Brown's sermon on The Mound
Fraser Nelson 6:23pm
Do you give in yet? Because Gordon Brown still isn't through. Another speech tomorrow, to the General Assembly on the Church of Scotland at The Mound in Edinburgh. Pointedly, it's the 20th anniversary of Thatcher's speech there - allowing Brown to contrast his mission with her wickedness. We can expect a pious regurgitation of his goals. Shame the means he chooses are inimical to those goals. Most of all, we can expect a dusting down of Brown's Son of a Preacher Man credentials. Brown has only two oratorical styles: the pulpit sermon, inspired by his clergyman father, and the statistical, rapid-fire, speak-your-weight machine.
I, for one, will listen. Brown is sincere in his beliefs, as most lefties are. One cannot accuse him of seeking power for its own sake, he just suffers from the classic leftist conceit. He believes that the more power is placed in the hands of a virtuous elite, the better society will be. The legacy of Brown's failures can be seen by the inner city slums, sink schools and family breakdown all across Britain. His way doesn't work, and everyone now knows it. That's why tomorrow's speech should be a requiem for his ambitions for Britain - mourning the gap between what he wanted, versus what we all got.
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Comments
Diana
May 16th, 2008 6:41pmThere are three things about Brown.
First, his policies and whether they are honourable and practicable.
Second, whether he has the self confidence TO SPELL THEM OUT and defend them and their implications.
Third, whether he has the competence to implement them.
For me, he fails on all three.
I am close getting to the stage where I can hardly bear to read about the man - I have come to dislike him and his ineptitude so much.
He is not straight with people, or competent, and refuses to receive and understand the very very blunt message that people don't want him in charge of the country. I despair he has another 2 years to screw it up, and at the moment I couldn't care less what he tries to spin from the Mound, unless it's his resignation.
If I sound angry, it's because I am !
J H Holloway
May 16th, 2008 6:50pmQuite right. But will the left listen?
I grew up in town dominated by huge state-owned (and failing) engineering industries. I lived in a house built to be affordable on the local union-negotiated wage and was forceably sent to a local comp of the council's choice, mostly because they had also closed the highly successful local grammar school.
Slack leftist attitudes on schooling, discipline, lessons standard, local crime, and state funding (however small) of single-parenthood have not only destroyed any chance of advancement for the people from my town, they are now living in a less pleasant, less civilised and less safe environment, despite material advances.
Trying to reverse this mass-dumming down of all aspects of life by shoving everybody through the local 'Uni' and then charging them a bomb for a low-grade degree is just plain abusive.
Labour and the left really has made Britain a less agreeable place for the working classes.
John
May 16th, 2008 7:04pmYou think you are angry? I have never yet been so disgusted with a snake-oil politician in all my life.
salieri
May 16th, 2008 8:26pmThe Platitudes according to Gordo:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for they shall achieve high office in my government of all the untalented.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall get ready to pay inheritance tax.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall serve as my hangers-on as long as they don’t get ideas.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after self-righteousness: for they shall write long columns for the Guardian.
Blessed are the merciful: for they will continue to be taken in by my moral compass.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will be defeated by my tax-credit forms.
Blessed are the Pacemakers: for they shall find Gerry.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for they shall be detained indefinitely without trial
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake, especially Mrs. Blair, John Prescott and Lord Cashpoint.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven, and you’ll get none in your lifetime.
Perry
May 16th, 2008 11:10pmOh how right these sentiments are. Thank you. Regurgitation is the polite term for the only possible reaction to this person and the others of his kind. Pass the bucket please.
Kevyn Bodman
May 17th, 2008 8:41amFraer,
The second paragraph of your post is as good as anything that's been on CoffeeHouse this week.
Brown's way simply doesn't work, and now we DO all know it.
Mr Holloway,
I grew up in the aspiring working class.
It is very sad that that group has so much less chance now, or so it seems to me.
TrevorH
May 17th, 2008 10:56amBrown may have started off as sincere but as his actions based on his beliefs (and his overstated and limited talents) come to grief then all he has left is to lie and dissemble.
There is nothing sincere in all that.
Blessed are the gullible for they shall help us inherit the earth.
Donny b
May 17th, 2008 11:37amFraser, We are getting closer to finding out what Browns plans for us are , you rightly point out that he controls his virtuous circle and gathers power to it relentlessly ( that increase in PA must have hurt him badly). The big picture is that he wants to change not only the UK but the whole planet . He believes in world government and sees the European Union as a stepping stone to that end .
His beliefs are there for all to see in his recent JFK speech in the States. With a new world order , Brown and his ilk will create equality of poverty for all.
See here
http://usvisit.pm.gov.uk/2008/04/18/keynote-foreign-policy-speech/
Ian C
May 17th, 2008 12:29pmYou say that Brown "suffers from the classic leftist conceit. He believes that the more power is placed in the hands of a virtuous elite, the better society will be.. It is not just th eleft who think this, although it grieves me to admist it. Politicians belive it after they have had the rush of power. Monarchs did, the Victorians of all hues did and now the media driven ego's of politicians do, especialy on the left because the believe that their motivation is purer than the right. But do not belive that this feature of political life will go away with the impending defeat of the Labour party. It is part of the human condition. Hubris, 'events' and the new media in particular, will see to that. And Cameron and co. must understand this or have a short political life.
David Lindsay
May 17th, 2008 12:54pmWhat should he say? Something about the Iraq War and the HFEB?
As for Thatcher's infamous effort, to this day her "Jesus was a great moral teacher [not that she seems to have paid too much attention, but there we are] and churches do a lot of good [though not in any way of which she actually approved], but" school of agnosticism is held up as the height of devotion, whereas Neil Kinnock's practically identical views are reviled as godlessness of the lowest order.
David
May 17th, 2008 1:38pmThe test of his speech is now available on Politics Home. I spotted this remark:
"On another continent we saw a million Filipinos were mobilised by text message to overthrow President Estrada - who complained bitterly that his rule had been ended by the world's first ‘coup de text'."
We need something similar in this country - a petition on the No 10 website? - to remove this Prime Minister before yet more damage is done.
Travis Bickle
May 18th, 2008 11:55amWhat should he say? Simple two words.. "I resign"
Frank Pulley
May 18th, 2008 12:02pmsalieri
A splendid parody! Keep up that level of satire and Brown will suffer death by a thousand quips. Ridicule has done for most useless (and sadly a few excellent) British politicians in my lifetime, as the producers of Spitting Image knew only too well. Their masks inevitably shrivelled into scalps.
Steve the Student
May 18th, 2008 12:07pmBetter yet; create an "Overthrow the Government" Facebook Event.