Darling speaks his mind

Philip1st of here

Although he is hardly ever mentioned, I think Darling is in a very strong position to replace Brown if there is achange in Autumn / Winter.

Better than Balls (as are all others).
More substansial than Johnson. Milliband isn't a serious contender anymore, is he?
Less divisive than Harman.

rmh

He is actually saying Brown made him do it, not that it was a required element of budgetary need.

I like him.

JHill

In all conscience how can this man stay in office if he makes statements like that in respect of the 50% tax rate? He seems to be admitting that he is nothing more than Brown's puppet. Shame on him.

mitch

Of all the people to cut brown down to size, who would have thought it would be his darling Alistair.
It amuses me greatly that he who lived in the Treasury shall die by the Treasury.

seb2

I think you read this totally wrong. Labour will fight the next election saying that they will first protect spending and then aim to bring taxes down when they can.

Cameron will either have to expose this as "dishonest" in which case he has to fess up to tax rises and spending cuts, or he has to keep quiet, say something similar and then break his promises when in power.

RW

Could Darling be preparing the ground for a leadership bid?

No, surely not...

teledu

The only issue that should concern Coffee House contributors about the conference season should be:- will David Cameron acknowledge that Britain deserves to have a referendum on the Lisbon Constitution even if it has been ratified before the next election?
New Labour is (we hope) stuffed. Cameron and his party must acknowledge that our membership of the EU is based not on the wishes of the people but on the wishes of lying, disingenious, politicians (of both main parties).It really doesn't matter two hoots what their other policies are; if Cameron doesn't believe in being honest about our relationship with the EU, then he's no better than Brown, Mandelson etc.
We have been denied a voice for too long. Why should MPs want to put Britain's relationship with the EUssr beyond the say of the electorate?
Cowardice? Dishonesty?
We want a party that has the courage to ask the people.

EH

I think you're wrong - I think it can be read in a sort of "I didn't want to do it but I had to because of the state of the economy" way, not "Brown made me do it".

TomTom

Raising the top rate is something I didn’t want to do.'"

Can be read in several ways - Necessity not Brown made him do it, for example

Jim

Playing with the tax rates really isn't going to achieve much at this point. Until we get a politician who stands up and says we aren't competitive anymore, we can't afford this welfare state we've created for you, then don't bother to take them seriously.

john miller

At this rate, he'll need to ask Hamperson if he can borrow her flak jacket.

Steve

Is Darling wooing the Tories for a prominant job if he crosses the floor?

Pete Hoskin

EH, TomTom et al: yes, but as Brogan's "In anothe departure from Mr Brown..." lead-in suggests, this is still off message from Darling. After all, the Dear Leader is saying that one way he'll lower the debt burden is to raise taxes for "those who can afford it," while the Tories want to "cut taxes for the few". Darling's statement undermines that.

Also, it's noteworthy that Darling doesn't seem to qualify the remark, despite the fact that it can be taken more than one way.

Victor NW Kent

Alistair Darling appears to be the best of those remaining in the Cabinet. He has a poor hand to play but does it intelligently and with some decency of style. He is very Major-ish.

Many of the others are really quite loathsome.

Andy

I wouldn't hold your breath about a coup during conference season; they're all too spineless and lack the competence. The abiding impression left by the Labour benches is that they couldn't organise a chook raffle at a country fair, let alone a putsch.

Chuck Unsworth

It's not what he says that counts - it what he does. So far he's capitulated to Brown. And there's no chance of him doing anything before the General Election - so he can talk to his heart's content.

David Parker

Victor NW Kent,
Major's arrogance and intransigence over Maastricht was the main reason why we have suffered twelve years of Labour misrule. Whilst I accept that Alistair Darling was handed a poison chalice any similarity to Major is certainly not in his favour.

Alex

Steve

Even if he did cross the floor, (which he won't) he isn't doesn't have anywhere near enough qualities to be in a Tory cabinet spot.

ade

Labours John Major? Stranger things have happened

hadrian

Raising top rates of tax constitutes downright State theft on a brazen scale, nothing less. It certainly won't help but will most definitely hinder. Darling, I agree, is a 'Major' type figure who could just if elected on time to replace his current boss pull off a spectacular victory from the jaws of defeat. So far as I can see he's about the only one- which is why he'd fail in the end. There are just too many has beens and lost credibility types aurrounding Broon, not to mention all those undemocratically at the heart of Government. What hypocrites, the lot of them!

davidke

He can be very candid. in a radio interview in the NE this year he was frank about one of the mistakes of the new labour project: not building a whole rack of nuclear power plants. he is alone in saying mea culpa. DC should invite him to be chancellor.

David Cameron

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrPudge18#play/all/uploads-all/0/DYQGcQIADfo

Scot Richards

One month ago Darling was the clown who wrecked the economy. Today he's 'the voice of reason in the cabinet'.

Something's up. Once a glove-puppet always a glove-puppet. Just why are the press swinging behind him now?

Daveyone

Go now Mr. Brown and take your legacy with you!
Gordon Brown has not been elected as Prime Minister he was not even voted for as Labour leader by his party, he did not put a Labour candidate up against David Davis last year so how can someone with such a disregard for democracy have any further ligitamacy in office?
In addition to the financial mistakes this guy, who spent 10 years at the top of the treasury, has left us with he has also brought words into our vocabluary such as Starlinist Brown, Orwellian and Soviet Britain so he has well passed his sell by date and needs to go to the country TODAY!

Charlie

Darling is the least worse option for the country. If Balls was Chancel imagine how much the debt would increase