[News] Brown scotches election rumours.

[davywavy]

Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday ended speculation of a snap Autumn election, stating that he would take the next two years to develop his 'vision' for the country. "I need to develop my vision for this country", he said, "And this will take me some years. Everyone knows I've had no vision up until now and I'll need quite a while to see what I can make up."
Brown went on to say; "When I took over as Prime Minister, I inherited a country which had been grotesquely mismanaged for the better part of a decade. The economy was left in a parlous state by the previous administration. It will take me some years to undo the damage, if ever. Thankfully, I have started taking advice from Margaret Thatcher which hopefully will speed the process."
At time of writing, neither Conservative leader David Cameron nor Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell have offered any comment on the annoucement as reports indicate they have not been able to stop laughing since yesterday.

Comments

[elbly.livejournal.com]

You lifted that directly from the BBC News website didn't you... I don't know! You really should just say what you think you know and not just quote, quote, quote.

Which is a point - Gordon's not started doing things in threes yet has he! It's not labour without the same word repeated three times: spin, spin, spin.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I expected him to bottle it last week, but I was still astonished when it actually happened - an election was his to win, and if he'd taken the snap election option then he would have won. As it is, it seems that Cameron judged his opponent well, played a bluff and Brown blinked.
This may be the first time I've ever seen someone fold when holding three aces, and his credibility is completely screwed now.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, quite. If he can't see off a paper tiger (Like an opposition party trailing by 11%) how will he deal with real challenges like, ooh, Iran?

Unfit for power, I have a fiver says he won't last a year. Any takers?

Without Bliar to hold them together, Nulab is reverting to form, and the form is, let's be frank, dismal.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I dunno - I reckon he's got enough momentum to see him until the next election. The big question is whether the credit bubble will burst before then, because then he'll really get bitten.

[(Anonymous)]

One big issue, which he has to handle instead of basking in the glory of a half competent civil service, will scupper him. As a man with no integrity, he can't make a decision without reverting to a spreadsheet, and some decisions need to be made on principle

[fonnparr.livejournal.com]

I agree with you but I'll take that bet.

The majority of voters in this country have got no idea about policy, and unfortunately neither do the politicians.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Have you collected this?

[fonnparr.livejournal.com]

No, but my chickens haven't hatched yet.
Having said that, the conservatives could probably win the next election with almost anybody in the front seat. The British public (like USA) want a celebrity as thier political figurehead and Brown just isn't that sort of material. How entertaining would it be to see Boris as the next PM?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Your chickens have hatched - the bet was that Brown wouldn't last a year, and the bet was made in October 2007. The money is yours.

[fonnparr.livejournal.com]

I thought you were being extra generous, then realised it wasn't you who made the bet!

[elbly.livejournal.com]

I've never thought much of him tbh, but I'm currently sat here thinking "jeez! what a loser!" How can he sit there going "yes, okay, so I did start the speculation about a snap election, I admit it, but... but... no... but... well... I wasn't put off by anything, honest, no really I wasn't... it's just... oh... where's my mummy?"

[(Anonymous)]

Well, quite.
I guess he was worried it would turn into the Euro referendum he promised but won't let us have.

Heaven forfend the electorate should be allowed a say in the running of what used to be a country & is now a province of Euroland. we might have the temerity to make the wrong decision, like the French did. Far better these things be decided by people who understand the issues.

[damien-wise.livejournal.com]

'fraid I'm missing a lot of what's going-on in British politics from my spot in Australia -- what's happened over there lately? Did The Master become PM or something? ;)

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

To summarise: Blair finally got pushed out by Labour leaving Tubby Brown a free run into PM. Brown got a big jump in the opinion polls based on his not being Blair and got his loyal gnomes to test the water and make noises about a snap election this Autumn. At the Conservative conference, Posh Dave made aggressive noises and demanded an election straight away because he'd win no problem. Brown backed down, saying that he'd never consider an early election, gosh no.
Cue much laughing at Conservative central office, as they knew they'd lose if a poll was called but managed to make Brown look a twat by bluffing him with false confidence.
Net result: Browns credibility severely dented, and the Conservatives look strong, manly, and three points ahead in the latest opinion polls.

[(Anonymous)]

So, why does this matter? I reckon the only thing the prime Minister cannot outsource is judgement. Broons claim to managerial competence is a red herring - most shop managers can close the books at the end of the day & stay on top of stock control. The PM should devolve this to the civil service & get on with his job, formulating strategy.

If he can't read Cameron's obvious hollow bluster, then he's likely to be suckered by the EU, Iran, China, and they many others not directly hostile to us, but perfectly happy to stuff us for gain if they can get away with it. With Broon, they will.

[jonnyargles.livejournal.com]

Ah, he was never going to hold an election; there's no real precedent for it. In fact, if he did take advice from Thatcher, that'd probably have been it - after all, Major didn't hold one when he took the reins - although admittedly that was after a vote of no confidence had been taken within the party.

And Cameron knew it, hence his Scrappy Doo-ishness; except Scrappy at least thought he was ready for the fight. DC doesn't want to go anywhere NEAR an election until he's got the Express, Telegraph and Mail onside, hence the IHT and rich foreign people getting let off / poor ones being priced out of the country policies being hastily scrapped together.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

That might be a conovincing argument if it weren't for his loyal gnomes spending the last six weeks talking about one, and his own admission that 'should have decided sooner' not to have one; inasmuch as Brown ever tells the truth about anything, this would certainly indicate that he was considering one.

[(Anonymous)]

Plus the £25k flat rate tax bill for non-doms, (who currently pay nothing at all, thanks to Broons plutocrat friendly regime) to pay for inheritance tax cuts for the 32% of homeowners who now fall into that trap. Oh, and cutting the £7k average stamp duty paid on house moves (great economic policy, tax the mobility of the workforce)

Do try & keep up.