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Thursday, 8th May 2008

The charm offensive continues

Peter Hoskin 3:04pm

Oh dear. Another unnerving TV-appearance from Gordon Brown today – this time on ‘This Morning’ with Fern Britton (you can watch it here). As Britton says, it’s “an opportunity for [Brown] to be a human being”…

 

The ITV morning chat-show may not be known for rigorous political interviewing, but Britton is surprisingly tenacious. When Brown’s talking about “political instability in the Middle East” being behind rising fuel prices, she interjects: “Yes, but how much tax do you put on the fuel?” Brown’s taken aback, and mumbles, “if you take the £1.10 [a litre cost of petrol], then [fuel duty’s] a high part of it.”  Doesn’t he know the actual figure? As Fraser notes here, 66p of that £1.10 is Treasury tax.

 

There are more Brownie-style stunts – again, he claims that he’s putting pressure on OPEC to lower oil prices, and there’s the usual line about how America’s responsible for all our fiscal woes.  For these and more, I'd recommend you watch it all the way through.

 

Hat-tip: Three Line Whip

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Comments Post comment

kinglear

May 8th, 2008 3:32pm Report this comment

AND he wasn't at Gwynethh Dunwoody's funeral, which goes to show he really has neither fellow feeling nor political nous anymore ( even if he ever had it)

salieri

May 8th, 2008 3:52pm Report this comment

Was this a Brownie: " We've created 3 million jobs in the last 10 years" ? Apart from Diversity Advisers, that is?

Brown is even more ghastly when he tries to be human, by the way.

Paul

May 8th, 2008 3:58pm Report this comment

I think he sounded quite patronising and condescending.

Perry

May 8th, 2008 3:59pm Report this comment

Yuk!!

Pass the bucket

[With apols to faint and tender hearts]

Austin Barry

May 8th, 2008 4:25pm Report this comment

This is to be the new mantra then: McBroon contra mundum: blame the US, blame OPEC, blame those pesky foreigners wolfing down our grub, blame this, blame that...Pathetic. The Government should be rolling with the punches and addressing these issues in some meaningful, robust way, not flapping its limp-wristed, nail-bitten hands at circumstance. This government is precisely characterised by the baleful performance of Jim Fitzpatrick, Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, on yesterday's Newsnight: shifty, evasive, bumbling, incompetent and patronising. It was a pleasure to watch Paxo eviscerate him.

Paul B

May 8th, 2008 4:30pm Report this comment

Ready Steady Splat, well done Fern.

David

May 8th, 2008 4:34pm Report this comment

Never has charm been quite so offensive.

Nicholas

May 8th, 2008 4:57pm Report this comment

But why are they giving him all this air time to peddle his dreary and repetitive codswallop?

Max Kaye

May 8th, 2008 5:00pm Report this comment

GB's nonexistent wax dummy at Madame Tussauds exhibits more humanity and sincerity.

Perry

May 8th, 2008 6:31pm Report this comment

[OT]

BTW . . . . and, as if to prove versatility . . . surreptitious sale of British Energy?

No lie I believe, - rather the reverse – appears hardly a word spoken? (report in FT today)

Tanuki

May 8th, 2008 7:41pm Report this comment

Every time Brown does that hideous fake grin of his, God kills a kitten.
Please, Gordon - think of the kittens!

Jessica

May 8th, 2008 8:00pm Report this comment

I might be wrong but I think Fern used to be a political journalist many moons ago.

Richard

May 8th, 2008 9:15pm Report this comment

" I'd recommend you watch it all the way through." - Are you out of your mind? It lasts, apparently, for twelve and a half minutes, nearly a quarter of an hour of my life that I'd never get back. Thanks for the highlights, though.

George bush

October 30th, 2008 10:03pm Report this comment

Obama is just like new labour

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