Hand me the razor blades – Brown’s still Prime Minister. It means, on the one hand, I win the £10 I bet against Mark Thompson who thought Brown would be gone before the end of June. Mark pays his gambling debts, if anyone’s interested 
At the time I thought this bet was a win-win for me – if Brown went then, hell, Brown went! If Brown stayed, woo, £10 for me.
Yet, on this particular occasion, having my own particular impression of Brown’s psychology validated like this isn’t something to be celebrated. It doesn’t feel like win-win. It feels like we’ve both lost, except in addition to Mark losing I’ve kicked him in the nuts and stolen his wallet.
It seems that Brown, above all else, values being Prime Minister. Nothing else matters. That’s what I bet. I wish I was wrong.
He cannot be forced out of the job by his party without the party political equivalent of mass suicide, and he won’t go of his own free will. Ho hum – great news if you’re a Tory. Hell for everyone else.
Barnacle Brown will never step down.
Mark Reckons said...
1 Jul 09 at 10:15 pm
I have lost this bet but I am convinced that Brown will go before the General Election. In fact I think he will go before the end of this year, forced out by his party.
The calculation at the moment is that if he was to go, the pressure for a General Election would become unstoppable but if he went in the Autumn with a new PM in place before Christmas, that new leader could then credibly announce the date of the GE as early Spring (virtually when they would have to go anyway). The calculation come Autumn flips and the Labour Party would be better off at that point with a new leader. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
I have another bet on with Constantly Furious about this.
measured said...
1 Jul 09 at 11:02 pm
I agree, Mark. They want to get the Lisbon Treaty ratified to scupper the Tories and then he can go. Mandy calls the shots, sadly not with a gun. Hold back on the razor blades, Charlotte; trust me, he’s not worth it.
Jake Motta said...
2 Jul 09 at 8:37 am
Its just John Major all over again… except Brown can’t blame Blair like Major blamed Thatcher, so Brown won’t win against the odds
Nick M said...
3 Jul 09 at 2:16 pm
You just reminded me I now owe my Dad a fiver…