If Labour backbenchers want to remove such suspicions, their only choice is to revolt. Will they? Don’t hold your breath.
What a shower. What a farce. […]
The past few days have reminded me of the climactic scenes of one of those Pink Panther films, when the world’s supposedly most ruthless killers are converging on their target, and their mission is Kill Clouseau! or in this case, Kill Gordon! Each has his or her signature weapon, and each manages to bog it up. With an unexpected yell, Purnell springs from the stationery cupboard at the Department of Work and Pensions – and his rubber dagger spangs harmlessly aside. […]
[The full article can be seen as first printed in the Daily Telegraph on 08 June 2009]
The results from the locals were appalling for New Labour.
The outcome of the Europeans seems to me to be worse. This Government is now staggeringly unpopular – so unpopular, in fact, that two fascists were elected MEPs.
(I think the only upside to THAT story is that Nick Griffin will be leaving the country.)
But it does leave a big question unanswered. How can anyone, especially a Prime Minister, be so lacking in awareness? How can he not see that the polling results, the Cabinet resignations and the machinations of his backbenchers are evidence of his deep unpopularity?
It’s time for change. We need a General Election now.
Dungeekin
It is truly scary that politicians are so tied up with their own concerns that effective argument against extremism and one-idea politics has actually failed in some areas. We need politicians focused on building the inherent strength of this country, capitalising on what we do well. A rapid election, while appealing on the surface, is probably not the answer. Summer holidays are approaching and whether people stay at home or go away, their brains are with their families/friends and personal concerns – not with generic tax, Europe, education, health, transport, defence, etc.
To counter some of the more peculiar EU election wins (on fewer votes than last time), the main parties need to engage the disengaged. Forcing Labour to start correcting some of the mess it has created while still bringing to light some of mess is also useful.
That Labour is finished for a long time should become even more clear over the next two/three months. Call the election for late September once the holiday euphoria has worn off.
This line from Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles said: “If you want to come out of Europe that’s something for Westminster.
“By electing UKIP people you’re sending cricketers out to a football match and it really doesn’t make sense.”
Never heard of Sharon Bowles before but that’s a great line.
The argument that only a fraction of the voters came out to vote is superfluous to Labours defense for their abysmal result last night ….Wales has turned its back on NuLabour and the implications of those hardline voters protest by NOT voting is immeasurable.
The PM must be kicking himself that he didn’t go to the country in that first October he had after being leader!
Dungeekin, maybe the Labour Party are so off their heads, when they get the dire results, they don’t think the obvious, they think we are sending them mixed messages.
That is the only explanation I can think of for the terribly funny Labour reaction, whenever faced with reality by a tough interviewer. For example,
ON SKY.
Sky Interviewer: These are the direst results for Labour for decades, surely you must accept the country wants a general election.
Harriet Harman: We are listening to the country and they are saying they want us to deal with the issues, not personalities, and we are going to do that.
ON BBC1
BBC interviewer: Mr. Hain, the country’s feeling about Labour is bordering on contempt and ridicule.
Peter Hain: The country is telling us they want us to sort out the economy and Gordon Brown, as we saw from the way he was mobbed and deified at the G20 summit (paraphrasing here) has proved he is the best man to do that.
The Andrew Marr show.
Marr: Lord Mandelson….
Lord M. Be quiet I am speaking.
The rest of the interview was so sublimely amusing, what can I do but give the link here? The way Lord Mandelson continually deflects, and unblushingly defends the indefensible is masterly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH-_fBzeFG0
some of the more outrageous statements made by Lord m. during the above interview.
Marr asks what he really thinks of Gordon.
Lord M. I like his calmness under fire.
(Eh?).
After Andrew Marr asks about James Purnell.
Lord M. I think the public believes that our values and principles have put us on their side.
Andrew Marr asks again about James Purnell.
Lord M. The public want to see new ministers getting on with their jobs, they want us to sort out the expenses system. They want us to deal with the economic recovery and our public services reforms. Rest of interview continued as set out by Harriet Harman and Peter Hain.
As Boris says in his article about Labour,
“They can’t even organise a decent political assassination.”
“Not since the CIA sent Fidel Castro an exploding cigar has there been such ineptitude!”
Tom Bower on SKY five minutes ago.
“Lord Mandelson is a strategist. what he is really doing is manoevring to ultimately replace Brown as the caretaker leader, while seeking to support him”.
Aha! So in saying about Gordon “I like his calmness under fire” he is (a) kidding the PM that he is his strongest protector and defender and (b) rubbing in to us, the people, that Gordon is not calm under fire!
Mixed messages………
ps. I meant “while purporting to support him”. Interesting………..
Boris, really really great article.
Quite honestly, I’m amazed at the hardness of the PM’s carapace.
It’s impervious to any and all attacks. We should be mass-producing it as body armour for the British Army.
Dungeekin
I like this quote of Boris’s:
“Labour MPs despair of Gordon Brown. They recognise that he is leading his party to something like annihilation at the next election.”
Mel: agree that any party that polls worse than the Cornish Independents (agreeable people though the Cornish Independents undoubtedly are) in a major election needs to see they are facing annihilation. Tory vote nationally was strong – but much more hearts and minds needed. I can’t remember who said it first but, “It’s the last step that counts.”
Boris Johnson says he is “militant” about cycling.
It’s an interesting word for an Eton boy who earns nearly a quarter of a million for writing safe dross for one or 2 publications.
He wasn’t militant enough to stand up to those who didn’t want the western extension of the congestion charge, which would have given cycling a huge boost.
Geez, you are a huge Boris fan!
However adept Lord Mandelson is at ducking and diving in an interview, one thing he clearly is not is honest.
Gay Gordon Brown has cleared that Patel Justice Minister over his expenses fiddle but he refuses to publish details of his investigation to show us why they decided to clear him (??!!).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/mps-expenses-rebuilding-politic/5489702/Gordon-Brown-accused-of-expenses-cover-up-over-Shahid-Maliks-return-to-Government.html
How do we know that that Patel did not do anything wrong if gay Gordon refuses to let the public and the press see the details of his investigation?
Clearly, gay Gordon is too scared to lose another one of his ” ministers ” for their stealing taxpayers’ money and more bad publicity. You can tell that Patel is guilty by his shifty look in the photo.