Brown is blasting out his false message
Fraser Nelson 7:51pm
Whatever you may think about Gordon Brown, he does deserve to be recognised as a master of his art. I can’t think of a more accomplished confidence trickster ever to enter Westminster. And he’s ready to unveil a whole Potemkin Village tomorrow, the climax of his life’s work. It will be built out of non-sequiteurs, exaggerations, half-truths and Brownies. His interview on the BBC1 Politics Show gave a preview as to how he will conduct himself. He is in full election mode, talking as if he’s in the heat of an election campaign—which, in his head, he is. Here’s my take:-
By the way, full marks to Jon Sopel, who – rarely for a BBC presenter – decided he would not let Brown mislead his viewers about Tory proposals when he came in air to discuss his ideas. “David Cameron hasn’t said that, has he? He says there should be a freeze on council taxes, there were proposals he made to help unemployed”. Sopel also tried to stop Brown repeating himself, and pointed out that Northern Rock was offering 125% mortgages. Brown, of course, ignored this.1) “What’s happened is that we’ve had a banking crisis that started in America. It makes me incredibly angry about what happened.” Note, with his first breath, he blames this all on America – thus setting the terms of debate. This is the crucial first step in his confidence trick. Northern Rock and B&B were British banks lending money to British households regulated by a British system personally designed by Britain’s Prime Minister. It was as British as Y Fronts and Tizer.2) “That has now spread to become not just a financial crisis, but an economic crisis”. This is his SARS virus narrative, utterly fake. Britain has an economic crisis because Brown knowingly pumped the British economy full of under-priced debt, leaving us the biggest household borrowing (178% of income) any G7 country has ever seen. And we’re supposed to blame America for the fact that credit supply choked. The UK is now due the worst recession in Europe due to the recklessness of Brown’s policies.
3) “The case that we have got to face is do you take action now to avoid permanent damage later” This is his fake political dividing line: Labour=action, Tories=Do Nothing. We will hear this time and time again this week.
4) “Not to act is both irresponsible is uncaring.” Crucially, he is widening his attack on Cameron here, attempting to reprise the “same old Tories” line that Blair wouldn’t let him use. He does this by trying to draw a line between Cameron opposing the splurge and the recessions of the early 1980s and 1990s. This is the party that thinks “unemployment is a price worth paying” he said later. Of course, what is uncaring is to engineer the economy until families are relying on debt – horribly exposed to any crunch in that market. He’s very lucky the Tories can’t make this point.
5) “All around Europe different countries are talking about what they would do.” Again, crucial to his message: this is an international crisis, is nae my fault. PLUS: I’m a statesman, a financial messiah. You can destroy this in a couple of sentences: why is Britain more exposed than anyone else? Who else is looking at a deficit of 10 percent of GDP? Britain is the worst-prepared for this crisis, so few will listen to bungling Brown. They look at the way he’s managed the UK public accounts and think “there but for the grace of God” or “thank God this basket case economy isn’t in the Euro”.
6) “Gospel of despair” – this is what he says the Tories have. Note how this Son of the Manse uses Biblical language when he wants to get all pious. It reminds me of that line in his conference speech saying words to the effect of ‘Jesus never said ‘bring me just some of the Children’ implying – a disgusting implication, if you ask me – that the Tories thought this.
7) “The Conservative idea is do nothing now, leave people to face the storm, refuse to help them.” Note the simplicity of Brown’s message, he hammers it like a machine. Relentlessly, ruthlessly, no matter what question is asked, he bulldozes through his fake dividing lines and his misrepresentation of the Tory position. Getting his version of the Tory message across is, to him, as important as getting his own message across – if not, more so.
8) “We will do something that was never done in the 1980s and 1990s and that’s help people stay in jobs” – again, at every turn, he peddles myths about the Bad Old Tory Days. Talks about 15% interest rates (three times in that interview) whereas real (ie, inflation-adjusted) interest rates now and then are comparable. For him, it’s the 1980s all over again.
9) “Can we get banks lending back to the levels of 2007?” How about asking: should we? Wasn’t excess debt, um, the root problem? Deplorably, Brown is seeking to revive the credit bubble as if it can be a horn of plenty spewing out more borrowed Arab/Chinese money.
10) “We’ve got to lead the world out of these problems” Britain is literally leading the world into recession, mass unemployment and property price collapse. That’s why we’ve had the worst devaluation against the dollar since 1954. It’s simply breathtaking to hear him talk like this, when the reverse is the truth.
As Brown knows, narratives in politics don’t have to have much truth in them to succeed. Bu they do have to be clear and forcefully delivered. He used this interview to repeat his lines, over and over. If you’re brazen enough (and he is) you can carry it off. Brown today showed us a detailed, well-argued, high-octane narrative ready to roar. He has his soundbites, his battle lines, his fake parameters and his fake statistics (though it was surprising to hear him forget to claim we have low debt). He is a master at work . If he gives it enough gusto, the media will go with him. It’s worked before.
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Comments
Anthony
November 23rd, 2008 8:33pmThat's it, Fraser. Brazen. You just don't know where he gets the nerve.
None of it was him. He's worked miracles for 10 years and it's all been undone by forces beyond his control that with all his financial genius he somehow never saw coming.
Augustus
November 23rd, 2008 9:08pm"We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we now know that it is also bad economics."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
RMH
November 23rd, 2008 9:24pmYou write so much better on UK stuff.
When you have the primary media outlet (BBC) as a branch of Nulabour, the 2nd biggest (SKy/News int) not sure who to support and the 3rd (Daily Mail) run by a big pal of his you have to wonder why he gets a free ride?
He is a pox on Britain and a cancer on our future, yet gets more get out of jail free cards than a compulsive monopoly player.
Barry
November 23rd, 2008 9:27pmBrown in his interview on the telly today looked remarkably cheery. At one point Brown was grinning from ear to ear. Being gleeful while all around are facing a far more bleak future than he is, is frankly deranged. He certainly reminded me of Jack Nicholson as The Joker.
Travis Bickle
November 23rd, 2008 9:32pm1) UK stock market down 15% since 1997 US stock market +15% in same period.
Certainly wasn't the Americans that stole our pensions and long term investments. End of
Colin Mcquade
November 23rd, 2008 9:39pmWhen I read your piece it all sounds plausible. Indeed I recognise and positively acknowledge many if not all of the charges you level at brown. The problem is, with the exception of one or two overtly right wing commentators, the brown (mandleson) narrative is being swallowed hook, line, sinker and fishing rod by the media. It's then regurgitated and rammed down our throats at every opportunity by a strangely compliant media.
Peston and Robinson at the bbc have virtually become labour party spokesmen.
If the Tories are not careful here, they could quickly start to sound shrill and isolated. They need some serious help to get their message across, at different levels to a broad audience; something they've failed to achieve to date.
Nicholas
November 23rd, 2008 9:43pm"Getting his version of the Tory message across is, to him, as important as getting his own message across – if not, more so."
The key to Brown. This is a masterful dissection of a devious, self-serving charlatan more interested in the polling threat from the Conservatives than leading a properly accountable and fiscally responsible government.
I find it quite difficult to watch him, so great is my repulsion to his dissembling performance and blatant lies.
Robin
November 23rd, 2008 9:44pmWell, you've identified Brown's tactics for the media presentation, but what are the Tories going to do about it? They can't exactly put duct tape over Brown's mouth, desirable as that may be, so they'll have to be just as active in the media arena as Labour are, and quickly.
Matt
November 23rd, 2008 9:54pmHow dare you criticise the Dear Leader?
Don't you know tractor production has increased? That the streets are thronging with happy peasants demonstrating against the Imperialist reactionary opposition?
golfwidow
November 23rd, 2008 9:55pmWhy, when Brown constantly harps back to the 80s and 90s, does Cameron not adopt a similar line of attack by going back to Labour's failings in the 70s? What's good for the goose.......
pro patrea
November 23rd, 2008 9:57pmA corruscating and spot-on analysis of the destruction, lies and deceit by Brown and this Government. Why does the BBC not present the facts, as we see here so clearly, and continue to report the half-truths put out by the Government as headline news? There is a conspiracy.
ChrisD
November 23rd, 2008 10:06pm"He is a master at work . If he gives it enough gusto, the media will go with him. It’s worked before."
Unemployment.
Sterling.
Repossessions as our housing market collapses.
Personal debt that has become totally unserviceable as the credit crunch bites.
Brown's economic policies damage anyone who wants to save.
Pensions, pensions, pensions.
Student debt, and parents less able to help them.
Tax cuts now, and bigger hikes later to pay for it.
No real discernible tax cuts for the long term during a recession, after Brown managed to persuade everyone to swallow tax raises during the period of a benign economy.
There comes a point when Brown bangs on about his message, but the media simple cannot report a fantasy so devolved from the reality.
I think that we have reached this tipping point. The media let him get away it for so long, and the opposition were not much better. But now, neither are prepared to do so.
Its not just Brown's reputation which is on the line, but Darling's, the Treasury, the opposition, and the financial and political media.
I even detected a slight movement in Vince Cable's responses over the last few days too, he is distancing himself from the government rather than trying to take the credit for their actions by saying he advocated a particular course of action first.
chris gordon
November 23rd, 2008 10:09pmIt makes me laugh when Brown tries to place an international spin and his own economic problems but wholly ringfences the Tories time in office from any international factors. As an Aussie I remember paying 17% on my mortgage repayments "down under" in the late 1980s so it just wasn't in dear old 'blighty that they were high. There's no subtlety in anything Brown ever sprouts and I've yet to hear an original idea theat wasn't pinched from somewhere else!
mark
November 23rd, 2008 10:28pmI've come to realise Brown is not interested in what is the right analysis, nor is he interested in the right solutions. His emotional satisfaction comes only from believing the media perceive him as right and the Conservatives wrong.
So for him the most important reason to be PM is to play partisan politics in the never ever shifting sands of the oped columns. Psychologically flawed doesn't begin to explain it or him.
Lola
November 23rd, 2008 10:30pmSurely to God the electorate is not going to fall for this, are they?
Huw Thornton
November 23rd, 2008 11:55pm@ Fraser
"He’s very lucky the Tories can’t make this point."
I admit I've taken this point out of context from your excellent piece, but I think that this encapsulates the problem we face.
He's got an answer for (almost) everything - the points which the Tories are making, and the points that they're not.
mart
November 24th, 2008 12:34amThe most urgent message the Tories must get out is: Britain's economic problems are principally Britain's own fault because of decisions we made.
Second most urgent message is: anyone who tells you the Tory policy is to "do nothing" is telling lies.
A lot of the "narrative" you have been spelling out can be addressed with these two points.
Wilhelm
November 24th, 2008 12:46amGordon Brown shrieeeeeeeks
'' It wasnt me, its not my fault, a big man did it and ran away ''
A 5 year old bairn could come up with a better excuse, what bank clerk Broon is saying is he's not responsible and he's passing the buck .
Yet when Britain won all those gold medals at the olympics, Broon was very quick to jump on the bandwagon and take responsibilty of that
success which he had nothing whats so ever to do with. Funny that, isnt it ?
Wilhelm
November 24th, 2008 12:59amGordon Broon to Diane Sawyer of American ABC news.
'' I come from north britain.''
And the cockk crowed 3 times when Gordon Broon denied his own country, what a Judas.
Wilhelm
November 24th, 2008 1:09amSome one sneeezes in America.
Britain is crippled.
Gordon Brown and liebour can do sod all about it.
Thats the pathetic excuse.
Wilhelm
November 24th, 2008 1:33amThe only thing Gordon Broon is interested in is saving his own wretched neck.
Mike Holmes
November 24th, 2008 1:59amGotta keep pressing the point home: Brown's counterfeit prosperity was built on debt in the largest credit bubble in history.
Brown was not only too ignorant to grasp this, he pretended to himself and others that he'd wrought an economic miracle.
He's the Walter Mitty of economics and his fantasy is over. The nightmare is real though, and we'll have to suffer it.
Hysteria
November 24th, 2008 3:22amLola - Yup - they will.......
NotaSheep
November 24th, 2008 7:16amUnfortunately I fear that Gordon Brown and the Labour government's propaganda arm, the BBC, may well convince enough people that their "narrative" is correct. They don't have to convince that many in order to be returned with a small majority.
HFC
November 24th, 2008 9:02amFor me, Brown is no better than a crazed Tv evengelist peddling his illogical and unfounded 'truths' to a confused, frightened and gullible audience.
StephenB
November 24th, 2008 10:31amCameron said in his Sun interview recently that he is a fan of the BBC. He is trying desperately to signal to them that he is really 'one of them' and he is begging them to help him to power.
Jim
November 24th, 2008 10:36amA YouTube viral with the facts in subtitles as a running commentary would be useful.
Spartacus
November 24th, 2008 10:36amYes Brown is a Walter Mitty character and it wont be the first time that someone with a personality disorder has achieved high office and lead people to hell because of it.
alastair harris
November 24th, 2008 10:43amso why do the BBC buy it? This is one that is worthy of further investigation. Is there a PestonGate to uncover?
Peter
November 24th, 2008 10:53amI am not as well versed as many... most... in the fine details of economics and financial prudence but it's all getting very hard to comprehend.
On a national scale the logic seems to be to 'help' by borrowing lots more. From whom? Everyone seems to be borrowing from everyone else. I 'know' (because Mr. Brown and the BBC tells me) it's all America's fault, but are Messrs Brown and Obama simply borrowing from each other?
And, having borrowed, a few minor twiddles are trumpeted that seem to be based on the public going out and blowing what little they have left or saved 'to stimulate things'.
Meanwhile I learn that in my county, Herefordshire, the number of 'public sector workers' numbers 1 in 5.
Is me popping down to Argos with my VAT refund to splurge on Xmas tat supposed to pay for them?
BrianSJ
November 24th, 2008 11:06amHe showed the power of vicious fact-free campaigning in Glenrothes. Lola, the voters bought it there.
In relation to the US, his role model is Karl Rove, not Obama.
The destruction to the country is not relevant to an ardent Maxtonite. It is all very dangerous.
CharlieRay15
November 24th, 2008 11:47amBroon's model is less Karl Rove than Göbbels, whose mantra was that if a lie is repeated often enough people will believe it is the truth. Broon is a truly dangerous and evil man who will leave Britain in a disastous sitation.
Bob T
November 24th, 2008 11:53amFraser, you do Brown too much honour. His are not fully blown lies but half truths mechanically read out from the autocue. Brown is but the shadow of The Master under whom he studied for ten and more years. The real confidence trickster must be able to con face to face, must be able to produce loyal till death acolytes. Save your admiration for Blair - he was the real, unreal, thing. Blair, once as genuine as the £9 note in your wallet, has disappeared and, like the Cheshire Cat left nothing behind but his grin. Fascinating chap, really.
Bryan Davies
November 24th, 2008 12:21pmI think the 9.39 comment is spot on.The Tory front bench dont seem to have it in them to face off the lies and Brownies -unless they do, and quickly, Brown could be in for another term
Peter
November 24th, 2008 12:40pmBrown is a lunatic, you can just see it trying to come through when he speaks, like other lunatic leaders in history who wrecked their own countries. Looking at Brown with his trousers riding up around his knees answering Sopel's questions I was greatly reminded of Peter Sellers portrayal of Chauncey Gardener in the film 'Being There'. I would advise the whole country before they vote in a General Election to watch this film and then watch Brown, the resemblance is really uncanny. I hope this cheers you up Fraser to see Brown from his true perspective.
Simon Stephenson
November 24th, 2008 12:46pmI think that the most central focus in Gordon Brown's mind is that he, and he alone, has a connection to wisdom. His ideas may be unpopular, they may be criticised, they may be questioned for their rationality, but at the very heart of his thinking is that he CANNOT make a bad decision - it's not possible - and so all adverse comment, no matter how widespread, no matter how accomplished the commentators, it MUST be wrong. He's unable to believe that his own impact on events can possibly be anything other than positive. And that therefore whatever it takes for him to remain in power MUST, by definition, be good for the nation.
This is true megalomania. But it's been there for all to see since his days at Edinburgh University. The tragedy of UK governance is that too many of the population have looked at resolution in our politicians as unquestionably a positive character trait.
Tris
November 24th, 2008 11:00pmQuite mad. You would think he had been bussed in from outer space over the last few months and nothing that happened in the last 10 years is anything at all to do with him.
As a Scot I'm really ashamed. He must go. Soon.
hadrian
November 26th, 2008 10:07pmBrown is NOT a dour 'presbyterian' as many commentators keep ignorantly harping on about. He is your archetypal humanist- state interventionist- poilitical messianic socialist that any authentic presbyterian'd abominate. The man lives in economic cloud cuckoo land and sadly, if polls are accurate, so do vast swathes of our populace. However the denial of reality is going to catch up with us eventually. It'll be nice, perhaps, if Labour are still in power then to be forced to face the fury of the masses owing to the calamity of their own making. If middle England don't wake up that might just happen, God help us! Brown's raids on pensions etc will only bite him once it really begins to bite the electorate. We get the leaders we deserve and we are by and large as irresponsible as our Leader. The Tory M.P. forced to apologise for stating the truth about the bracing effects of a recession should have stood his ground. Stop grovelling to these bleeding heart leftists afraid to face reality.
Allan
December 25th, 2008 3:18pmHow dare our NuLeader be criticized.
Now lets all get ready for the 2 minute hate...
To be honest, I very much doubt that any of the parties have a quick, painless solution.
This financial collapse is going to take a long time and careful managment, and an acceptance that economies cannot keep growing indefinatly to heal.
Any party that recognises this, will get my vote.
mike
December 26th, 2008 11:48pmBrown is a several-faced liar, but Cameron is no better. Probably why I've never voted. Do you want to be screwed by a philips screwdriver, or a flathead?