The Brown Years

Gordon Brown started his career in the British government as Chancellor of the Exchequer following Labour’s victory at the 1997 general election. After years of rowing with Tony Blair, Mr Brown eventually became Labour leader and Prime Minister in 2007 after Mr Blair retired.

For a period of about six months Brown could practically walk on water and his handling of crises such as flooding and an outbreak of Foot & Mouth were widely regarded as showing deft leadership. He appeared statesmanlike.

However the sheen of success was to fade and his first mistake was his dithering over not calling a general election in the autumn of 2007, which many believed Labour would have won. Soon this bad judgement led to David Cameron’s Conservatives moving ahead in the opinion polls and this was the start of Mr Brown’s woes.

Failure to voice an opinion on the conflict in Georgia, last year, allowed David Cameron to set the agenda by flying out to Tbilisi, whilst Brown was on holiday, gave the impression that the Labour PM was not up to it, with regard to foreign policy at any rate.

The ten pence tax debacle which meant that poorer people (those on low incomes) would lose earnings was another Brown blunder and had the effect of squeezing those that Labour would normally have supported. Clearly the prime minister was displaying a lack of respect, at least, for those in the poorer parts of the UK – traditional Labour voters. This stuck in the craw and made it easier for people, in his own party, to dislike him.

The stunt of having Mrs Thatcher for tea in Downing Street, shortly after his assuming the role of PM was shameful. Thatch was hated by Labour members for her opposition to the unions and many were justifiably outraged by such supine behaviour on the part of Brown.

Even though he was a first class Chancellor, Mr Brown has clearly not got the breadth of experience required to manage the various organs of government and this has become a sharp disadvantage for him. As I mentioned above, the issue of the conflict in Georgia shows a level of ignorance on Foreign Affairs by the British prime minister and this inexperience hasn’t helped him.

But it is the economy that is the big beast’s strong point and some may have been convinced by his loudly heralded ‘Fiscal Stimulus’. Will Gordon will get us out of this economic morass? Not a bit of it. The G20 summit that Mr Brown placed so much importance on was not really a success and the recession is still haunting the world.

GB’s failure to act swiftly on a number of issues has not helped him and an example of that would be the dithering and poor judgement over the rights of the Ghurkhas, brave allies of the British army. The lovely Joanna Lumley (now in her 60s and still as gorgeous as ever) had to apply pressure before the government finally relented and accepted they were wrong. Further bad publicity and embarrassment for Mr Brown.

In Gordon Brown people see a dour, truculent, almost grumpy PM. He frequently fails to sting David Cameron in their many exchanges in the House of Commons. Tony Blair once warned the Conservatives to beware of ‘the clunking fist’, a reference to Brown. ‘Limp wrist’ would be a more appropriate tag, as he frequently fails to impress at the dispatch box.

The crisis hitting Westminster, at the moment, concerns MPs expenses and this has lead to many MPs being forced to stand down. The whole political class has been damaged by this scandal and the government is taking a hammering as a result. Hazel Blears (dubbed ‘Blears in Arrears’) has, alongside Jacqui Smith, been forced to leave the cabinet due to her manipulation of the system. This will not make Gordon Brown popular with the voters.

Alistair Darling is in serious trouble due to his expenses record and Brown may have wanted to move him away from the Treasury – if an ordinary MP can be punished for messing about with expenses shouldn’t the same apply to government ministers as well? Martin Kettle, writing in Friday’s Guardian (5th June 2009), lays much blame at the feet of the PM: “For a chancellor to resign, or for a prime minister to sack a chancellor, is explosive. It puts the wider credibility of the entire government at risk.” This is the nub of Gordon Brown’s present difficulties and the various resignations we have seen over recent days have undoubtedly made it harder for him to lead the government.

But what is most important to people, government or the wider Labour party? James Purnell has clearly decided what matters most to him. Following his resignation late on Thursday, he told the prime minister “to stand aside to give Labour a fighting chance of winning the next election.” Mr Purnell, through resigning, has shown himself to be monumentally disloyal.

Gordon Brown, at Friday’s news conference in Downing Street (covered live on television), appeared like a widower at the afters of a funeral. But there was no tea and biscuits provided. Mr Brown testily fielded questions from assembled political journalists and, despite his irritation; it seems he has bought some time. The game’s not up just yet was his theme.

There appears to be a divide between those with the Labour party’s best interests at heart and those that believe the government has a responsibility to the public, the voters. This cauldron is reaching boiling point and will soon steam over. The trick will be to change leader by causing as little aggravation as possible. But Gordon Brown is, as one commentator put it, “stubborn.” One suspects trouble ahead.

Personally I feel that Brown is a bad communicator and has not handled his premiership well at all, unlike his predecessor. He shouldn’t have been made leader in the first place and that is the whole basis of this crisis. Of course the expenses revelations have added to the mix but Brown’s leadership is now under examination. The receivers may have to be called in.

My view is that government is paramount and the parliamentary party should be of secondary importance. Notwithstanding Mr Brown’s obvious shortcomings, governments have to legislate and Labour MPs should be aware of this. By all means have a debate when in opposition but in government there can be no room for leadership contests or the like. Instead the dissenters must put up or shut up. Now is not the time for internecine conflict, the public deserve better. And if that means a Conservative triumph at the next general election then all well and good – it’s called democracy, letting the people decide. This is what Labour MPs need to understand.
© Ian Callagy 2009