Gordon Brown

[fish]

I'm beginning to miss Tony Blair as Prime Minister and believe (for all his faults) that he made a better Prime Minister than Gordon Brown, who has not lived up to expectations and all the hype. He, always, looks and sounds uncomfortable and does not have the charisma associated with a world statesman.

[*Bob*]

That's because (speaking objectively) Blair was a master, as was Mrs T at her peak.

Expect a few years of 'fillers' before the next one comes along.

[SimonM]

>> Blair was a master, as was Mrs T at her peak. <<

And they both dragged us unnecessarily into wars.....which Brown has yet to do (also being objective of course)

[mockney piers]

So forget about the institutionalised sleaze, the pointless league tables, the hypocrital self-righteousness, the unmitigated failure to achieve anything, the subjugation of our foreign policy to a bunch of fascists in washington, the warmongering, the riding roughshod over national opinion, the erosion of personal liberties...he had a nice smile.

I'd say, rather sadly, that Brown has indeed lived up to expectations (I'm not a fan, can you tell); but for all that, and his discomfort in front of the cameras, he's comported himself with more dignity and the spin machine, if not gone, is much quieter.

Plus he has more personal integrity in his sweaty jowls than Blair could muster in a lifetime.

God if this is the level of national debate no wonder we're stuck between the wannabe blair and his his vacuous party and a gutless labour party always out for themselves first and foremost.

Sheesh.

[*Bob*]

C'mon Mockers.. you can do better than that. Were we not 'speaking objectively'?

Imagine yourself as a British history student of the future. The Blair and Thatcher years will be as much a part of the syllabus as Palmerston and Gladstone - though for different reasons.

[Brendan]

Do you ever get the feeling that we are living in a dystopian future?

[wee quinnie]

Oh well at least he binned off the idea of the supercasinos.

[mockney piers]

Andrew Marr summed it nicely up at the end of his recent programme on contemporary British politics, and I quote from memory

"For all Blairs impact on the political stage, his achievements were transient. Though he served as long as Thatcher and whatever our personal feelings to them are, we are all Thatchers children but we will never be Blair's children.

I couldn't have put it better myself. Blair has only one legacy and that's Iraq. Seriously, tell me what Eden did....waiting....Suez perchance?

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I actually got excited when he binned the supercasinos but he's been pretty timid since.

Mockney's post sums up mad-dog Blair's time at the top and I'm thankful the stary eyed nutter is somewhere else but feel sorry for the Palistinians.

Sweaty jowls and lack of colgate smile should not mean anything, but unless he loosens the American's grip on our country and starts running things for us, he'll continue to be judged on meaningless sh!t like that.

[Brendan]

Lets be honest Supercasinos are not going to make an impact on British society. They are just a distraction to deter from the real issues. I refer you to Mockneys earlier post:

?the pointless league tables? the unmitigated failure to achieve anything, the subjugation of our foreign policy to a bunch of fascists in washington, the warmongering, the riding roughshod over national opinion, the erosion of personal liberties?

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Agreed

[*Bob*]

I watched the Marr series.

It was interesting (and telling) watching him half-heartedly sketch-out the various Prime Ministries in the first episodes - and then shoot his televisual wad when Mrs T hove into view.

[blinder999]

Blair's government chucked a fair amount of money at education and health, two key issues for many of us, but if you're a child-free healthy adult male, you will be unlikely to have noticed the improvements in schools and hospitals.

I am fairly confident that if the Tories had stayed in power, they would have continued to starve schools and the NHS of cash, and my kids' births, operations, and education would not have been nearly so positive. So I wouldn't say they failed to achieved anything.

I think the warmongering Yankee lapdog brought about tangible improvements in health and education.

[mockney piers]

As for his early successes regards Flooding and Foot & Mouth, there was a very interesting article in Private Eye about how DEFRA had intended to strengthen much needed flood defences along many of our rivers, following investigations into previous floods.

Plus a certain research establishment had reported on its desperately crumbling sewers and vulnerability to a flood. This work was also scheduled for fixing.

Then Brown at the treasury slashed Defra's budgets spelling an end to both projects, indirectly exacerbating the floods that then wrecked the lab that was making Foot and Mouth vaccines that spread to the countryside...causing the crisis.

So all he was doing was damage limitations on things he caused in the first place. Ho hum.

Brown so far has only made surface show of distancing himself from the Neocons, but on key issues, ie ruling out attack on Iran, extending our Nuclear deterrent when we're signed up to getting rid of it and supposed to be encouraging others to do likewise? Nada.

*sigh* and ID cards...

[Brendan]

Like I said. that dystopian future much loved if Sci-Fi novelits is upon us.

[EDOldie]

Radio four yesterday morning asked him if he was enjoying being PM. He didn't say yes. I'm not enjoying him being PM. I don't think the english like being governed by a scot. Whats the betting on his tenure being fairly short. God save us, it's Cameron next.

[Brendan]

Or Clarkson:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3137533.ece

[Keef]

Blinder, I'm not sure I can agree about the improvements in schools and hospitals, it's more that they have created a way to show how good or bad a school is without actually giving much thought at all to the education of the child.

Same for hospitals, and same for most local authority services.

With regards Brown, I feel safer with him at the healm than with Blair, and I think he is a good man. However, I truly fear that the tory spin machine might do a 97 Blair, and send him packing... I will be voting Labour for the first time if it really loks like that could happen...

[Brendan]

The sad thing about the state of our world is that you don?t get to the top in politics by being a ?good man? so you will never end up with one at the helm.

[Jah Lush]

Please, never the Tories again. Better the devil you know. Although it's possible I'll be voting Green next time round or Monster Raving Loony Party.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I'm sorry for the fatuous comment that follows Mockney, but everytime I hear the name Gordon Brown I can't help mentally adding "texture like sun".

[Brendan]

Jah Lush Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Please, never the Tories again. Better the devil

> you know. Although it's possible I'll be voting

> Green next time round or Monster Raving Loony

> Party.

Go monster raving looney. I am a card carrying member myself.

[RosieH]

I fancy Gordon Brown. Am I the only one on here?

[mockney piers]

I don't want to enjoy a prime minister, I want them to do a good job. Blair was totally obsessed with what people thought of him, what his legacy would be, how he could change things..change change change. Politicians can't accept 'if it ain't broke...' because people like to see somebody doing something, changing things. Plenty of stuff needs fixing in this country, but most of it is nitty gritty, dull and difficult without immediate returns.

So take the easy way out, chuck money at problems via a bunch of overpriced management consultants, think that the competition and choice ethics will somehow magically improve things and then walk away when it all turns to sh!t, go 'sort out' the middle east...tw@t.

But yeah, he is rather dishy :D

[SeanMacGabhann]

True dat, Brendan

Amen - much as I dislike so much about this last 10 years, that would be worse. Even if I was a Tory I would hate Labour AND be upset at the alternative offered currently by "my side".

And yes CWALD - I'm aware of the alternatives but even if I agreed with them 100% I know I'd be wasting my vote in the current system. And anyway - what Brendan said

PGC - that is exactly what I thought when I saw the title as well