenty months will bring unprecedented rises in repossessions and unemployment. No cigar for knowing in advance who'll reap the whirlwind.

Travis Bickle

Isn't it ironic that the person who let this all happen seems to be enjoying this more than any of the poor saps with negative equity or no job. The clip of him joking about banks falling and then collapsing with laughter with his audience is sickmaking. What a charmless, disgusting piece of work Brown truly is.

Gordon Musgo-soon

It happehed on the slimy bastard's watch. The public won't let him off, no matter what the chatterati may have decided, on what basis I have no clue. Perhaps some rightish-tending magazine ought to rip his guts out, if DC won't.

Marian C

Browns smirk /smile won't last very long, as Austin quite rightly points out "Lumpen flights of homing chickens are darkening the horizon". The recession will seriously start to bite shortly, probably around Christmas and that smirk will be gone in a nano second. I do wish that David Cameron / George Osbourne et al. would get some backbone and start asking some nasty probing questions of both Bodger and Badger (Brown & Darling) as to how the country got into this state in the first place; after all ZaNuLabour have been in power for 11 yrs

Pete, Scotland

This crisis has turned Mr Brown into Mr Happy.

John Miller

Stalin to Mr Bean to Obnoxio?

Sorry mate, but you get the gist...

Dr Theodor Morell

Why is Brown is so happy ? Antidepressants.

Ken

The IMF has just given HM Opposition plenty of ammunition to show MacRuin-us-all up for the incompetent financial ignoramus he is, so what on earth are C&O waiting for? Their task is to ladle it like boiling oil all over NuLabour lumpen.

Ken

The IMF has just given HM Opposition plenty of ammunition to show MacRuin-us-all up for the incompetent financial ignoramus he is, so what on earth are C&O waiting for? Their task is to ladle it like boiling oil all over a lumpen NuLabour leadership.

Rev Bishop Dirty Euro

Why do people keep quoting the satanic website of politcal betting. It encourages betting. In these tough times get rid of the politcal betting website or change their name to somehting more repsonsible. It is betting that got us into these issues.

EUSSR GO HOME

"Unnerving" is right, Mr. Hoskin.
At first sight, I couldn't stop laughing at the pics- er, caricatures. Then my reaction seemed a bit hyst - er, unnerved.

Dr. Morell reassured me: Gordo must be responding to the meds.
[well, he's not responding to Brits....]

EUSSR GO HOME

Faceless Bureaucrat: YES.
General Election NOW. Referendum NOW.

R Grant

I agree with so many comments. Brown's happiness is twisted. He blames all on the USA,and the wicked bankers who did not regulate themselves,and now the whole world for not following his plan. Now his spin machine is working better with Mandy,Alistair Campbell and Derek Draper and all the old Hasbeens speaking for him, unfortunately there are many people who wiil fall for all this old guff,until they start losing their jobs,their houses ....