At each other's throats
Peter Hoskin 9:00am
Watch out. The fur's flying in Cabinet, and there may well be blood. The latest claim, revealed by Ben Brogan in the Mail, is that Harriet Harman's being blamed by her colleagues for floating that 'lifeboat for Brown' story yesterday:
Whether or not Harman's to blame in this case, the Tories must be loving this. The Labour infighting smacks of a government in its death throes, where ministers are too busy thinking about Life After Gordon to concentrate on the here-and-now. Presenting a united front on the economy - or, indeed, anything - is going to be increasingly difficult."Last night, Harriet Harman was at the centre of a blame game over claims that Mr Brown is Germany's favourite for a new job as a global financial watchdog.Downing Street poured scorn on reports that the Prime Minister is being lined up for an international role that would force him to quit No 10.
Labour sources claimed instead that Mr Brown was the victim of a botched spin operation by the party's deputy leader amid signs that his authority is weakening.
In a sign of increasingly frayed Labour nerves, they accused Miss Harman of trying to advance her campaign to succeed Mr Brown as Labour leader."
Previous
Thomas Cussans
February 17th, 2009 9:13am Report this commentIt doesn't 'smack' of a government in its death throes. It is a government in its death throes.
How the Labour party must regret it didn't boot out the Great Gordo last year. He is leading them to electoral oblivion. And still they can't summon the nerve to turf him out.
MartSharm
February 17th, 2009 9:19am Report this commentIt couldn't happen to a nicer couple.
Chris lancashire
February 17th, 2009 9:54am Report this commentYou have to wonder at Harman's intelligence - wanting to be leader.
Gruntson
February 17th, 2009 9:56am Report this commentThe New Lab project has metamorphosed into Zombie Lab.
- dead-hand regulators. consisting of quangocrats complacent from the neck up.
- slow delivery Ministers. Was it really necessary to inflict the viewing public with the gruesomely undead Mr. Timms?
- The Brain. Rumoured to perpetually self-replenish in a bubble of conceit, vanity and wounded pride.
Shrivels in daylight.
The Laughing Cavalier
February 17th, 2009 10:20am Report this commentSurely, putting Brown in charge of a new international financial regulatory body would be like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. This man has made a complete and utter mess of Bank Regulation and trashed the British economy. The last thing the world needs is for him taking his disastrous nostrums to the international stage. Besides, who on earth would want this discredited politician?
cuffleyburgers
February 17th, 2009 11:09am Report this commentAll highly entertaining stuff, and while the political classes gossip and tittle tattle, the country goes to the dogs.
Nobody seems to be talking in terms of the real stuff that needs fixing (except for us "right wing nutters" as the grauniad and the mirror would doubtless describe readers of these columns)
What annoys me is that the BBC and the grauniad/mirror media axis spout earnest stuff about helping the poor but they seem not to have clocked that socialism is what hurts the working family.
Nobody on these pages wants to hurt the poor or the defenceless, only to give them a hand up, and try to improve life for everybody damn it.
I don't mind being vilified by the toynbees but I do object strenuously to my country being trashed by ignorant bigotted incompetent student union marxists who've never done a proper day's work in their lives and do not understand how wealth is created, or how this country came to be what it is (or rather what it was before B'liar and McLunatic set to work on systematically wrecking it).
Sorry chaps, Atlas Shrugged is a pretty rotten piece of literature, needs editing down to half its length, but you were right in your posting a few weeks back that the concept of the looters is precisely the problem we face today.
And I don't see Cameron as John Galt. (Who he? - ed)
Mic
February 17th, 2009 11:11am Report this commentRemind me. Who was it said 'What's financially?' Was it Alfie or Gordon?
Lucan
February 17th, 2009 11:16am Report this commentWe're all doomed, doomed I tell you!
(This time it's serious. Last time it was only Nazi Germany)
tyler
February 17th, 2009 11:21am Report this commentDon't any of these people have anything to do all day other than slag each other off, gossip with journalists and claim expenses, pausing only to sign off unread whatever legislation their officials put in front of them?
se1man
February 17th, 2009 2:13pm Report this commentMixed feelings really.
On the one hand it's great fun to see the fur flying as the blame game and selfish post-Brown posturing ramps up.
On the other hand I hate to see them do further damage to the UK's people and prospects. While they bitch & scheme & gossip & gorge themselves on parliamentary expenses, the country is falling apart at an accelerating pace.
At the very moment when we need some decisive & selfless leadership, we are stuck with the likes of Brown, Harman and Balls. It's just too depressing for words.
When's the next chance for the country to stick the boot in at the polls? If ever a broad vote of no confidence is needed, it is now.
And David & Co need to pick up the pace somewhat too. This is a time for urgency and anger from the opposition.
Trumpeter Lanfried
February 17th, 2009 6:37pm Report this commentTyler 11.21 am: "Don't any of these people have anything to do all day other than slag each other off, gossip with journalists and claim expenses, pausing only to sign off unread whatever legislation their officials put in front of them?"
Good question. The answer is no.
Herbert Thornton
February 17th, 2009 11:04pm Report this comment"Mr Brown is Germany's favourite for a new job as a global financial watchdog."
That's the most hilarious idea I've heard for weeks. As good as if somebody had suggested President Ahmadinejad should be appointed to replace the Pope.
Back to top