John Prescott Recants Brownism

Senator Prescott* said some interesting things in a talk on a cruise on Queen Mary 2 (right). The former Deputy Prime Minister was accused by Tony Blair in A Journey of helping Gordon Brown to succeed him:

It’s not that John was ever personally disloyal – he wasn’t – but Gordon pitched his own position on reform in such a way that it was obviously more simpatico with John’s; so it changed the constellation of forces around me.

Well, it looks as if John Prescott followed the same trajectory as Polly Toynbee, Jackie Ashley and all and realised, too late, the error of his ways. According to The Sunday Telegraph, he told passengers on the cruise that Brown was a “cuckoo in the nest”, which is a welcome return to sanity after years in which Prescott only half-heartedly dissented from that view of Tony Blair. He went on:

He could be a miserable bugger, Gordon, and people thought ‘Oh, he’s not very friendly.’ Mind you they say that about me often enough. But television is a critical part of politics. We all know that. I hope it’s not gone so far that you’ve got to be like the X Factor, like Clegg were, to get elected. ‘Oh isn’t he a lovely young guy?’

Prescott returned to his early view of Blair as an asset to Labour when asked why the party lost in 2010:

Tony Blair got a lot of Tories to vote for him who perhaps wouldn’t have voted Labour and wouldn’t feel the same about Gordon Brown. I think that’s one of the reasons that did happen to be quite frank. And therefore you have to look at why was that.

And he had a realistic assessment of the new leader’s team:

To be frank they better start like Red Ed didn’t. He’s actually disowning our record. It’s a damn good record. I’m proud of it. I’m proud to have belonged to a government that got more people back to work, more people into the hospitals, a better education system. You’ve got to say that you did something good in that period. And I think in the election that went on between the leaders they tended to stand aside. It was almost a seeking of the unions.

*He also said:

I don’t like the word Lord. It’s got a lordly meaning to it. I’d prefer to be called a senator than a Lord. It has all these kind of implications and I get a bit embarrassed about them but it gives me a political platform. But for God’s sake let’s get rid of the word Lord and become a senator.

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• hunfred

  I have often wondered about Prescot, does he not know we do not have a senat in this country?I have never found him an erudite man but his hart is in the right place,just under his valet.

• http://twitter.com/SaltleyGates Saltley Gates

  Lord Prescott like so many Labour politicians before him describes the same arc, becoming increasingly right wing, ditching any Labour values behind a screen of verbal nonsense, support for US Wars and bombing, attacks on Trade Unionists, the Poor and asylum seekers.

  Whats most important about Prescott is how he was used as cover for Blair when Blair was dismantling the Labour Parties internal democracy and Clauese 4. Remember Prescotts traditional values in a modern setting, promise to renationalise Rail, Integrated Transport. Prescott gave cover to Blairs War lies and is as responsible as any of the Labour hierachy for the Iraq bloodbath. Then there is the way Prescott abused and attacked the Fire Fighters and their Trade Union the FBU when they were in dispute.

  As it happens Prescott was a disaster as Deputy PM, he was by general agreement a poor minister see Chris Mullins Diaries for details of his long stupid rambling discourses in meetings. Then look at his record in office, could anyone point to any progressive policy he was responsible for over 13 yrs.

  On top of this was his personal behaviour and the way he abused his position of power, the manner in which he conducted himself here are all typical of the over inflated ego of the Labour Nabobs.When they get to parliament they forget their roots and start worrying about making money, busines deals, Lobbying. The only people they attack are usually the Trade Unions and the poor,Prescott fits this.

  Then having spent years telling us how important democracy is they join the House of Lords, the unelected, corrupt, Parliamentary Lobbying arm of UK Corporations. However Prescott, like most Labour sell outs will tell you he doesnot do it for himself but to better represent us. As though an unelected institution should ever be supported.

  So Prescott is the usual ineffectual, Labour, rightwing, Neo Liberal, US orientaited sell out
  whose words and actions diverged about 45 years ago.