With three days to go, Brown delivers his best speech of the campaign

ollie

Interesting that C4 News said the audience was "non-partisan", which was an absurd and highly misleading statement. This was one of the most pro-Labour audiences I've ever seen. The ovation for Brown BEFORE his speech kind of gave it away.

Doesn't matter one jot - Brown and Labour are finished.

TrevorsDen

So an essentially Inner London based, primarily immigrant composed body gives Brown a standing ovation.
They will have loved his bigot remark.
Did he invoke the old or new testament today?

He also got one speaking to the Democratic Party at prayer (the Kennedy clan) a couple of years back. He talked instantly forgettable garbage then as well.

Verity

God, the Left, and I include Cameron, of course, in that number, are stupid. "an ‘earned citizenship’ scheme for illegal immigrants". What should have happen to illegal immigrants - in other words, foreign criminals - is instant deportation.

Did these three morons not look at what happened in the US when they had an amnesty - the easy way out - for illegal immigrants?

It provided great comfort and incentive to those who had been thinking of going to the US to work illegally. The border is 3,000 miles long. You cannot have a man stationed every 25 yards ... So swarms more arrived in the confident expectation that their criminal status would be removed some time in the future when the stupid government decided to have a second amnesty.

Amnesty, "earned citizenship" (what a lefty phrase, intended to obfuscate the facts), rewards criminal behaviour ... that of breaching a country's immigration laws and working without the legal right to work.

I can understand Gordon Brown because he's a communist One Worlder, but how did the Conservatives ever sink so low as to have as Leader a man so greedy for power he will sign away the exclusive rights of the citizens of his country?

Chuck Unsworth

So Brown gives the best speech of his campaign? He's in front of a sympathetic audience and he's had thirteen years to get to this point. He damn well ought to be giving his best speech.

toco

Brown shouted plenty but to call his predictable bad mouthing anything other than scary is weird.He spoke like a drowning man not someone who was about to surface from the mire of his own creation.

Clunking Iron Arse

I find it staggering that there are still 2,500 people in the whole country who don't think that Brown & Co should be lynched for what they've done to this country.

Still, I suppose plenty of people do not want to face the reality of the situation which we are in and still think that socialism could work. Dumb f*ckers, who are just as dumb as those who will vote for Cameron on Thursday thinking that they'll get a new government with Conservative values.

stephen

Dave also did well on Sky tonight. it sounds as if the London debate was a bit like a Homebase -full of plants

Crawl crawl! IMHO Fraser did well after Dave on the Adam Bolton show. Polly T was out to lunch with talk of PR etc!

All agreed its going to be a "damn close thing" lets hope Dave has the equivalent of Blucher's cavalary waiting in le Foret des Soignes.

Verity

Re this "earned citizenship" for criminals who breached our immigration laws ... once you start paying the Danegeld, you never get rid of the Dane.

Marcher Baron

Anybody who thinks an amnesty for illegals is a good idea (are you listening, Boris?) should look at Spain's experience.

Frank P

Forgive me if I repeat what I posted some time ago on The Wall, but Mr Forsyth and I were obviously viewing Brown's 'performance' from another planet:

(6.13pm today Coffee House Wall)

We have just witnessed barnstorming insanity from the S.o.B, aka S.o.M (Son of the Manse) at Methodist Central Hall addressing a 'Citizens UK' gathering of nutters various, who were trying to squeeze electoral promises out of the increasingly psychotic ex-PM while he was in the stocks. I used to be sorry for the bears in bear-bating, but in his case, I'll make an exception. His replies must have filled sick buckets all over the country. This election campaign has now descended to Hogarthian depths of depravity. Please, please, whatever you do, on Thursday next - put him down! Release us from the ever-increasing seriousness of the national calamity. We can cope with the Cameroons in due course, surely? But this 13 year debacle must be ended, by any means necessary. I thought for one delicious moment that a raving looney with a stake was on the point of doing a Thomas-a-Beckett on the dais of the Methodistas Cathedral, but sadly the assailant was just an anti-'Newkiller' protester and got thrown out on his arse for objecting to Gordon's record. His sentiments were not surprising, given that the S.o.M used to be one of 'em!

Look guys, I was going to abstain because of the wetness of the Tory (?) campaign, but for the sake of Queen and Country we must rid ourselves of this turbulent one-eyed pest before he descends into gibbering, dribbling, moon-howling violent insanity; he's three parts of the way there. Is somebody guarding the nuclear button btw? He might just decide, if the polls start to get any worse, that it is his religious duty to nuke the feckin' lot of us for failing to see that he is carrying out God's will.

Even Cameron can't be worse than that. Come on folks - no tactical voting or half-assed 'lets give the LibDems or UKIP a go'. We're too far gone for fey experiments. Let's get the Tories back with a big majority to run the show again and get rid of these Marxist conspirators. Just imagine Mandelson's face when we do? That is spur enough - surely?

We can test Cameroon to breaking point when he gets to No.10. We might even make a man of him. You know it makes sense!

Short the UK

Cameron looks uber dynamic on telly right now. He looks buzzed up, vibrant and a total winner.

Brown looks half dead, Clegg like a school boy.

Come on Cam!!!!

TGF UKIP

Haven't I heard of Citizens UK very recently in a different context? Isn't this the gang of lefties that Dave has lined up to train his ACORN style "community organizers?

djw2009

Cameron embraces the living wage? This eejit should be getting the government out of social engineering.

Moraymint

Why do I retain this weird, masochistic desire to see the Labour Party prevail on Thursday, if only to see the United Kingdom descend into a kind of Mad Max arrangement ... at which point my fellow citizens might eventually twig that voting Labour was not such a brilliant idea after all.

Bearing in mind that here at Fort Moraymint we are suitably prepared for the aforesaid Mad Max outcome. You should see my new Barnett crossbow.

We live in interesting times.

PS In case anybody is wondering, my postal vote was cast in favour of the Conservative Party. Dave had better know what the hell is he doing; if not, the UK will be shredded by economic reality in the next few weeks, starting with the bond markets.

daniel maris

So it's confirmed: Labour and mass immigration go together like Marks and Spencer.

Polly Gamma

What Frank P said.

Etruscan

If Brown cannot win - and the press laid trap that was Bigotgate means he can't - we should all vote for a hung parliament. Cameron is already behaving as though he has won and we must stop him. Most real Tories can't stand the man, after all.

Nash

Great speech by Brown - made you wonder who the government had been for the past 13 years!

How can you respect an audience that had not figured out that Brown had the chance to deliver his promises but failed!

Tim Carpenter LPUK

Tough gig for anyone who was not some forced collectivist.

1. Agreeing to meet with the Citizens Assembly twice over a term

Oh, certainly, your EXCELLENCIES!

2. A living wage for workers

In return for what? Earning it? I doubt it. Lets rewrite: A subisdy regardless of value add.

3. a cap on interest rates at 20 percent

Add the term "legally". Watch how either we have the high risk forced underground to face even higher rates OR we have forced collectivisation of risk so those who work to gain cheaper rates are denied them to subsidise others against their will.

4. an ‘earned citizenship’ scheme for illegal immigrants

Someone fire the flare to signal the failboat flotilla full of unintended consequences.

5. an end to child detention in immigration centers

A cynical, disingenuous, bootstrapping plea. How many kids are in detention centres because people who have lost their case refuse to leave? Applications for assylum should be linked to an agreement to accept the decision and to declare and prove country of origin.

6. and community land trusts.

Define "community". I am all for reducing the undue advantage in land sales by vested interests and incumbents caused by legislation, but this term does not even pass the sniff test. Can someone correct me if I am wrong?

AndyinBrum

Etruscan you realise the only Person at fault for bigotgate was Brown? He asked fir the mic, he spoke the words, he has to deal with the consequences. Now grow up or fuck off.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Frank P has perfectly said all that needs to be said about the moronic Gordon Brown. No point in my adding my twopence about the Great Leader. The man, and I am being deadly serious is clinically insane, and should have been sectioned a long time ago. What I want to comment on is the worrying appearance of all three of the Three Stoodges. It seems they are all running not on adrenaline alone, but on drugs to speed them up and hype them before their audience. Very worrying, and makes one think it will all end in tears (Ours!)

mac

You say he has remarkable resilience (probably unsurpassed in british politics IMO) yet in the same breath you say he has been the worst prime minister in last 100 years. How can someone of your supposed writing and commenting caliber be so crass in saying that he is the worst when you are impressed by his resilience, which in itself is top of the list of PM requirements. Also, if you think of bad PMs, you forget John Major (awful man too) lover of Edwina Curry, Chamberlain, Heath, Callaghan, I can go on. I would say that history will show that PM Brown was the best and only choice for the UK during the ecinomic problems we have had and he will be known in world history as the leader of the world's fightback against the recession worldwide 2007-2010

Tiberius

With the greatest of respect, James, from what I saw on TV, Brown was ranting like Mr Schickelgrueber, who also kept going long after the inevitable was upon him.

A man with a balanced mind, on the other hand, accepts his fate and pops off to The Oval when the end is nigh.

Fatbloke on tour

photography with vision @ 10.44

I fear you are being a bit simplistic regarding the Mrs Duffy affair.

Rogue mics are a fact of life, the issue is the publicity given to any overhead private conversations.

Dave the Rave would and will be cut more slack by his press pack than either GB or Cleggy. Whether or not this would extend to overlooking a juicy morsel like the Rochdale incident is open to question.

Good analysis from the local paper in Thurrock that mentioned the fact that Dave the Rave was lucky that his poor quality joke at Essex peoples expense had not gained a wider audience.

Seemingly on Saturday he expressed surprise at the amount of people he met early in the morning as he thought that Essex people would still have been sleeping in their beds.

Add in his lack of candour on his experience of and attitude to recreational drugs and he really seems to have a charmed life with large sections of the press.

However back to the positive, GB gives the best speach so far in the campaign and it actually got some air time on the BBC.

72 hours to save the recovery.
And to all the progressives lurking out there in Speccy land:

Have Faith Brothers —
The dog boilers will not prevail.

This is not 1985 and this is not the country of the blind or those with blind self interest!

Austin Barry

The fat lady may be singing, but it isn't over until the fraudulent postal votes decide our destiny.

Frank Sutton

@ Fatbloke -
What are these "progressives" that you speak of?

chris

Saw the edited version thought it was pathetic. Invoking Martin Luther King, Mandela and the usual suspects. All great figures of course, but what has that got to do with Brown's mismanaging of the economy and country. To be honest the pulpit was always the place for him. If only he had of been "the manse" rather than "son of" only the folk of Kircaldy and the surrounds would have had to endure his mindless platitudes. He wouldn't have had the chance to destroy much of what was great about the UK!

Verity

Austin Barry - D'acuerdo. Britain is below third world status. Fourth world, now, floating somewhere round Pakistan, Somalia, and Uganda.

I understand you are still sending your citizens' taxes to your confreres in these brain dead corrupt countries as "Aid". Why would you want these countries to survive?

Ron Todd

Last week he was against an amnesty for illegal immigrants, now infront od an immigrant audience he wants an earned amnesty.

In practice that would be anybody likely to vote Labour.

Paul Hawkins

Fat Bloke -still scratching around I see. Very hypocritical on the subject of private conversations - the average citizen is monitored more closely here than anywhere else in the world; Why don't you comment on that 'issue'

I see you use the word seemingly in your Cameron assualt -so you don't actually know if this happened. There fore whetehr thatw as a good analysis or not remains to be seen.

Perhaps it got no wide publicity because it's a non-event?

'Gordon gave his best speech of the campaign'

All things are relative.His benchmark is pretty low.

Michael Booth

Brown's best speech ever?

What? He's admitted responsibility for the mess we are in and has withdrawn from the election? WOW!!!!

Michael Booth

@mac

"Also, if you think of bad PMs, you forget John Major (awful man too) lover of Edwina Curry, Chamberlain, Heath, Callaghan, I can go on."

Blimey, I had no idea Major was so randy!

EyeSee

Brown can be as 'impressive' as he likes; the fact is he spent 13 years pursuing actions and policies that have been childish in their stupidity and always had bad outcomes. He cannot claim 'it wasn't me Gov'.

Gil

Fatbloke on Tour said: 'Dave the Rave would and will be cut more slack by his press pack than either GB or Cleggy. Whether or not this would extend to overlooking a juicy morsel like the Rochdale incident is open to question.'

Fatbloke: 1. Al-Beeb and Channel 4 have been in the tank for Labour or the LDs for years. Stop talking rubbish. If Cameron wins despite the Meeja wanting to act like their US cousins by crowning Obama then it's a miracle.

2. If you have an opinion then come out with it with clarity, don't use weasel words and hedge your bets such as 'open to question'. You're not very persuasive, are you?

3. You're probably someone who has enjoyed the handouts from Labour at the expense of hard working people. Another trougher.

DavidLondon

Only Brown would be able to pose as the champion of a person who is paid a pittance by his government. If he wants Treasury cleaners to be paid more, he doesn't need to lead a crusade. He could, er, pay them more.

Ken

He may well have done but does he need to bother?

The outcome of this election seems set to be decided by postal vote fraud thanks to a system actively encouraged by the incumbents
- http://tinyurl.com/2eql4r2

The Spectator should be calling for the election to be delayed to allow the postal votes scandal to be cleaned up , the country's democracy is at stake.

Osred

Agreed, it was his best speech, or to put it another way, his only one which sounded half convincing.

However as far as the campaign goes it would only shore up the core vote. There was nowt in there to convince a single voter that he has any ideas for the next 5 Budgets.

Nicholas

Two days to Liberation from Occupying Forces and England can finally say goodbye to Braun and his wretched gang of jock mafia national socialists.

I see the leftist bloc are weeing themselves and indulging in their last ditch manipulations, desperate calls from Reichsfuhrer Balls and The Orange Clown from South Africa (Reichsfuhrer of the Welsh Protectorate) for tactical voting. Redolent of Comical Ali in the last days of Saddam. All the usual closet communist suspects puffing and blowing in indignation that a nation should vote for a Tory government of its own free will. We can't have that! BBC lefty comedians and act-ors preparing to flee or go into hiding (good riddance David Tennant, Doctor Who Gives a Toss, James Delingpole has you sussed - David Mitchell, you little pop-eyed, squeaky voiced lefty tosser, enjoy your alternative election night - I won't be watching). Pans already bubbling with boiling water ready for the dogs.

Nothing so hilarious as indignant socialists who can't get their own way for once. Happy Days!

And then we have the Great Anti-Socialist Backlash to look forward to when the full extent of the crimes of Blair and Brown and the subversion of our once green and pleasant land will be exposed. The purging of lefties from academia and all the other places the nasty little parasites have burrowed into.

Happy, happy days!

stephen

mac

I have read that the then Governor of the BofE, when Wilson devalued the £, said he was the worst PM the UK had had since Lord North[sic] who lost us the American colonies.

I nominate Brown to take over this resounding non endorsement by the then Governor of the Central Bank.

I wonder what Mervyn King's private views are?

Paul Hawkins

I am surprised Bron had the gall to turn up. Labour's record is:

Labour has created 3,500 new criminal offences, including provisions that allow the police to declare any demonstration illegal. It has introduced control orders that place people under permanent house arrest without charge or trial. It has allowed the US to extradite our citizens without producing evidence of an offence. It has colluded in kidnapping and torture. Britain now has more CCTV cameras than any other nation, and a DNA database that is five times the size of its nearest competitor. The number of prisoners in the UK has risen by 41% since Labour took office.

and this audience gave him an ovation?

derek

Ron Todd

Illegal immigrants: I understand from my reading of the papers this morning that part of the media are now calling them "undocumented migrants"...

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

This posting just vanished, so will try again. Briefly this time. Brave words from Nicholas and the men and women writing here. But, with gerrymandering and fiddling with postal votes, we stand little chance of ridding ourselves of this bolshie vermin. The brain-dead benefits dependents and the apathetic citizens will do nothing. Once again, we stand as a "precious few" and we should stand up, refuse to accept the bastards again, and fight. A civil war may be the only answer to stop us drowning in a sea of NuLabour's creation.

Norm

Odd how people thought it was good - I thought he had finally cracked and was just ranting.
Reminded me of that film where they'd left the newsreader on air long after he'd gone insane.

Dorothy Wilson

Sorry James but I thought Brown's speech was cringe-making in the extreme. It revealed the depth of both his delusion and his hypocrisy.

As I watched the thought went through my mind was the standing ovation he received from an audience like that for a speech like that would be losing him votes for vast swathes of the rest of the country.

And that includes the traditional working class of which Mrs Duffy is such a fine example.

Chris lancashire

mac: Brown has the capacity to make Major look a towering statesman.

Fergus Pickering

Brown seems to be pushing a Christian thing. But surely the man's a socialist atheist. As is Cleggie. Cameron's the only Christian.

Tim Carpenter LPUK

"Reminded me of that film where they'd left the newsreader on air long after he'd gone insane."

I'm mad as hell, and you're gonna have to take me ever more?

Barry

Why were any of our potential PMs giving speeches at a lobby group's get together?

If it had been a group of bankers there would be merry hell yet a group of pushy socialists get a free pass. These are the 'community organisers' Dave is chasing.

JohnAnt

Surely this was just Acorn UK with knobs on - we even had the revivalist atmosphere as child goes into prompt weepy breakdown at lectern before pleading in an unconvincing whiny voice for higher minimum wage because momma who works at the Treasury only gets the minimum wage, so they can only eat lentils all week.
I thought the whole meeting sinister and manipulative in the extreme.