Brown fails to relaunch

Jason

I also heard him make the comment that public debt levels are low. Amazed Marr didn't pick up on that. The Brownies just keep coming! Incidentally Diane Abbott did a great job on Sky News of reminding us why people are deserting Labour in droves. Bossy and rude towards Rachel Johnson she spewed out the same old party mantras as if the election was still to come. At least Red Ken showed a bit of class on his exit.

Water

Point two is very lame you make me laugh that has got nothing at all to do with his ability to be a PM…what are we meant to do give him a bell and have him scream hear ye, hear ye! Honestly.

It's his inability to understand the needs of the public and judge that which is best for Britain, 10p, referendum and the list goes on. Also we live in a time where the people need an inspirational leader (which would not have to be an extrovert) and well neither Cameron nor Brown fit that bill.

Water

As for the slow and painful death of the quality of the programmes on the BBC...well it's enough to make you want to log on to the internet.

David

I noticed that he did not include rising taxation in the list of causes of rising inflation. Thus tho he said he would take "action" to tackle things that obviously beyond his control (eg food or riding oil prices) he was silent on the one big thing that is under his control, namely taxes.

With Adam Boulton on Sky he made the surprising assertion that most people would not be worse of as a result of vehicle excise duty changes - that is not my reading of the tax tables for next year. This looks like one to add to your Brownies list.

So altho holed below the waterline the command from the bridge is "Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes". It reminds me of the Private Eye cover that marked Wilson`s resignation in 1976
http://www.private-eye.co.uk/covers.php?showme=373
except who would want to be the Jim Callaghan of this government?

Travis Bickle

11) I get up every morning and my first thought is (insert one of four options).

Trawled out on Sky News.

The Premier's not for learning (nor listening or leading for that matter)

Patrick

Sky have just cut-off Gordon mid-sentence to run an Everest ad. No explaination, no end of interview summary just a dead end. How very indicative of the PM and his current position. As for his Frank Field moment I do believe that Frank may not be amused.

Tiberius

Didn't see Marr, but saw Boulton. Acc to Brown, IFS is wrong that his repair job on 10p still leaves 5.2m people worse off, and unlike Labour in 1994, the Tories have not undergone a fundamental change under Cameron. Well, Comrade Bean knows best.

Slim Jim

The 'slick salesmen' jibe is particularly amusing. What about the biggest con-trick in British political history - the New Labour Project? That was sold to a gullible public by 'slick (snake oil) salesmen' Messrs. Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Campbell, etc...the party's over Brown, and you will join your place in history.

Paul

Brown kept banging on about not being deterred "by a few days' headlines" - these weren't just headlines, they were votes!

TrevorH

If Brown were a horse they would put him out of our misery.

TrevorH

If Brown were a horse they would put him out of our misery.

Trumpeter Lanfried

You missed out one. 'I shall do those things, I know not what, shall be the terror of the earth.'

Robert Williams

He is also, at the moment, still determined not to compensate all the 10p tax losers. But he was weak & unclear on the method, timetable & amount for compensating even those losers he accepts.
He will be driven to broaden his plans.

salieri

Curious, is it not, that a man of reputed intellect speaks only in slogans or in statistics?

And the very precise word he avoided answering was 'chastened'? THere is something fundamentally alien about this character.

Dave B

I think the 'ordinary background' thing may be an updated version of the 'tory toffs' riff. Can't see it flying.

Pete

Apart from asking him if his personality was right for such a job, I thought Andrew Marr gave him a really easy time. (No surprises there then). When Brown refused to elaborate when asked if there's anything else he's got wrong (apart from the application of the abolition of 10p + nailing the election rumours earlier than he did), Marr left it at that.
What about HIPs; complicated and bureaucratic tax credits, selling gold low, lack of prison places, taxing and ruining private pensions, lack of choice in education, etc. etc. Marr COULD have asked him - but needless to say, didn't.

J H Holloway

Broon's family were the local bigwigs, were they not? Father head of the kirk and the local school? Mother a director of her family business, reputed to be one of the largest employers in that area?
Perhaps one of the clan McFraser could confirm these blog rumours?

Austin Barry

Grim, gloomy and humourless: a funeral director officiating at his own demise. Would someone in this listening Government please heed the Nation's call and put this wounded tormented creature out of its misery.

Nicholas

What is noticeable from the post-debacle media coverage is the way a majority of the mass media, particular the BBC, appear to be "rallying round" their humiliated leftist comrades and providing them every opportunity to bleat their worthless excuses and empty promises anew. The Left really is in denial over this - they so want to believe in the complete drivel of re-launch and "fight back". Anything it seems rather than face the simple truth that they are incompetent to govern and the majority of people wish them gone.

The blatant bias of it all is staggering. Very little opportunity given to the opposition parties to comment on what is wrong with this government and, goodness knows, the list is a long and stoutly filled one as every Spectator reader knows. No opportunity for Cameron or Johnson to comment on their successes or the alternative futures they offer.

The sea change in politics is there for all to feel, apart from, it seems, this dreadful rump government and its last ditch BBC allies.

The BBC Sunday coverage of politics seemed to be state broadcasting of the most craven and disingenuous kind. Where was the cutting edge investigative reporting? The no holds barred dissection of the government corpse to reveal its many and varied diseases? Instead it is quite apparent that New Labour's TV and press cronies are discomforted almost as much as the government by the nationwide votes of no confidence.

Instead of giving the loathesome Mr Brown another opportunity to peddle his lies, why not interview an ordinary family suffering under the yoke of New Labour Britain and get their raw and uncensored views?

Perry

Both the (BBC) interviewing and the responses from the Beloved Leader at al seem robotic.

This demeans both, and is an insult to the public who are obliged to pay a ‘tax’ for the BBC, and yet more tax to the Great Collector.

Labour OUT

By hyping up the 'relaunch', 'media blitz' and so called 'fight back' Brown and his band of PR advisors are making rods for their own backs because as soon as he is interviewed its same old same old and a big let down. Every time I listen to an interview with him I'm more confused at the end than in the beginning.

Tara

Could'nt agree more with Jason's post. Dianne Abbott is a bully and the way she behaved towards Rachel Johnson on Sky was a disgrace and an a further example (if one were needed) of how odious the left is.

IAN

My oh my, Brown was dismal in both Marr and Boulton interviews despite much fan fare on sky of a 'political fight back' etc etc. I think he still has'nt got it and I dont think he ever will!

Cindy

Agree about Diane Abbott arrogant, out of touch and just about sums up the state of Labour, New labour, BBC, Guardian, Independent and bascially the whole of the left. Sooooooooooooo glad Boris won!!

othesius the facilitator

I have just watched the PM and Marr. I think Browns a gonner. And Marr should not allow him to state blatant untruths. The housebuilding one was a classic. Perssimon have suspended house building for the time being on the grounds that nobody can afford them. And anyway Gordon can't lay bricks so it's not him thats going to build them.

John

Nicholas, there really is no need (which is not to say that the beeboids are not behaving despicably, as usual, i.e. behaving like Pravda down to the last iota, allowing the great leader to trot out his lies about 'tractor production up this quarter'). There is no need, because every time this pathetic bully and liar comes on air, that's another nail in his coffin. It's so obvious that he is simply not getting it: he's mentally incapable of grasping that the party is well and truly over, that he's well and truly blown it, that everyone knows he's a bully, liar and coward and that this country rightly kicks such people into touch.
Intellect? What intellect? His atrophied cerebral processes have been as plain as the nose on your face (OK, on my face) for a very long time. Trouble is, people were in denial. It's difficult to admit that one has been completely taken in by the most obvious gang of snake-oil vendors in the territory.
As to being an introvert: of course it's relevant. Introverts can't be leaders, least of all lead countries. Of course, this sad loser doesn't even want to lead because he feels nothing but contempt for the country (keyword 'referendum'). He feels contempt for people, has nil understanding of the English psyche and is the equivalent of a child of 6 playing with his train sets. But even if he didn't feel this contempt, he simply doesn't have the personal apparatus needed for leading.

Jessica, Cheshire

Fraser like you I could'nt believe the amount of lies/brownies these so called experienced and top class journalists regularly allow Brown to spew out, it is a disgrace. When is someone going to go through with him point by point, in an interview, and take apart every last false statement he makes?? No wonder he wont allow himself to be interviewed by Paxman!

John given up on labour

More spin and double speak!

Carol-Ann

The man is totally incapable of delivering a coherent arguement or sentence for that matter. We the public are always hearing from you journos about his towering intellect and formidable presence but I have seen no evidence of this at all. No wonder he has only been able to get the top job by stealth.

Jackie Duvall

If that was the fight back God help the labour party. I say this with no malice as I actually started to feel sorry for Brown but when my finances, family and country's well being are in this man's hands there can be no room for sentimentality.

Daniel24

I'd love Alan Sugar to interview him, cut through the bull and spin and then shout the words we all want to:

YOU'RE FIRED!

ken from glos

This man Brown is ever closer to collapse and i wont be surprised if he becomes very ill soon.He just did not understand how much courage is need to be PM and he looks lost.

David Morris

This really reminds me of the lowest ebb of the John Major premiership, except that Major remained somewhat likeable (even if the most ardent Tory knew the game was up), whereas the despicable Brown doesn't even have that to fall back on.

Water

ken from glos exactly. It's quite pitiful to have such a person at the helm, you need someone with an iron constitution.

Dave Hill

It is very sad watching this man's demise, it's becoming more and more the ramblings of a mad man. I'm starting to think he actually believes the things he says (what others on this site have referred to as Brownies). Maybe no-one has the heart to explain the REAL situation out here in the country.

Blair supporter

After seeing Brown up close and personal for the last year now, it amazes me how this man was able to bully out of office the most formidable politician since Thatcher, BLAIR. The only sensible conclusion to reach is that Blair, the government, Labour and the country would be substabtially better off now if Blair had had the courage to sack Brown at the beginning of the 2001 election win.

Daisy

HOW DARE HE BRAND CAMERON AND OSBOURNE AS SLICK SALESMAN HE HAS MORE SPIN DOCTORS THAN BLAIR DID AND HE STILL CANT GET IT RIGHT! FOR GOD'S SAKE SOMEONE CHALLENGE HIM ON THIS!!

Water

For the introvert side of things, well it’s still totally arbitrary to the point. As an introvert if he could sit in number 10 and make he right decisions nobody would care less if there were positive results to be had. But there seem to be a distinct lack of positive results.

Water

As for point four it seems about right. If he has ideas it is about time he made them manifest. He has the whole country at his fingertips!

Water

And the lack of positive results doesn’t boil down to a lack of foul play on anyone else’s behalf. The smoke and mirrors seem to be stacked in his favour rather aptly.

ADAM, GB

Watched both Marr and Boulton as genuinely interested to see what Gordon could pull out of the bag, turns out a big fat NOTHING. All he did was trot out a load of cliches and said nothing we have not heard before, dreadful.

Disgruntled

Does Brown actually inhabit planet Earth or what? He is so difficult to understand and I have never heard anyone talk or use language in the way he does, bizarre.

Chezza

I feel bad for the man, he is probably a decent man personally and it is a shakespearean tradgedy that is unfolding before our very eyes, BUT he is not up to the job and must go.

Confused

He keeps taking about 'taking the right long term decisions' and 'our policies will become clear' but when the hell is he going to tell us the electorate what these policies and descisions are exactly? Does anyone know?

Laura Boyle

When a Labour Party politician says: "I hear what you say" the unuttered part of that statement is: "And I'll ignore it, same as always."

Can the wreck of the 9.10 Labour Party Special Excursion Train really be considered to be an accident when the driver (one G. Brown) has jammed the regulator on full, having previously greased the rails on a particularly steep incline?

Get your sandwiches and pop everyone! Take up your places! This crash at the bottom of the hill is going to be a really good one.

Any bets on who -if any?- will survive?

Jeff, Merton

We are none the wiser from those interviews. What really makes me chuckle is when I think back to him saying to Marr the reason he called off the Autumn election was because he wanted to set out his vision to the people, well six months on and no-one has had sight nor sound of this mysterious vision.

Northern Monkey

"The 4th re-launch??"

This is the man who we were told had been thinking of great schemes to implement all the time he was in Blair's shadow, and what original thinking has he come up with? None
If Labour MP's want to save their skins they're going to have to grow some balls and arrange for Brown to retire on 'health grounds' or 'fall down the stairs' at No 10.

Gillian Taylor, Lancs

How on earth can Labour and lefties in general call Boris a buffoon and a disaster when they have Brown. At least Boris can construct a sentence which is more than can be said for Brown.

Water

ADAM, GB I agree with you there to opaque, nothing is stated explicitly.

Michael St George

So the Comrade Chairman McBroon feels the hurt caused by rising prices, does he?

Did he feel the hurt back in 1997 when he carried out his smash and grab tax raid on the private pension schemes of millions of people industriously providing for their own retirement, in order to fund his grotesque expansion of his public sector client state?

Did he feel the hurt when piling stealth tax after stealth tax on to the people of Middle England who wanted nothing more than to better themselves?

Did he feel the hurt when the government effectively re-nationalised the rail network without compensation?

Did he feel the hurt when he reneged on NuLab's manifesto committment to a referendum on the EU Constitution?

Don't underestimate Brown - the man is an unreconstructed marxist viper, both economically, socially, and culturally, and like an wounded animal, he will be at his most dangerous when hurt and cornered.

To parody the words of Neil Kinnock - I warn you not to want independence from the state: I warn you not to be aspirational: I warn you not to believe that you are a better judge of how your money is spent than Broon and NuLab are. He will take his revenge on the England which has given him a well-deserved ang long-overdue kicking, and it will be vicious.

Water

Well put Michael St George, well put.

Proud Boris voter

Have you heard the latest on Boris?? BBC News 24 is reporting he was mobbed (in a good way) at a Sikh festival in Central London and loads of people were going up to congratulate him and get his autograph. They also say he has told Ian Blair CUT CRIME OR YOU'RE OUT! Lovin his work already, GO BORIS!!

John

I feel no pity for him at all. Decent man, my aunt Edna. He is a crook, pure and simple. He's been screwing us over for years with the most dishonest taxes possible, sold the family gold at half-price, ruined the pension system, lied about the referendum and about everything else - and he can't lead for toffee. Intellect? The man is an innumerate halfwit. Either that, or the whole thing was engineered deliberately in order to **** the English, seeing as how the Scots are in a much better position. But even if not, he's swindled us and needs to reap the consequences.
Trouble is, he's so breathtakingly bad that MacLabour might, just might, replace him before the GE and allow him to get away with it in a cushy job (remind me, someone: has he EVER done a proper day's work before becoming MP?), and that's bad news for those of us who believe in punishing the guilty.

The cosying up by BBC hacks is as disgusting as it is despicable. They are giving him an easy ride, just nice little chats with mates. A halfway decent interviewer would have asked him some real questions, e.g. 'Why are you feeling the pinch since your TV tax and meals and travel are paid for you on expenses?'. It's time to do something about the BBC. Ideally, abolish it.

Water

Proud Boris voter I was walking to town to get a coffee yesterday in a blue shirt with a smile on my face like the Cheshire cat. On the way into town, from the corner of my eye I saw an elderly Sikh gentleman passing me by on the bus. The old lion was sporting a blue turban, he knew the score and it was a great sight! It was a tremendous sight! It was allegory at its best.

Simon

The BBC news was about Brown going round the TV studios for fightback. I made it a point to watch Marr (the Putin look- alike, friend of the lefties)and to start with I had some sympathies with Brown's situation which started disappearing quickly as Putin sorry Marr was easy on his questions and Brown lapsed into his somnabulist phraseologies of 'stability, decisions for long term,aspirations...' and seemed like an alien from Uranus grapling with earthly human issues. I was one of those victim pensioners who was
at the receiving end of his 'decisions for long term' when a slice of my monthly pension was removed in April. It is a bit rich for Blair and Brown, the two consummate snake-oil salesmen to call any one else as salesmen. Major left a good economy at a time when the world economy was behaving. Brown had to do absolutely nothing but yet he made a mess of it. No scribbler or interviewer critically questioned him about his claim that he fixed the boom and bust. When it suits him it is the world economy-the sub-prime mortgage sold to New Orleans failed jazz pianist that is causing the tsunami here! Putin, again sorry, Marr was lapping this up. I switched off the set.

Travis Bickle

PBV

Ian Blair was indeed looking rather less than chuffed during events at City Hall yesterday. I wonder why.

Perry

Suspicious old tyke that I am, - and on the basis that nowadays you’re no-one unless you have some kind of psychological defect, (which of course requires therapy and discussion of childhood woes etc), I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t a sob story being prepared regarding the Supreme Leader.

But just what could this defect be?

Pathological liar comes to mind, - but that sounds crude and tasteless, especially as the sufferer holds High Office.

Must think on.

Emily

Gosh Boris' victory is being reported positively all over the world, from New York to Israel, it's only here where the left wing infected BBC, Guardian, Independent, Mirror group etc are doom mongering. The biggest joke of the day was the observer in a comment piece saying that they are putting Boris on notice that he's got 100 days to make or break his reign as Mayor. What a F**K**G cheek, as if Boris is going to pay attention or try to please them, after their outrageous (but thankfully unsuccessful) attempts to smear and libel him. Rock on Boris!

Simon

Jaqui Smith says that in these difficult times we need a serious person like Brown to lead us out of the economic difficulties, carefully not forgetting to mention that these
problems were ggenerated near the Mississippi river! If I had a chance, I would like to say to the Home Secretary that the problems inflicted on a poor pensioner like me was indeed from a serious person- the bloke who appeared on TV this morning looking utterly confused. I want to say to her that I would rather trust a non-serious person like the football fan who trampled on our flower bed today on his way to the nearby stadium

tawny

Feels our pain? Rubbish. The only emotion he can summon up is self pity.

mitch

Brown also doesn't have a chancellor sniping at his every move.

Water

It will be interesting to see how Blair fares. Then again it will be interesting to see how Boris does, its a good start to say the least though.

Simon

Darling the Chancellor must have been fed with some potion derived from wild cactus in America to kill of his modest brain cells! He looks so totally lost. Brown can't be that idiot after all. What made me spew out fire was the leftist, sorry the 'progressive' media presentation of Brown as the financial wizard from Kirkaldy and cowedenbeath.

Sugar Free

Everyone should watch the sky interview of Brown by Adam Boulton.
Shows Gordon’s weird smile in all it’s glory…

Boulton: It's not your fault, you were very popular last year...

Gordon: (smiling as if it is the first nice thing anyone has ever said to him)

Boulton:...the only mandate you've got therefore, is from labour mps

Brown: (Instant characteristic angry grumpy death stare)

Boulton:... are you considering some form of public contest to confirm that people do want you as Prime Minister?

I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered how he is ripping everything which is great about this country to shreds. Good to see the Shadow Cabinet is getting its act together.

If a return to Conservative government is our Christmas...it seems that this week we opened the first few windows of our advent calendar.

Brook Whelan

Gordon Brown is doomed. He had a brief honeymoon period for three months when he became PM, but even then he had the wind running with him rather than against him.

I can imagine many Labour MPs starting up a 'Bring Back Blair' campaign.

Simon

The 'Brown bounce' last year was partly engineered by the leftist media. The same media portrayed Jaqui Smith as an effective Home Secretary then. The 'Brown bounce' was like my friends holding my bicycle when I was 10 to make me learn balancing the machine and Brown's crash soon was like my topple from the bicycle when my friends' prop was removed. I remember Hazel Blears
and 'so what' Balls jumping up and down saying how wonderful Brown leadership was. That was a brief period.

Water

Ahh the smile haha!

Water

“Boulton: the only mandate you've got therefore, is from labour mps”

Seems questionable.

Joanne

When will Brown and Labour understand that it is just not acceptable to have Swedish- style tax burden on the middle classes with British-style public services? Finally at the ballot box on Thursday 'suburban England', 'Blair conservatives' whatever you want to call them said we are mad as hell and we are not taking this any more but will Cameron have the guts to give money back to the people?

Francis

The strange "Tories jump out of the way of problems" line was also used by Ed Miliband on the BBC on Thursday night. The ludicrous image of Labour wrestling valiantly with problems bearing down on voters while DC et al would stand idly should be pretty easy to shoot down.

Alan Towey

The key to understanding Brown is the character of King Creon in Sopholces' Antigone. As Teiresias says, "he shows the world that of all the ills afflicting men the worst is lack of judgment" (In Brown's case take your pick: the tax credit system, abolishing the 10p tax-rate, selling our gold, etc.). The point is that Creon ignores advice and disaster ensues. Teiresias points out that "a man can turn his back on folly if he tries to make amends ... and stops his bullnecked ways". But Creon persists in thinking he is right until finally the penny drops at the end of the play and he says "Whatever I touch goes wrong - once more a crushing fate's come down upon my head!" (Fagles' translation). We have yet to see the tragedy unfold quite in this way but it is hard to believe that everything will somehow all come right for our great leader.

John

As Littlejohn said in his column last Tuesday, 'the only language this government understand is defeat at the ballot box', so I went out and voted accordingly on Thursday.

Oscar Miller

As Matt said in his excellent comment in the Sunday Telegraph - Brown has become like the guy who helps himself to another drink instead of leaving at the end of the party. The media are now rallying around a black hole. No-one is interested in what this guy has to say. His Sunday interviews were pretty much a disaster - but also instantly forgettable. The public obviously don't believe he has a mandate to govern and just wish he'd leave the stage. They wish this 'private' man would embrace the privacy he craves and resign.