Brown kicks off 2010 with dividing lines aplenty

Sally Chatterjee

Prosperity? This is like Bomber Harris calling for policies on town planning and house building.

I don't get how he can even pretend to offer prosperity and jobs when he's an architect of the longest and deepest recession in living memory.

I don't even admire his chutzpah because he doesn't seem bold. Sadly he appears disconnected from the real world and lulled into believing the select communications that infiltrate his bunker.

steve

Having read Gordon Brown's address, I am now seriously thinking of having my house renovated by adding a roman style vomitorium in place of the conservatory which stands in the back garden, as I think I am going to need it over the next few months.

Rob

The only dividing line that counts is that Labour has spent everything, borrowed as much as it can and spent that and ruined our country with political correctness, immigration, corruption of institutions. It has always been thus. Whilst the Tories will have to cut, create unemployment, reduce taxes on the rich so that they create wealth and leave much of the political correctness in place because it does not want to alienate the chattering classes leaving the way open for Labour to return claiming wicked Tories, favouring the rich, etc, etc. It was always thus.

It will only change when the Tories, if they get in makes the curing of political correctness in all its guises a priority with market based reforms, privatisation, delegation, break up of the BBC, independence for universities, enforcement of the law and to take these things as far as possible.

Gil

Er...isn't Brown alluding to the Tories turfing him out if he believes that the majority want change?

Ghengis

YES!-- We desire above else we him out of England, back to his own country, and permanently out of our affairs.

Prodicus

If only I could watch! Unfortunately I'm clearing out my sock drawer tonight.

Nick

After a fall in economic output of 6% of GDP over the last 18 months, the largest and longest collapse since the Great Depression, it is inevitable that the economy will bounce back. Economies don't keep falling for ever, especially as the rest of the world seems to be in recovery mode already.

What is outrageous though is that Brown thinks he can claim credit for steering the country through the economic downturn.

You can guarantee though that the BBC and MSM will report favorably all the positive economic numbers and repeat the Labour Party claim that this recovery is solely down to Brown & Darling's policies and that the Tories would have made things worse.

And we won't hear a bleat from the Tories refuting these claims.

David Ossitt

“In my life, I have learnt that there are only really two kinds of people. Those who think things can never change, and those who believe they have to”

“And I think the vast majority of British people are in the second camp”

The first sensible thing that this fool has said all year; the problem, is that he will not see the irony in his own words.

GoodbyeGordon

I am all for change starting with the removal of that thoroughly dishonest, bullying, arrogant coward who currently occupies 10 Downing street. He can also take his coterie of slime with him (Yes Ed, I mean you and your loathsome, condescending wife). Merry Christmas and a Happy 'Brown Free' year to all Coffee House readers!

Nicholas

The best thing to look forward to in 2010 is the opportunity to prise this egotistical buffoon's clunking fists off the levers of power, together with the other beyond parody misfits in his cabinet of completely no talent.

That is the thing to look forward to - that is the change required.

David Howell

Who cares?

The mans an embarrassment to even his own party.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

I thought we were talking about January 1st, not April 1st. Pleeeze!

Gawain

David Howell has it right. Who cares ?

This man is now a global embarrassment. The Chinese aren't listening and the Iranians are threatening us with a smack in the mouth. With every day he remains in power he does further damage to the country and all its citizens.

Alex Smith

There's going to be a backlash to this.

Here's a beginning:

http://www.labourlist.org/unifying-lines-case-for-labour-in-2010-should-be-about-justice-c

2trueblue

Someone should tell Brown that the pills are not working, we simply can't see it.

I would like a re-run of a panaroma program showing Brown/Balls/Whelan laughing their heads off having pulled a fast one on the BofE just after Labour got in. It would show those who have any doubts about these people the truth.

SimonJ

Brown is a legend in his own mind.
He truely believes he is a blessing on the British people and we should thank him for his leadership. Fair play to the guy, he has engineered the biggest financial mismanagement of the country in our history.
That is some legacy. And he won't even go to jail for it.

Percy

Will Brown's attack on the 'privaledged few' include fat Eddy and the vile Yvette, who must be costing the taxpayer about half a million quid a year in salaries and expenses, I think it should.

dimples

All that goodbye Gordon said x 2.
This Scots nut-job really seems to believe the Balls he talks.
The men in white coats should be observing this idiots behaviour.

Graham Clark

!Aww. Bless!" I know a nice little place in the country, with nice rubber rooms, nice Nurses in long white coats and nice comfortable gurneys to move patients...oops, I meant 'holiday makers' around the estate.....

RMH

If the British People vote for him, then they deserve whatever financial wrath they incur.

TrevorsDen

How does Brown seriously plan to go in to the next election claiming to be the Champion of the Middle Classes when he has refused to index the 40% tax allowance?

The allowance starts at £37,400. For those who are interested you may like to know that a health visitor specialist, or a midwife higher level, or an advanced nurse, or a nurse team manager or ward sister - are on salary scales of £29,789 to £39,273.

I suspect a head of dept in a comprehensive would be lumbered in the same way.

Dan

David Howell has it spot on. Does anybody listen to the lunatic, twisted, tragic figure that is Gordon Brown? I'm still not convinced he'll be conesting the election - Mandelson's silence in recent weeks has been particularly sinister.

Let's hope Brown does hang on, because he really is the Tories best friend. Four months and about a week until this despicable man is unceremoniously turfed out of Downing Street. I've been waiting a long time for this and so, I suspect, have millions more.

Al

Why should anyone listen to Brown when he lies incessantly.

Is Afghanistan a threat? Is global warming real? Given labour lies on everything else - who knows?

We need integrity in government - NOT Labour deceipt and lies.

EyeSee

Regarding the last part of the article I think Brown has hit the nail with his head there. People do want change when what they've got is beginning to look a little shot. And he is right to suggest that the Tories might not be good at running the country to get it back on its feet. However, we KNOW that Brown is crap. We know who got us into the mess and who is continually lying to us. He still governs like he's the opposition.

Dorothy Wilson

Brown has an article in today's edition of the Nottingham Evening Post [www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/columnists - just below Sven]. It is along similar lines.

Brown's spin machine seems to be targeting the Evening Post and local TV, presumably because Labour believes some of the seats around the City centre are marginal. However, it is disappointing that the Conservatives counter-attack seems to be somewhat muted. If anyone here knows any of the candidates for Nottm seats give them a kick up the backside and tell them to start to develop contacts with their local press - and to get writing.

Marcher Baron

Well, for once I agree with El Gordo - the GBP (Great British Public) do believe in change. Anything other than this vast, bloated, wasteful, incompetent, sleazy, class-war ridden, anti-aspirational, Labour government would definitely be a change for the better!

charles hercock

Goodbye Gordon has it just about right.But not now.Stay please Gordon to lead your troops into the election and to emphasise the absolute necessity to clear the whole lot of the miserable shower out

Holly ......

Now he is telling US not to wreck the recovery.
He's a blooming star.
Only weeks to go now.
I'm full of snot at the moment.(sorry)
I don't feel ill, just losing vast amounts of brain juice.Yes my nostrils are glowing red and the softest tissues feel like crepe paper.One more day to work then a nice long weekend off.
Happppy New Year to you all.
Cheers!!!
Love Holly
xxx

Publius

The Prime Minister says:
"Those who think things can never change, and those who believe they have to"

-- Those who think water does not run up hill and those who believe it has to.

-- Those who think 2 plus 2 does not equal 7, and those who think it has to.

-- Alas, Mr Brown, reality sometimes intrudes, even into the Bunker. As Horace says, Naturam furca expelles, tamen usque recurret.

Chuck Unsworth

Dividing lines? No. Brown spends almost all of his time imparting to us what he thinks the Tories 'would do'. He spends no time at all on the more important - and telling - matter of what he 'has done'.

Brown has already laid waste any credibility he may have had as a soothsayer. His powers of fortelling the future (and remembering the past) are non-existent. He is a maelevolent goldfish.

Never mind what 'might' happen, let's take a very close look at what 'has' happened.

Woody

I won't be watching, as I will be 'pulling my fingernails out'.

No doubt the BBC will spin this to death in favour of Labour.

No change there then!

We need a general election asap.

Naomi Muse

It doesn't matter what he says as he'll always say what he likes.

His most henous crime was to sell the gold, and when I asked him a direct question on that his stock answer came out, 'It was a good decision.' when it most patently obviously was not. He is no more than puff and wind and therefore very dangerous.

I shall not watch him. He would need to work very hard and put a lot right for me to pay him any respect.

anyfool

as you get neare to the election you will find that this fool will get a better press as most of the media "lets try to be on the winning side no matter the cost"are just as craven as the voters. he will also be helped by the likes of heffer and co who believe pure conservative policy is the only way. ukip and others will also do damage. but if they did but realize if you had a massive tory majority you would all get some of your wishes granted. a majority of whom will be eurosceptic, want lower immigration and smaller government. if they dont get it will probably turf out cameron who might even suprise himself and develope a spine when he becomes PM

daniel maris

All he has to do is keep flashing that queasy mortician's smile of his and we'll see the Tories romping home with a majority of 200.

St Bruno

Nice to see and hear our President give his address to the population of The Republic of Britainstan within the Greater Union of Eurostan.

Austin Barry

Brown, a corpse emitting residual wind from his gibbet above a blasted plain.

Mitch

Im still waiting for his "vision" 2yrs and counting.

Minnie Ovens

There is a very good reason why intellectual sociopaths are placed in ivory towers.