Brown needs to recover and quick or he is doomed

Tiberius

The 28 day+ detention period wasn't great, with the duffing up of the Simple Sailor, and the lack of decisiveness by the Home Secretary on the issue. Also, the shameless plagiarising of the Tories idea on IHT didn't seem to fool anyone.

dave, surrey

I think the root cause is Mr Brown's personality. Not wanting to be upstaged by people around him he's got himself the most mediocre cabinet possible, not one heavy weight, big hitter or deep thinker. You could call it a government of small talents, (too easy.. take Peter Watt, he looks like he still lives at home with mum and dad). Events always come out of left field and hit governments. If you've got the right calibre of people, problems can usually be managed. It was never really a problem for Mr Blair.

Napoleon

I can remember one more(but Tiberius almost pointed out) PBR-The magpie budget

David Lindsay

Things would have been any better under the Tories how, exactly? Black Wednesday Dave is in no position to comment.

Vlad

Qinteq, the sale of the government's overseas investment arm, the construction of PFI hospital too small to serve Norwich oh, the list goes on, and on, and on. Surely there is someone keeping tabs on this!

Dave Bartlett

How about a government laboratory causing an outbreak of foot and mouth disease?

Dave Bartlett

Putting a part-timer in charge of the MOD?

Using serving troops for a PR stunt?

Announcing troop withdrawals that aren't troop withdrawals?

Matt Hancock

Errm, taking illegal donations.

Jasper Funnell-Cloth

How about: - the party donations screw up - immigration screw up - EU constitution "red lines" schmed lines

Fraser Nelson

Vlad, no one is. Which is why I'm relying on the combined with of our CoffeeHouse to come up with an exhsuative list. We'll let it run for a while, then update it. And perhaps rank them in order of incompetence.

Dave Bartlett

The treasury answering freedom-of-information requests from Conservatives and the media by saying they don't hold any info on them; then suddenly producing figures when asked by the Labour Party.

Dave Bartlett

Reneging on Labour's manifesto pledge to give us a referendum on the EU Constitution.

Dave Bartlett

AMENDMENT to 6:16pm

The 'them' the treasury had/didn't have info on, was the 'non-doms' (resident non-domiciled individuals). Sorry.

ChrisD

"Putting a part-timer in charge of the MOD?

Using serving troops for a PR stunt?

Announcing troop withdrawals that aren't troop withdrawals?"

I would add the devastating spectacle of former PM John Major intervening to criticise Brown's cynical and abhorrent use of the troops for party political purposes.
That was the moment that Brown's carefully crafted façade started to crumble and we saw, a not a conviction politician, but rather the calculating one who put personal ambition ahead of sound and competent government for so long.

Alex R

Clearly illegal immigrants to work in security, including guarding the prime minister's car - and then failing to disclose it (as proven by leaked emails).

TGF UKIP

The one that really started the slide and gave the public its real insight to who and what Gordon really is, was the trip to Iraq during the Tory Conference and the distorted dishonest announcement of "1,000 troop withdrawals." He then compounded this immediately by seeming to nick the Tory IHT policy - unfortunately the media (and the Tory Treasury team) failed to fully nail him on this by revealing the sleight of hand involved.

Anan

David Linsay: The whole ERM policy was agreed to by all parties of the country, and supported wholeheartedly by Labour and the then (slightly) younger Brown. Of course everyone in the media forgets this part. Trying to link Dave C to black wednesday is stupid and pathetic. At any rate, black wednesday is nothing to do with loss of discs and unlawful (brown's own words) party funding. If you don't have something valid to say, don't say anything at all!

Alex R

Appointment of Malloch Brown to the foreign office. GOAT strategy, which looks like falling apart.

Alex R

Long term - the decision to stop the Blair reforms in health and education. Has given the tories an open goal to shoot at with Gove at education.

Alex R

Total failure to use his 10 years in opposition to devise any kind of long term strategy/vision. Everything was just positioning. (Last one)

grumpy old man

Removing the 10% tax band and spinning it as a tax cut. Saying "I have nothing but admiration for our troops - who have recieved nothing but words from him for 10 years

David Lindsay

Anan, BWD was there. There are pictures. Only one party was in government, and that is what matters.

Max Kaye

Brown is generous with his faults. An exhaustive list would stretch back a decade.

Dave Bartlett

Centralising responsibility for flood defence, then starving it of funds required for regular maintenance despite met office warnings of extreme rainfall being likely.

James B

The Generals criticizing defense policy. The blatant robbery of Tory policy on IHT and equal pay caused quite a stir I remember...it did much to create the impression Brown was a "Follower" not a Leader.

"Dunfermline Labour Loss"

And this list is all before the housing market kicks up 10 percent of negative equity next year - now that really IS an election loser.

Dave Bartlett

The revelation that the Scottish elections SNAFU was caused by Labour ministers making decisions based on party political interest.

Paul

Long term. Browns pension shambles. He needs brought to account for his nigh on criminal abuse of our pensions, which has led to virtually everyone outside of the public sector to have their final salary scheme withdrawn.

Dave Bartlett

Suggestions that Mr Brown's conference speech was plagiarised.

Labour ministers only being allowed 5m ish at their conference.

Jono

"Only one party was in government, and that is what matters." - David Lindsay. You said it mate. And it's as true today as it ever was. Another fine Broon mess: filthy (fatal) hospitals and the "deep clean" promise/lie.

The Secret Person

Pushing ahead with ID cards and database despite the clear inability to protect private data.

The Secret Person

Failing to deal with the constitutional problems of devolution by ignoring the democratic rights of the English to self-government and hoping it'll go away.

Paul

Child Tax credits.In fact, Brown is that mythical emporer with his shining new suit. Be the child Fraser please, that points out hes naked after all

Matthew Lloyd

"British Jobs for British Workers"

Paul

Oh yet another. The sale of our Gold, when the price was at a low.Good one that Brownie.

Dave Bartlett

'British jobs for british workers'

a. illegal under EU law.
b. a BNP slogan.

Nicholas Millman

David Lindsay - I think you are literally on the wrong page, old son. Banging on about Black Wednesday and David Cameron's alleged involvement is a bit tenuous in the context of the current Nu Labor shambles! One of Labour's (new and old) favourite knee-jerks in the face of criticism is to point the finger at the previous government (or any other scapegoat). In this case the really laughable thing is that Labour were the "previous government". Perhaps you should find a website devoted to the history of the Labour Movement or some other Leftie virtual bunker to lurk in? The majority here, as in the country, can see through the lurching rabble masquerading as a government. The game is up. In the words of Monty Python the parrot is dead.

Tiberius

Withdrawing his own recently created 0% corp tax band for small companies when too many of them had the audacity to make use of it, alongside the demented transitional rule of charging 19% corp tax on dividends paid out of profits within the 0% band.

Mousecatcher

Not forgetting the 90+ patients who died because of clostridium difficile in hospital in Maidstone

Mousecatcher

One more - the 90+ patients who died because of clostridium difficile in hospital in Maidstone

Nick

Illegal foreign workers employed by the Home Office in security jobs, including guarding the PM's car.
Brown handing out copies of his own book (on, of all things, "courage"!) to Ugandan schoolchildren.

Dave P

... and the DEFRA debacle where payments to farmers turned into a complete shambles. Britain was fined by the EU (and that's another can of worms) which our dear beloved leader deducted from the farmer's payments.

Danielle

Ones you missed Fraser! Having to admit that they had misunderestimated the amount of foreign workers and upgrade the figure to 1.5million. Having to admit that 80% of all jobs created under new labour have gone to migrants. Having to admit 10,000 illegals have been given security clearance. And finally the despicable way in which Brown used our brave troops as propaganda when it was David Cameron's conference speech.

Oscar Miller

Crying out for Andrew Marr to give him a friendly interview on Yellow Saturday. Given the escalating number of black days this month, I think it should now be officially designated Black November.

Oscar Miller

Briefing against David Miliband to derail his speech on the EU.

Anan

Where did my second comment go!

Mark Ashworth

Can anyone explain the headline to me? It doesn't seem to make sense grammatically.

Mark Ashworth

Or is it a nickname you have for him? Sorry, this is my first experience of this publication.

Pierre de Boule

Turning up in France to watch ENGLAND in the rugby world cup!

Pierre de Boule

The classic is reducing unemployment by 2.5million to its lowest figure for however many years whilst hiding the fact that during the same period they have increased the number on claims by 2.5M!

David Lindsay

Nicholas Millman, there are too mnay people who believe (quite wrongly, because the Tories are committed to exactly the same levels of benefit spending and of public sector employment as at present) that their livelihoods depend on the continuation of a Labour Government for any of this to make any electoral difference whatever. And, to return to Black Wednesday, nobody is going to lose their job or their home because of any of this. But they did the last time that David Cameron was allowed near the running of anything.

Marquee Mark

Having Neil Kinnock pipe up that the intention of this Government was to "grind the Tory bastards into the dust"

Ian C

Going to Granita for that meeting with TB!

Ian C

Appointing a sidekick called 'Darling'!

Madasafish

David Lindsay said "nobody is going to lose their job or their home because of any of this" hmm.. And what has happened to Mr Watts Secretary general of the LABOUR Party who has been acting illegally. He has lost his job. I agree many of the illegal immigrants are still working as security guards and have not lost their jobs because of Gov't incompetence. Please keep up!

Ray

Over-promoting his favourite crony - Ed Balls.

Robin Parr

Hiring an extra 900,000 Civil servants.Salaries and Pensions we all have to pay for.

Paul

David Lindsay More people have lost their pensions under Brown than under the criminal actions of the Labour MP Bob Maxwell. That alone will impact on the homes & lifestyles of countless millions. People die daily in hospitals infected with MRSA and god knows what else, because of the incompetence of this New Labour administration, of which Brown is the leader and chief policy maker. People will be losing their houses & lifetime savings because of the incompetence of NL`s and Browns dilly dallying in the financial markets during the NR fiasco. Squaddies lose their life's almost daily because of under funding and a criminal lack of essential equipment. Yes White Wednesday was not a good day for our Norm or Jim but it was a very good day for old Brownie, in fact he dined off it for years and continues to do so. Especially the superb systems put in place after by Kennie Clark and old Eddie. Because of them this country has been able to have its longest period of expansion for which Brown deceitfully claims credit. Brown a genius ...Blair must have been on the old vino if he ever really thought that.

Jono

I would have thought that the Broon 'stability' and 'prudence' myth is now well and truly exploded. The Tories, having instigated a spectacular economic recovery after Black Wednesday, caused by the EXTERNAL debacle of the ERM's unhinging, should now reclaim from the nulab lie machine what is rightfully theirs: full credit for the country's overall economic recovery - which is still nigh on miraculous after the horrors of the Labour late Seventies. Labour today has run out of spin - the truth will out - and Brown has emerged as the strangest of mythical creatures: a cross between a magpie, a cuckoo and a dodo - covered all over in red and yellow feathers.

Anan

David Lindsay, by your own comment "it's who's in power that matters", it is this Labour government that is at fault for the calamities and utter incompetence we've seen in the last few days. Blaming Dave C for black Wednesday is stupid and quite frankly, irrelevant. The discussion here is about this government, and your standard Labour spiel is pathetic. Take your comments to a Labour fansite!

Mark Ashworth

Looks like you have corrected things. One needs to check one's own house is in order before expressing opinions. I'll stick to the Grauniad.

Frank Leader

Brown blamed Cameron for Black Wednesday. Labour at that time supported the Conservative policy. The Tories did not and would not have filched £150 billion pounds from the Private Pensions Funds. Brown has, Mr Bean was a bumbling harmless person. Brown is not.

Oscar Miller

A key omen of things to come was the 'tax cutting' budget stunt in April which turned out to be a tax rise from 10 to 20% for the lowest paid. Typically it was all designed for the look on the faces of the Tory front bench - there was no vision, no strategy and no compassion for people on low incomes. And it fell apart as soon as it was analysed. Rather like Brown himself.

Martin Cox

The uselessness of the couterproductive FSA, which established three-way buck-passing between itself, the Treasury and the BofE. Northern Rock was not its first foul-up. Eqitable Life annuitants bear witness through a 50% loss of income to its neglect of its prime regulatory purpose.

Anthony Bainbridge

What worries me most about all this is not the sheer incompetence of the current incumbents, but the assumption that an incoming Tory government, which would be dominated by untried new arrivals since 1997, would know how to undo the damage without creating more of their own. Agreed you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs; but usually he chef has done it all before and knows that the sound of breaking eggshells is worth the price.