"May I say, for the benefit of those who have been carried away by the gossip of the last few days, that I know what's going on. I'm going on," the beleaguered Labour Prime Minister said amid reports that people in his own party were plotting to force him out. That was Harold Wilson, 39 years ago last week. But Gordon Brown came very close to repeating it at his Downing Street press conference this lunchtime.
"I'm doing the job," he said, when asked which of his Cabinet colleagues were good enough to take over as Prime Minister. "To be honest, I'm not going to be put off by the sort of gossip you're indulging in today." He insisted: "I feel that I am the right person to be able to sort out the problems that we have now."
As you can tell, the questions from the media were hardly deferential. The mood wasn't angry, but very subdued, almost funereal (a bit ominous, that). Some hard-bitten hacks in the room quipped that Brown's secret weapon was to make us feel sorry for him so he would win a sympathy vote.
Before the presser, the PM had given interviews to every media outlet in what is being seen as a repeat of the "masochism strategy" to which Tony Blair subjected himself before the 2005 election. The idea is that, when you're in trouble, you allow yourself to be a punchbag, let the media or public let off steam and land some blows, so you can then move on.
It worked for Blair over Iraq - sort of. He won a majority in 2005, although a smaller one than he wanted. The parallels with Wilson are less optimistic for Brown: he survived the 1969 plotting but lost the election the following year.
"masochism strategy" why is he bring in Max Moseley LOL.
Posted by: dirty european socialist | Thursday, 15 May 2008 at 04:55 PM
The problem with Brown is that neither his party nor the people ever elected him. However insignificant he thinks this fact is; the British people disagree.
His demands to 'go on' remind me of teenage conversations with girlfriends when you are splitting up 'I promise to be different, we can make things ok'.
Sure enough the split comes within weeks.
Brown: Resign now and save yourself a historic level of infamy. Children will be taught for centuries about your failings if you do not leave soon.
Brown is the worst Prime Minister this country has ever had: Unqualified, un-elected, unsympathetic, unpopular, unwanted and unrepentant.
Posted by: Zen | Thursday, 15 May 2008 at 07:30 PM
Gordon Brown will go down in British History as the greatest leader this nation has ever known. If idiots like Zen can't admit that then I really don't know what this country is comming to!
Posted by: Salopian | Thursday, 15 May 2008 at 07:49 PM
What a charisma, what a chin.
Posted by: JT | Thursday, 15 May 2008 at 08:57 PM
>> If idiots like Zen can't admit that then I really don't know what this country is comming to! <<
Comming? Tut-tut, back to Shrewsbury School with you.
Posted by: Neil McGowan | Thursday, 15 May 2008 at 08:59 PM
Brown has no doubt made mistakes, but he is on the recieving end of a vicious attack by the media and the spiteful tories whose aim is to crash him to the ground, making his job harder than it already is.
Now I know this is politics and it often gets nasty and, as PM, it is right that he should be criticised etc as it acts as a check on his actions, but really, do people (*AHEM* Caring bloody Cameron) have no morals?
What more can he do other than persistently tell people he is doing his job? Rather than concentrating on causing conflict, perhaps HMO, the media and the people should co-operate with Brown, as his poor brain is probably being beaten every day by ANOTHER cheap tabloid hit at his career.
Anyway, what do I know? lol...perhaps Brown doesn't actually care and my sympathy is not needed. =) but i genuinely believe that he might be more effective as leader of this country if British culture wasn't to constantly oppose things just for the sake of opposing them.
Posted by: . | Friday, 16 May 2008 at 10:44 PM