The Row Over Brown's Temper Just Got Weirder

Bill Kristol-Balls

No.10 brainwashed Mrs Pratt into making a complete show of herself (Deputy Prime Minister's office??) and then got Anne Widdecombe to resign?

Wow they're good

Bardirect

It all seems to fall well short of a statement that there is "No truth in the matter at all" so perhaps Downing Street could not put out a statement that no concerns about bullying had been brought to their attention because it would be untrue.

Remember Brown has form for misrepresenting Tory policies and then attacking the misrepresentation and for denying allegations which have not been made to take the heat out of this story before it broke.

It seems to me that now Downing Street seems to be playing with semantics: Brown only says that the story is "completely wrong" well perhaps there was no "reprimand" - possibly a warning or advice about future conduct, there was no "inquiry" but perhaps a review, no "private message" but a formal record or memorandum which will one day see the light.

Jane

I too watched Newsnight. John Prescott was his usual belligerent self. I was astonished at how inept David Steel was too. Funny that the only people who would go on Newsnight to discuss the issues are these three old boys!! However, none of them made me change my views that Andrew Rawnsley would not write anything that he was uncertain of. I trust his judgement rather than any of those old boys.

Neither an I surprised at No10. The campaign to discredit the Charity in order to clear Gordon Brown's name was disgraceful. Oh yes - it did show where the power lies... This reminds me of the days of old Labour and the Militant tendency and I do not want to return to the bully days. The only way I can register my disapproval of such naked and abusive power is not to vote for GB. He is living up to everything I have ever read about him. Ity is all pretty distasteful.

MC@Clayhanger

Andrew Rawnsley is a widely respected writer and journalist who has been too long in the game of politics to make up such a serious allegation unless he could back it up. On past form I would accept Rawnsley's version of events far easier than any denials from No 10 or any Brown apologists.

I thought the way he stood up for himself on Newsnight last night was exceptional, particularly when facing down that arrogant wind bag Prescot. It is a shame so many of the Westminster press lobby are not able to do what Rawnsley did - as they used to say in the old days "Publish and be damned"

I agree with Jane's previous post - this whole affair sums up pretty much what we know about Brown. He is unsuited to the office he holds and cannot therefore be expected to take the decisions that need to be made,his behaviour almost compares with that of Harold Wilson's state of paranoia at the end of his premiership but at least he had the good sense to eventually resign.

Joshua Fenton-Glynn

And Steel’s business interests have what to do with his qualification to speak on shoddy journalism. Do you contest that the media was right to take up these claims uncritically?

Lord Monkington-Smythe

I loved Prescott's challenge to the viewers:

"Who do you believe, a journalist or the Prime Minister?!"

Ha Ha Ha!!!

davidke

But people will vote for a thug rather than for a weakling. Labour will do well out of this. The clunking fist is right. And it's coming down hard on Cameron at the moment.

Plato-Says

Rawnsley put up a very spirited performance and frankly I'm appalled by what Labour have done to Mrs Pratt.

The Death Star like attack on her is so OTT - were Labour planning on announcing an election and dead peed off with her derailing their plans??

mitcheltj

Jane - well said indeed.

Putting Prescott on to defend anyone against charges of bullying is pot and kettle with a vengeance.

I thought Andrew Rawnsley acquitted himself very well. I would take his word over Prescott, Steele and Hattersley any day.

brian kelly

Well, we've seen it all before - David Kelly, Gilligan, the BBC chiefs over WMD, the very aged woman in hospital accused of racism, and, i would guess, countless incidents internal to the labour party. On 'The daily politics' programme [BBC2] Trevor Cavanagh was asked where did he think Andrew Rawnsley got most of his stories re Brown - he replied that he would believe from Mandelson! Cavanagh is a very experienced journalist.

Robert Williams

Steel was displaying a solidarity with Labour that recently has become a regular position in TV studios.

andy baldock

I didn`t think Rawnsley came across well at all. He wouldn`t or couldn`t substantiate who his sources were so he immediately loses credibility there.

Steele made a good point that he knew Browne of old and didn`t find him to be as so sensatioinally described by Rawnsley, and Hattersley made the valid point that it is what you achieve, not your personality that counts.

The off-screen dramatic departure of Rawnsley (the sound of him ripping his mike off) demonstrates what a d*** he is.

logdon

I see Woolas has now waded in, calling her with an astoundingly original and side splittingly hilarious turn of phrase, a prat.

More of this and they will actually confirm the bullying accusations by their very own frantic attempts of agressive denial.

Meanwhile where are the Tories?

Manna from heaven and they just melt away.

Rising above it doesn't wash in todays debauched politics. I's either blitzkrieg or failure.

Margaret Young

Rawnsley has an almost pathological hatred of Brown, strange from a left leaning journalist, but true. He needs publicity to flog his 'story book' and he got spades of it, a job well done for him.

Michael Booth

The attack on Mrs Pratt is shameful. The remarks Woolas made are beneath contempt and demonstrate the bullying tactics of this government. Where for God's sake is the Opposition?

Lord Monkington-Smythe

Rawnsley couldn't reveal his sources because, um, he is a journalist.

organic cheeseboard

The targeting of Pratt has been demeaning for Number 10.

I think it's been rather more demaning for the tories actually, which is the reason no 10 went out on the attack - and it seems to have worked pretty well. Your inherent grudge against Brown is distorting your evaluative faculties.

skynine

Every time I see the name Phil Woolas I think of sheep and fall about laughing.

Hysteria

where is the opposition?

planning on losing this election is my bet - or if not actively planning, then perhaps so concerned about the state we are in they have no stomach for the fight, prefering instead to see Labour back with a reduced majority, subsequent IMF visit and economic collapse, and the destruction of Labour in the election in spring, 2012.

I'll get me coat...............

logdon

organic cheeseboard
February 24th, 2010 4:25pm Report this comment

Your inherent grudge against Brown is distorting your evaluative faculties."

Laugh? As the saying goes, I thought they'd never dry.

Organic cheeseboard? Says it all, really.

Andy Leeds

Well if it is all untrue, as the odious Mandy and Brown have been saying/implying then there is a simple solution: Sue.

Gordon the Moron can issue writs for deformation. It is always very unwise to deny something which is patently true.

Ronnie

Oh who gives a shit?

Frank P

Andy Leeds (8.01Pm)

"Gordon the Moron can issue writs for deformation"

Well, he's certainly deformed but who would he sue for that? He'd be a little pushed to sue anyone for defamation, too. I doubt their is any base insult imaginable that could be levelled against him that doesn't have at least some truth in it and the queue of witnesses queuing outside the Law Courts to weigh in against him would stretch all the way to his home constituency and beyond.

Simon Stephenson

"The targeting of Pratt has been demeaning for Number 10. Officials should have issued a simple statement to the effect that no concerns about bullying had been brought to the attention of Downing Street, but that any such claims would be taken extremely seriously."

Yes, but this would have been the behaviour of people who had fully grown-up, both intellectually and emotionally. The last 13 years have demonstrated quite dramatically that most of the people at the heart of the government have not actually gone through this life-transformation.

Of course, the same is true of most others of their generation, which is why the democratic process allowed them to be elected in the first place.

It's difficult to see a way forward for a country which has given control of its central decision-making to a bunch of mental teenagers.

JohnAnt

Interviewer: Did you throw things?
Brown: Er, I have never ever hit anyone...

TrevorsDen

newsnight was funny - Hattersley gratuitously smears Rawnsley and then splutteringly objects when Rawnsley interrupts to defend himself. Steel showed himself up by being willing to defend Brown.

Mind you newsnight the other night was beyond parody when clearly Kirsty Wark orgasmed whilst trying to smear Ashcroft whilst ignoring Labours non doms. Bravo for Gove whose role was sadly to curtail Ms Warks exitement.

Andrew Zalotocky

Maybe the stories about bullying at Number 10 are just a proxy for something else. Alastair Campbell was notorious for browbeating journalists into following the party line, and no doubt Draper, McBride et al have been just as bad. The newspapers must really want some payback, but they can't openly discuss how Labour's spin machine manipulated and intimidated them without damaging their own credibility. They can't condemn it without admitting that it worked. By accusing Brown of bullying his staff they can punish Labour for the way it treated them without the risk of any embarrassment to themselves.