What ever happened to the ‘Vision’ that Brown so urgently needed to communicate that he had no choice but to abandon General Election plans?
He never did explain what it was that he so desperately needed the Premiership for in the first place. You spend 10 years plotting and scheming to get the job and you realise, once you’ve got it, you don’t know what to do next? It seems unthinkable but that’s exactly what’s happened.
Brown’s vision these days is ‘fighting the recession’ and ‘cleaning up politics’ – both issues on the agenda due to events out of his control (or the result of his previous ‘efforts’). Hardly the stuff of a legendary ‘vision’ which required another 2 years to explain, or justified the extermination of Blair.
Where’s Brown’s agenda? Where’s Brown’s leadership? The expectation that Brown would explode into the premiership with a host of fantastically original and popular ideas that he’d been dreaming up (and holding back) over the last ten years turned out to be way off the mark. There’s nothing there, just the pure ambition of a man who wanted the prestige of the role for its own sake, to make his mark on history.
Is it any wonder though? Selecting a leader based on who’s ‘turn’ it was, who was most ‘entitled’ to it rather than who was most suitable and qualified sort of sums up entirely what’s wrong with the Labour Party and the way they think. Taking turns rather than using competition, you see? The results can be catastrophic.
David said...
2 Jun 09 at 1:22 pm
An almost perfect summary, that’s why Gordo won’t be calling an election util the last minute under any circumstances. He just wants the job without actually knowing why and genuinely hates anyone who might threaten his position. It’s almost a psychosis.
Mark Reckons said...
2 Jun 09 at 1:52 pm
Good post Charlotte. I was going to do a post very similar to this myself this week but you have saved me the bother!
I want interviewers and opponents to keep asking him where his vision is. He was very clear in Autumn 2007 that was why he had to call off the election. At the time it sounded like bollocks but it is on the record and he should be held to it.
Stu said...
2 Jun 09 at 1:57 pm
Labour’s problem now is that Brown was the endgame – the Socialist wing of the party have long wanted Brown. The idea was that Blair would get them elected, then Brown would step in and push the socialist agenda they wanted.
Now that the endgame has turned out to be an unmitigated disaster, there’s nowhere left to turn.
Julian H said...
2 Jun 09 at 2:06 pm
I’d like to make a prediction.
So I will.
At some point in the future, maybe in an autobiography, Brown will claim that he wanted to implement The Great New Socialist Theory that he’d come up with (which is socialism, but not the socialism that’s completely failed – but rather something else, which if you don’t understand you’re an idiot) but that he didn’t have enough time because of the evil Blairite-Campbellista-Bushist regime that led to the Global Economic Crisis which itself thwarted all his untapped potential (that otherwise would have “eradicated poverty”).
Blackacre said...
2 Jun 09 at 2:25 pm
I am sure Julian H is right and that whatever happens to Brown he will blame the delay in him getting the office. However, it was quite clear to many people that he was indeed as alleged early in the life of new Labour psychologically flawed and should never have been put in charge. He was a good chancellor largely and that is where he should have stayed.
Now he has the office and despite not having a clue what to do with it, he will cling on as long as possible so we have to rely on the grey suits to do their job once again. They did not have the balls last summer, however, and I doubt that has changed since.
Julian H said...
2 Jun 09 at 2:39 pm
“They did not have the balls last summer, however, and I doubt that has changed since.”
Aye, the lack of spine of this lot is staggering. At least the Tories used to weald their knives during a crisis. These Labour swine just hide away, or spout platitudes.
DIY said...
2 Jun 09 at 5:53 pm
Brown is clueless. I just hope the British public don’t panic and vote in BNP. I think it is a must that we have a general election soon. I want change, and this is a democracy.
Oranjepan said...
2 Jun 09 at 11:06 pm
Brown has a habit of missing out words in his sentences as he stumbles and stutters his way through his preachifying. In that case he missed out the word ‘tunnel’.
patently said...
3 Jun 09 at 11:22 am
Did you catch the Harrying Harperson on the radio this morning?
According to her, Gordon has an incredibly strong, powerful, and well defined vision. She declined to set it out for us, though.