Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into Harriet
James Forsyth 3:01pm
Over at The Three Line Whip, Andrew Porter notes how Gordon Brown distanced himself at PMQs from Harriet Harman’s disgraceful praise for the former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Porter reports that her comments about Castro are not the only thing that Harman has said recently that have irritated Number 10. Indeed, if she was not effectively un-sackable one would begin to wonder about her position.
I have a pet theory that many of Brown’s problems can be traced back to Harman’s election as deputy leader. If Alan Johnson had got the job, there would have been someone in the Cabinet who would have had license to stand up to Brown and to throw cold water on Ed Balls and Douglas Alexander as they got over excited about the prospect of an early election.
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Kevyn Bodman
February 27th, 2008 3:54pm Report this commentWhoever won the deputy leadership would have had licence to stand up to Brown and to throw cold water on Balls and Alexander. Harman has that right if she thinks it worthwhile to do so. What you are saying is that Harman hasn't got the courage to do it but Johnson would have. Why do you think that? Johnson's still in the Cabinet; he still gets to speak at Cabinet metings, he still gets to talk to Brown as a high-rankng colleague. He wouldn't have been any different or better. And Brown is failing because of his own judgements, not those of his advisers.
Nicholas
February 27th, 2008 5:16pm Report this commentHarriet Harmon represents the very worst combination of extreme socialist idealism and stealth totalitarianism within a very narrow and prejudiced focus. As Deputy Leader she personifies the New Labour threat to historic English liberty and Brown has done nothing directly to distance himself from this charge. This is a mistake on his part because it has allowed Old Labour bogeymen to leap from behind the curtains of the New Labour stage.
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