The Real Significance of the Telegraph Story

Rhoda Klapp

They are incompetent, crooks, and incompetent crooks. You support them in both their incompetence and their crookery.

You also don't seem to realise that the tories want GB to carry on. Thier real fear is that someone else might take over and get a honeymoon to turn things round.

Silent Hunter

I think the real significance of this story will make it socially unacceptable to be seen as a 'Labour Supporter' in polite society.

Who would want to associate themselves with Abject, Criminal Scum?

Austin Barry

Martin

Should that be 'kicking' a man when he's down? If not I think I'm about to throw up.

Jono

"and the release of these details certainly don't prove it."

I think there might be an agreement issue, there Brighty.

Grumpy Old Man

We can now look forward to a year of LICKING a man when he's down.
Even Labour apologists can't get it right, Why bother, Martin. The whole NuLab project has been shown for the hollow sham it is, and you are urinating into the breeze.

HP

What is most interestign is that some of the emberassing profiles are from people who have either recently annoyed brown, been linked to the leadership, or a promotion in the June reshuffle (of course, a lot of people tend to get their friends to promote them). the briefings against ministers by mcbride esque spinners continues it seems...

Steve.W

“In the case of most members of the Cabinet this (the wider collapse of political morality) is certainly not the case - and the release of these details certainly don't prove it.”

If you say so Martin, but are these the same people who signed up to the invasion of Iraq?

I think they are, and the people who also promised, then denied me, a vote on the Lisbon Treaty?

I don't regard either of those things as a - “small misdemeanour.” And when you say -

“licking a man when he's down.” I think you mean kicking?

You'd me right and I intend to do plenty of that!

Tony Gatward

It appears pretty disgusting for expats to read about this dishonesty by govt members with noapparent retribution. Ex pats in commonwealth countries have their pensions frozen at inception with no Cola provisions. Now the pound is so worthless our pension s are even less.What does anyone in the uk care about this situation. It would be nice to get our due payments startingnow and letting the [people concerned off the pay they owe us.

paracelsus

Did you really mean to say,

'We can now look forward to a year of licking a man when he's down.'

or should it be,

'We can now look forward to a year of kicking a man when he's down.'?

Quite frankly, either way, and I prefer kicking to licking in Brown's case, he gets everything he deserves. He has been an unmitigated disaster for this country, both as Chancellor and PM. He is now a laughing stock at home and abroad.

I also fear that the revenge began a long time ago, and his scorched earth policy will leave this country crippled for many, many years to come. We have not seen the last of this idiot.

Tim Calvert

"We can now look forward to a year of LICKING a man when he's down."

And Mr Bright has started already

"There is still a residual fear in all Tory hearts that Gordon Brown will just not roll over and die, but twitching and fizzing the half-man, half replicant will return to wreak his terrible revenge."

The left just won't stop licking.

Tim Calvert

PS And we all know which bit they like to lick

Kevyn Bodman

The scorn,contempt, even hatred of this government is most certainly not just in the media's imagination.
If you haven't realised how much ordinary people despise them you are deluded.

Matthew Cain

I think it's precisely that fear which keeps Labour MPs from challenging Brown.

Hawkeye

Martin said: "There is still a residual fear in all Tory hearts that Gordon Brown will just not roll over and die"

I disagree. I think that the tories are more worried that Gordon might go before the next election and someone might take over who will improve Labour's disastrous polling position

The last thing the tories need is for disgruntled Labour activists to be given an excuse to vote instead of staying away from the polling station like they will do with Gordon is charge.

elixelx

"...But it doesn't matter in the wider scheme of things because the country has turned against this government. Nothing they can do is right even when it is. The smallest misdemeanour is judged a serious crime. That's just how it is when the political tide has turned. We can now look forward to a year of licking a man when he's down...."

And you're suggesting that this is A BAD THING, are you Martin?

I'm only asking because, just about a year ago, if you had substituted one GB for another, it would have been you, yes YOU, Mr. Bright, who would have been doing the judging and the kicking!

Well, I suppose Gordon Brown IS your dog in this fight, whereas George Bush was the world's pariah....and hey, we all know that you should give that dog a bad name and then hang him.

You've digested Alinsky, haven't you, Marty?

What's that you say...unfair comparison, unfair comparison! GWB was leader of the Free World, while GB is only the leader of an unpopular political party, which rules an insignificant island, in the middle of an indifferent sea....

adnum1001

Why will we be 'licking' him? Does he taste nice?

TomTom

You should get together with Steve Richards at The Indy and sing a duet. Who cares about their expenses ? They are self-serving crooks who after 12 years in charge of a major nation are as relevant to its future as those in the Fuehrerbunker in 1945 who also had a 12 year run on a flay ideology.

Labour is discredited as a political party. They started the 21st Century off by busting the whole economic system just as they tried throughout the 20th Century. This Party is chronically incapable of governing and systematically addicted to looting - Utility Profits, Mobile Phone Company Technology, National Insurance, Gold Reserves, Pension Funds, North Sea Oil - and spraying money and IOUs in all directions with the key proviso that none of this money is invested to show a return only to be consumed with the seed corn

Doug

The only thing Gordon Brown is likely to terminate is Britain. Just read Major's article in the Telegraph when he had realised in '92 that they wouldn't win the next election so he knuckled down an did what was best for the country. Brown is delusional and will use the government machine in ways that are designed to help only the Labour party. Brown thinks the country can go to hell.

I'm also sickened how commentators are still making excuses for Labour. The Tories were synonymous with sleaze in the minds of the people during the '90s. Labour are synonymous with sleaze in the minds of the people during the '00s. Fact.

DaveyB

"licking a man when he is down"?!?

I wouldn't lick this lot if they were glazed in honey!

Bob, son of Bob

Who cares if they substitute a load of expenses in place of a salary or told a lie about smoking 25 years ago? Top town hall officials still earn more than they do from just a basic salary. I am more interested in what are they going to do about the gang of youths down the road who might stab me for 'dissing' them. Someone who claimed he lived in 20 empty houses would still get my vote if he said he would do something about crime and meant it.

Simon Neville

The real story is how interesting it is the Telegraph - the same paper who duly ran McBride's "it was all laddish japes" spin story the day before the emails broke, having been offered the Draper/McBride emails and declining the story, whilst trying to ridicule any possible coup against Brown (Harman/ Blears et al) in recent weeks - decided to run this. At who's behest?
This isn't the real story of the day. The fact the gap between rich and poor is wider now than it ever was is. That's the story that completely destroys Labour's (Old and New) credibility.
Strange that both stories - cabinet expenses and rich/poor divide - were published on the same day...

Chris Jupp

You probably meant 'kicking a man when he's down'.

Otherwise it's back to that other comment from a present cabinet minister about No 10 being a bit of a party, or something worse.

mac

"There is still a residual fear in all Tory hearts that Gordon Brown will just not roll over and die, but twitching and fizzing the half-man, half replicant will return to wreak his terrible revenge."

Wishful thinking, Mr Bright.

I'm not sure how much more discredited Brown can become but, in any event, please keep preaching this looking-for-a-bright-side message of hope; it'll suit the Tories if Brown stays to the very eve of the GE.

hadrian

The film I'm more reminded of is the superb 'Westworld' where Yul Brinner is a robotic cowboy who/which comes to life and goes on a murderous rampage, his mad red-glare eyes refusing to fade out even with half his facade blown away. At least in the end they got him and returned to a much safer reality. Will we , however, ever escape Labour's fantasy world, no matter how many smithereens Broon is blasted to?!

Ian Coates

Animal Farm. How prescient. George Orwell would turn in his grave.