By Jane Merrick
So that's it. Harriet Harman insists she is "minding the shop" for Gordon Brown while he's in Suffolk, where he is presumably lying down in a darkened room with a wet towel on his forehead at claims that up to 10 junior ministers are planning to resign in September.
Rather unkindly, Downing Street has spent the past few days briefing that Double H is merely one of "a number of senior ministers in London to deal with the day to day business of government" - even though she's been holding meetings in Downing Street since yesterday. Surely No10 must realise they're going to need Harman, Labour chairman and quite a ruthless and canny operator, onside in the next few weeks - especially if it's true, as reported (and subsequently denied), that she told aides "this is my moment" when watching the Glasgow East results come in?
But, of course, everyone knows that Gordon Brown is really in charge. On his numerous foreign holidays, Tony Blair would travel with an entourage of more than 20, including two or three 'garden girls' for typing up correspondence, speeches, etc. And this Prime Minister is no different. But unlike Blair, I learn that Brown has also taken his chief spinner, Damian McBride, to make sure the tide doesn't wash away the prime ministerial sandcastle. This shows how serious things are.
Another sign that we political journalists are not overstating how bad it is: John Prescott’s intervention condemning the "press prattle" surrounding Brown’s leadership. Remember that this is the line he used during the worst periods of the Blair/Brown relationship. But now we know, through books by Alastair Campbell, Cherie Blair, Lord Levy and Prezza himself, it was all true.
We do not need to change ther leader. It was just a bad few months. Get over it. 3 by elections, council elections and a mayoral election in a period of about a few months so what. People should calm down. This leader saved millions with his aid relif to africa he deserves more time.
Give us 5-6 months
Posted by: The duke of Safe | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 09:52 PM
Absolutely right, we don't need to change the leader.
We need to change the entire useless shower of a nationally-hated Government, and sling this hopeless army of gutless neocon yes-men on the garbage-heap where they belong.
Posted by: Neil McGowan | Tuesday, 29 July 2008 at 10:38 PM
Well, that's that, said my PR friend, we've done the hols in England stuff - now we can push off to Tuscany. We've got to keep Gordon thinking it's Miliband or Straw, while the big bananas in the party set up the right moment for one of the ladies in the Cabinet to step forward. That'll be one in the eye for Cameron. A lady PM! Hard to attack, some sympathy from the public (she's a woman - she'll fix everything) and a friendly media (all three ladies in the Cabinet are journalists). Alas, my PR friend won't say which lady it is. He wants, quite naturally, to keep his job and enjoy the free foreign holiday.
Posted by: john problem | Wednesday, 30 July 2008 at 08:36 AM