While the cat's away, the mice will undermine his authority
Peter Hoskin 2:57pm
So the Times reveals something we all half-knew already: that Alistair Darling dug his heels in when there was talk of him being ousted from the Treasury during the last reshuffle. Here's the lowdown:
"Alistair Darling remained as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the June reshuffle after telling Gordon Brown that he would leave the Government rather than move to another job, The Times has learnt.The Chancellor, who is in charge of the Government this week while Mr Brown is on holiday, told him that as the Prime Minister he had every right to put whoever he wanted into the Treasury. But his insistence that he would not take another role left Mr Brown powerless to move him."
The joy of this story is its timing; with Darling only a couple of days into his stint at running the country. But it's also a reminder - if one were necessary - of how weak Brown's position is. Every one of the stand-in premiers has, intentionally or not, brought something to the table which undermines his authority. Harman had her blatant leadership positioning. Mandelson's week in charge has widely been reviewed as Labour's Best Week For Ages, and ended with more speculation about him becoming Labour leader. And, now, Darling's turn begins with a reminder of the dark days of June. Hm, let's see what Jack Straw has lined up for next week...
Previous
Sally Chatterjee
August 17th, 2009 3:33pm Report this commentHurrah for Darling. If he didn't stand up to Brown, we'd have Ed Balls as Chancellor!
Malcolm
August 17th, 2009 3:42pm Report this comment...and McBust flatly denied any such thing at his subsequent press conference.
Come on then, who's lying? Hands up! Someone's telling porkies. Own up or the whole class stays behind afterwards.
Verity
August 17th, 2009 3:55pm Report this commentIs this serious? Are they really running the country by taking weekly turns? Mandelson hasn't even been elected by anyone and he was running Britain? Now Darling's doing his week-long shift as a means of saving his job?
I cannot believe that the British Government has sunk to this. It takes the breath away.
Stepney
August 17th, 2009 4:41pm Report this commentWell let's face it, we had a part-time Defence Secretary at a time when we were fighting two wars so what's the problem with a time share premiership?
When can I have my week?
Alan Phillips
August 17th, 2009 4:49pm Report this commentI thought Meddlesomes best bit was saying that Bruin would welcome a debate with Cam, or was I dreaming?
Hanglemez Pallaccini
August 17th, 2009 4:54pm Report this commentSorry but isn't this an old story re-hashed? Wasn't this well recorded at the time? I seem to remember reading about it everywhere back then...
The more interesting story is the Downing Street operation over the summer weeks: Harmen, Mandelson, Darling and Straw. Each Sunday we get a "significant" announcement from them and a flurry of newspaper interviews from each of them. (No doubt next Sunday we'll see Straw announce something to do with prisons or something. Give the impression that they're still in charge etc...
Why?? No one cares.
Verity
August 17th, 2009 5:02pm Report this commentThe "cat" in your headline being McCavity presumably?
Diana
August 17th, 2009 5:25pm Report this commentLabour's Best Week for Ages??? with Mandelson???
Wasn't that when unemployment soared, our European competitors went out of recession, and we didn't, and how many soldiers were killed in Afghanistan? P u l ease...
Mandelson spins to the hacks ever so charmingly, but it cuts no mustard with the rest of us.
Simon Stephenson
August 17th, 2009 5:29pm Report this commentVerity : 3.55pm
"Is this serious? Are they really running the country by taking weekly turns?"
No, of course it isn't. It's the latest bit of fabricated tittle-tattle put out to draw the attention of the masses without actually being of any substance or importance.
It's a bit paranoid, if you ask me. The masses never show any genuine interest in current affairs other than that which directly affects themselves or their micro-group - quite the opposite, in fact. So why the governments agenda setters feel the need to spoon-feed them with balderdash I don't know - they'll find it easily enough without help from on high. It's not as though, if left to their own devices, there's a danger of them stumbling into something that embarrasses the government. So why bother?
Battle 2807
August 17th, 2009 5:31pm Report this commentMuch as I am delighted the Mc Doom is away from our sight, this is getting ridiculous! This week Darling, next week Jack Straw.... whatever next??? Do they ALL get their buggins' turn?
Battle 2807
August 17th, 2009 5:34pm Report this commentPerhaps they are each trying on the premiership for size?
Luckily, I too am off on holiday tomorrow - so will miss all the shenanigans.
I am leaving sunny France for a week in Cornwall. Sailing. How did I ever let my family talk me into this????
Ian W
August 17th, 2009 5:36pm Report this commentI suppose we should be grateful that these people put most of their time and energy into plotting against each other, think how much worse things might get if they concentrated on governing the country.
logdon
August 17th, 2009 6:33pm Report this commentBest week? You jest? Have you seen the polls?
It may come as a shock, or maybe not after the hammering you guys got last week, but Mandelson is loathed outside the Westminster Village. By everyone.
All that happened was Lord Foy, the news navvie, shovelling out press release after press release and putting himself about the TV studios.
The media, suffering the slough of any tale of import, jumped.
The rest of us merely sighed.
Pete Hoskin
August 17th, 2009 6:38pm Report this commentlogdon: sorry to repeat the thrust of my comment to you yesterday, but...
"Mandelson's week in charge has widely been reviewed as Labour's Best Week For Ages"
...does not mean that I think it was a particularly good week for them. Nor does it mean that I'm big fan of Mandelson's. As I pointed out to you yesterday, my blog posts of the past week have largely been attacking his "viciousness" and ineffectiveness.
jon dee
August 17th, 2009 6:51pm Report this commentWhat criteria could the Labour stand-ins be judged on at the end of their week-long audition for prime minister?
So far the quality has been inferior to the width, despite Mandy's panto performance and Harriet's warring femfest, so Darling could yet wow the audience with his understated stand-up routine.
It's good entertainment, if nothing else.
jon dee
August 17th, 2009 7:50pm Report this commentBlast, rumour is that he's doing the Edinburgh fringe instead.
Can only think the money's better.
logdon
August 17th, 2009 7:53pm Report this commentPete Hoskin
August 17th, 2009 6:38pm
Apologies, Pete.
An irrisistable cheap shot after reading this - 'Labour isn't working David Blackburn 1:15pm'
JohnAnt
August 17th, 2009 8:42pm Report this commentAnd each of these splendid curators - Harman, Mandelson, Darling etc - is making his/her mark.
In much the same way that cats do.
Hysteria
August 17th, 2009 9:56pm Report this commentfor the umpty-bloody-umpth time
can we please stop talking about the the government "running the country" - it is not a cruise ship, or even a business....
If any more proof be needed look at the last few weeks - every week a new person "in charge" - to what effect?
Nothing - nada, zero, zilch -
Governments do not "run" countries - and I wish they would stop trying !!!!
Alan Douglas
August 18th, 2009 8:27am Report this comment"running the country"
It's a typo, should read :
"ruining the country"
Alan Douglas
logdon
August 18th, 2009 8:50am Report this commentLittlejohn on Mandy......
I'd be interested to see the number of comments on his page by days end.
Like mini polls or a mass focus group, comment is now part of the fabric of online news and opinion reading.
OK the response may be swift and often ill thought out but what a snapshot of public opinion?
Screaming Lord Mandy's nauseating flying circus
By Richard Littlejohn
Last updated at 1:53 AM on 18th August 2009
The most odious man in politics has been transformed into Westminster's answer to Stephen Fry. The boys in the bubble hang on his every word.
His sins are not only overlooked, but celebrated. He revisits the scene of his crimes, accompanied by a slavering posse of press dupes.
Screaming Lord Mandelson makes jokes about his mortgage fraud. He flaunts his dubious associations with multi-millionaires, for whom he does favours.
After luxuriating on a yacht owned by financier Nat Rothschild, he leaps to the defence of hedge funds.
After immersing himself up to his scrawny neck in the hospitality of Tinseltown tycoon David Geffen, he announces a clampdown on internet video piracy.
He cosies up to Colonel Gaddafi's son in Corfu and the next thing you know the Lockerbie bomber is about to walk free.
While serving as a European trade commissioner, he accepts private flights and freebie holidays from a Russian aluminium baron and, purely coincidentally, lowers import tariffs on Russian aluminium.
After being brought back into government by Gordon Brown, he suppresses a report into Brown using taxpayers' money to bail out what we used to call British Leyland, just days before the 2005 General Election, in a cynical attempt to buy votes in key Midlands marginals.
He explains away his extravagant property dealings by claiming to have made a vast profit on his modest shareholding in a public relations company.
Even though these shares weren't sold until a year after he allegedly paid off his mortgage, his convenient fairy story is swallowed by credulous reporters.
They would no doubt have believed him if he'd said he'd received a postal order from a long-lost relative in Australia.
When he tells the most outrageous lies about the Tories, the BBC and Westminster's village idiots record it as if handed down on tablets of stone.
Yes, Lord Mandelson. Of course, Lord Mandelson. Three bags full, Lord Mandelson.
You're such a card, Lord Mandelson. His every movement is captured on camera, like Jim Carrey in The Truman Show. Film crews camp outside his house. He is pursued on trains by panting sycophants, hanging on his every word. His witless asides are greeted like pearls of genius from Dorothy Parker.
You couldn't switch on the TV last week without being confronted by his gurning, serpentine visage. Such was his ubiquity, I half expected him to turn up on Sky Sports, being asked his opinion on whether Liverpool should have been awarded a late penalty at The Lane.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1207265/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-Screaming-Lord-Mandys-nauseating-flying-circus.html#ixzz0OW5NXwJY
Back to top