Watch your back, Darling
James Forsyth 6:27pm
The whispering campaign against Alistair Darling just went public. The Sunday Times carries an article today that is packed with devastating quotes from government insiders, albeit anonymous ones. We are told by an MP close to Number 10 that Brown’s team are openly considering moving Darling out of Number 11 in a reshuffle while a Treasury Civil Servant bemoans that Ed Balls is not in charge and claims that there wouldn’t be any of these problems if he was. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out who might be hoping from this briefing against Darling.
Yet, as Iain Martin points out at Three Line Whip, this is a dangerous game. First, losing a Chancellor is no small matter for a Prime Minister. If Brown was to get rid of Darling this side of an election it would call into question his judgement in appointing him in the first place. It would also be an admission that the economy is not—as the Brownites so often claim—perfectly positioned to deal with an economic downturn. Second, the Parliamentary Labour Party would not take kindly to seeing someone who must carry a large amount of the blame for the fiasco of the cancelled election getting promoted. Balls is also an appalling Commons and media performer, Michael Gove runs rings round him in the Chamber. Finally, we do not know how Darling would react to being jettisoned. He has been a loyal Brownite for many years but being used in this manner might cause even his patience to snap. Iain Martin is right that the prospect of Darling telling all about life with Brown should alarm the Brownites. Indeed, just remember what the consequences were the last time a loyalist but over promoted Chancellor was removed from his post. Mr Brown is “in office but not in power” anyone?
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salieri
February 10th, 2008 8:01pm Report this commentThere is an obvious post just waiting to be created for Wendy Darling: MfF (Minister for Fingernails). And after that, we can reasonably expect the Ministry of Balls. Both of them (as with education, employment and culure) will of course denote the exact opposite of the title.
Dangermoose
February 10th, 2008 8:04pm Report this commentGordon Brown is a bottler. This would be a tough decision. Therefore it won't happen.
Chuck Unsworth
February 10th, 2008 8:40pm Report this commentI'd guess that Darling wont's get the push until Branson has taken over Northern Rock. At that point Darling will have outlived his usefulness.
Ciaran Austin
February 10th, 2008 9:16pm Report this commentDo you really still believe anonymous quotes in Sunday papers? I thought that sort of naivety went out of fashion about 20 years ago.
Faceless Bureaucrat
February 10th, 2008 9:19pm Report this commentA Treasury under Ed Balls? - be afraid, be very afreaid....
Austin Barry
February 10th, 2008 10:20pm Report this commentI've always thought that Balls controls Brown rather than vice-versa. Brown is weak, dithering and neurotic. Balls is Iago-like, determined and ruthless. Darling will be sacrificed on the altar of Balls ambition and so, surely and ultimately, will Gordon.
Oscar Miller
February 11th, 2008 9:17am Report this commentI agree with Austin Barry. One of the reasons Brown can't speak for himself (e.g. PMQs and dire interviews) is because for years Balls has been writing Brown's speeches for him. In fact a Balls speech sounds so like Brown the two are hard to distinguish. BTW the idea of hearing Brown "think out loud" (according to the post about revamping Brown's image) is hysterical. It's a toss up which smoke screen that passes for thought is the more opaque - Brown or Williams. This strategy will boomerang - like so many others.
Mike
February 11th, 2008 9:32am Report this commentSo Jonathan Oliver and Maurice Chittenden have been talking to Ed Balls and unsurprisingly "A senior Treasury civil servant said: “If Ed had been in charge over the past few months we would not have had nearly the problems we now have.”" Or rather Ed said that "If Ed had been in charge.....". Ed Balls is one of the most overrated politicians in Parliament. He simply can't cut debate or media appearances. There is zero chance that Brown will ditch Darling both because he's a ditherer and wouldn't have the bottle to take such decisive action and Darling is a human shield between Brown and Northern Wreck
Nicholas Millman
February 11th, 2008 10:08am Report this commentIt's in the nature of plotters to plot so it was inevitable that this cabinet of plotters would eventually implode. So much easier to plot against and subvert those in charge than to actually take charge - as Brown and his acolytes are discovering.
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