Now Brown should have Major concerns
A while ago on Open House, we picked up on the comparisons that had started to spring up between the governments of Gordon Brown and John Major. They were mischievous back then, and I agreed with Steve Richards that, ultimately, they were probably overblown. But looking back at Major's last days now, the comparisons in rhetoric at least are alarming.
Watch Major's election announcement, and how he attempts to fight Labour's slogan "time for a change". He confidently declares:
"People are looking for change, we are the change. And we'll carry forward what we've been doing for the past 18 years."
That's right, you heard correctly. Change is continuity. Up is down. Black is white. It's the very same tac that Brown wants to attempt, declaring outside No. 10, "Let the work of change begin". But the electorate has been left saying, what change? Brown should beware - the voters didn't buy it when Major tried it. Campbell was right on the election night to say the massive predicted 171 majority would not be correct. In the end, it was 179.
Now watch the above video of Blair laying into Major, which I have featured on Open House before. But this time, picture Blair's words coming from the mouth of Cameron, and replace John Major's dispairing figure with that of Brown. It reflects the current state of things perfectly.
Last week at the dispatch box, Cameron began to show signs of the kind of confidence and swagger shown by Blair here, playing to the gallery. And Brown does seem to have lost control of the New Labour steering wheel.
I might even suggest to Cameron that there would be a pretty strong case for him repeating the treble charge of "weak, weak, weak" at Brown, reminding him of Blair's far greater dispatch box abilities, while dispelling the notion of the Brown "clunking fist". It would be a gamble though - Blair's reputation is already improving in the wake of Labour's performance since he left, but Cameron still might be wary of the "heir to Blair" error that he made last year.
Back in 1997, the voters didn't believe change really meant continuity. They thought change, oddly enough, meant change. And if they have already decided that change is what's needed, then there may be little Brown can do.
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