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Some advice for Brown’s second year: find a John Reid and bring back Charles Clarke

Steve Richards

Wednesday, 25th June 2008

Steve Richards reviews the week in politics

Gordon Brown’s first anniversary in Number 10 Downing Street is passing in the usual whirl of Prime Ministerial hyperactivity. It would have been out of character for Mr Brown to raise a glass if the year had been an unambiguous triumph, but even a more fun-loving leader would balk at toasting the last 12 months. Instead the event is marked by an eruption of articles and television programmes seeking to analyse what has gone wrong. Mr Brown will not have liked any of them.

A less commonly asked question in the media’s volcanic eruption is what, if anything, the Prime Minister can do to change the situation in his second year at the helm. Are there actions he can take which might make his next anniversary in Downing Street a little more upbeat than the first?

Of course there is an increasingly common view that Mr Brown is doomed to spend the remainder of his Prime Ministerial days in the doldrums whether or not he makes it to a second anniversary. Yet there are some astute observers who still believe that with two years to go until the next election talk of a tipping point is premature. One of those is the former adviser to Jim Callaghan in the late 1970s, Lord McNally, who is now the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Lords. He tells me that he sees many similarities between Mr Callaghan and Mr Brown, in the circumstances in which they inherited the crown and in their relationships with the Labour party. Even so he is adamant that he does not yet sniff the ‘sea change’ in British politics that Mr Callaghan spoke of when he was destined for defeat in 1979, not least because in spite of all the difficulties the British economy is in far better shape now and Mr Brown presides over an incomparably more stable parliamentary majority. This gives Mr Brown many more levers to pull.

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cuffleyburgers

June 27th, 2008 6:08pm

The economy may have been hi sbig project but there's not doubting he made a right royal mess of it, he brought chaos to everything he touched.

Anan

June 30th, 2008 8:57pm

The economy did "well" beacause of the golden legacy he achieved from Ken Clarke. And while he has pumped money into the public services, the vast majority of our money has gone into creating pen-pushing bureaucrats of limited intelligence and skill. Why do you liberal media idiots call yourselves "Independent" when you are so utterly left-wing, almost to the point of fascism (and not far off). Praise the stars that your entire medium is dying away, in no small part due to your descent into partisan cheerleading, shoddy journalism and worst of all, an extremely crap level of English. Good riddance, losers.

You and the rest of your eco-fascist colleagues will not missed.

Anan

June 30th, 2008 8:59pm

The economy did "well" beacause of the golden legacy that was handed to this joke of a chancellor/PM from Ken Clarke. And while he has pumped money into the public services, the vast majority of our money has gone into creating pen-pushing bureaucrats of limited intelligence and skill. Why do you liberal media idiots call yourselves "Independent" when you are so utterly left-wing, almost to the point of fascism (and not far off).

I praise the stars that your entire medium is dying away, in no small part due to your descent into partisan cheerleading, shoddy journalism and worst of all, an extremely crap level of English. Good riddance, losers.

You and the rest of your eco-fascist colleagues will not missed.

carol42

June 30th, 2008 11:46pm

One big difference between Brown and Callaghan and Major. Both these PMs were still generally liked even as their parties became hated and both fought a hard election to become leader. Brown was 'crowned' after years of undermining Blair and making sure no one was left to stand against him then having a Cabinet of nonenties so no one could outshine him - some joke that. Unlike the other two Brown is loathed, not only in England if the Scottish blogs are to be believed, and from the people I speak to, regardless of their political persuasion. I don't think there is any way back for him and no one left who could do any better. I just dread the scorched earth that he could leave in another two years.