The dangers of the government's "mic-strike"
James Forsyth 6:11pm
Jackie Ashley complains in her column today about Labour misters going on ‘mic-strike’ saying that it will lead to Labour being beaten so badly that it might not be able to come back. Ashley is speaking for a lot of people in the Labour party, one hears frequent complaints these days about Minister who are prepared to pick up the cheque each month but not to put in the hard yards.
The consequences of ‘mic-strike’ were evident this morning. William Hague was on the Today Programme talking about the latest revelations concerning the government’s relations with the Gaddafi regime but no Foreign Office minister was prepared to do a response. So, Ed Balls—who was on to do an interview about academies—had to answer the questions on Libya. Balls, who is obviously less familiar with the detailed line to take on this than his ministerial colleagues at the Foreign Office, put his foot in it by saying that “None of us wanted to see the release of al-Megrahi”; a position that effectively contradicted Miliband’s admission last week that the government “did not want him [Megrahi] to die in prison”. Notably, the PM’s spokesman refused to endorse Balls’s position at the Lobby briefing this morning. So, Labour has had a few more bad headlines today all because no Foreign Office minister was prepared to brave The Today Programme.
It should also be said that ministers staying away from the microphones when there is a tricky story to be dealt with is a sign of Number 10’s diminishing authority. In the old days, it would have been to able to order any minister onto any show.
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barnacle bill
September 7th, 2009 6:39pm Report this commentHang on a minute we are all led to believe that Blink is Broon's heir apparent, thick as thieves etc ...
So surely what Blinky said was only an echo of his master's voice?
George Laird
September 7th, 2009 6:47pm Report this commentDear All
Sliver lining?
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
mac
September 7th, 2009 7:03pm Report this commentBalls knows it all, of course: Treasury, Education, strategic planning (with those estimable chums - Watson, McBride, Draper and Maguire) and now the FCO brief too.
One can imagine that in consequence his cabinet colleagues share a warm glow towards his party leadership aspirations . . .
oldtimer
September 7th, 2009 7:27pm Report this commentNot knowing whether they are supposed to sit on arse or elbow this morning is yet another manifestation of their bungling incompetence.
Each time, when one of these cock-ups occurs, I think they cannot get any worse. Yet they do.
roger
September 7th, 2009 7:28pm Report this commentMrs Marr and her husband must be devastated at the decline in their Party.
Battle 2807
September 7th, 2009 8:21pm Report this commentYes, roger, and the rest of the country is devastated at the decline of our country (through no fault of our own).
Thank you nu-liebour.
Moraymint
September 7th, 2009 8:45pm Report this commentThe leader of an organisation is the custodian of the culture - the norms, values and beliefs - of that organisation.
Gordon Brown values and believes in going to ground whenever the muck and bullets start flying; therefore, so do his men.
And Brown has the audacity to write books and drone on about courage. What does he know?
Show me just one British infantryman ahead of the 100 or so ministers supposedly "running" the country, and I'll show you courage.
Government ministers fearing to speak to journalists tells me that that we're not being governed.
Boudicca
September 7th, 2009 9:16pm Report this commentHaving listened to Miliplonker on Channel 4 news:
a) trying to explain that Ed Balls' comments on the Today programme weren't completely at odds with the statements made about Megrahi last week; and
b) the U-turn on the Government helping IRA victims claim compensation from Gadaffi had nothing whatsoever to do with the newspaper reports yesterday (apparently we're supposed to believe that Gordon Brown had ALWAYS intended helping them)
it would probably be better if they did avoid the microphone completely. They show nothing but contempt for the electorate and the lies are getting more embarrassingly transparent by the day.
Tankus
September 7th, 2009 11:19pm Report this commentIts a lack of quality in the cabinet , with utterly no leadership giving guidance.
Might as well screw it for every penny and jump ship into pre paid directorships in nine months .
Hysteria
September 8th, 2009 3:39am Report this commentwell said Moraymint - except i woudl increase your number from 100 to 642 (or whatever the number is for MPs)
The sort of raw courage shown by our infantry and other arms today is truly humbling.
Holly
September 8th, 2009 10:50am Report this commentIt is a joy to know that the shovel expenses have not gone to waste. Shares in shovel companies must be sky hogh with all th digging this shower get through in a week.Brown takes about seven days to clamber out of his hole, with his 'digging crew' not far behind him, only to say something that chucks him STRAIGHT BACK IN HIS HOLE!!!
CLASSIC.Eric Sykes eat your heart out.
PauL
September 8th, 2009 11:28am Report this comment"Labour misters going on ‘mic-strike’ ... will lead to Labour being beaten so badly that it might not be able to come back."
Err.. Hello there inside the Bubble. Labour will not be able to come back because of the way it has reduced our country into a shambolic failure in every aspect of its being.
dorothy wilson
September 8th, 2009 12:21pm Report this commentI have just read Ashley's article. Her views on what a Conservative Government would like are twaddle. Disgraceful and biased twaddle but twaddle all the same.
However, it is her warning to Labour MPs that it will be cold in the big, wide world that is really telling. She is implying they will find it difficult to find a job once the shelter of the quango gravy train is removed. In other words, they are unemployable in the real world. Yet she thinks they should be running the country. That just about says it all.
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