The Last Days of Rome?

I'm obviously missing something here.

RBS are paying bonuses worth £1.3 billion to its employees. The Chief Executive of RBS meanwhile is saying, they have lost money because they are not paying big enough bonuses. His rather patronising attitude during interviews on TV show a man who is rather tired of having to answer such petty questions from interviewers, some of who may bank with RBS, daring to ask him what is going on, on behalf of us, the shareholders.

But most worrying of all are the bloody wimps – the socialist, Labour, government of the people, advocates of a fairer Britain, those who are standing up for the underdog, I don't frankly give a monkey's, bunch of second rate, insulated, do as I say not as I do tossers that masquerade as the British Government. They put billions of our money into RBS, we own 84% of the bank, yet the government think it unnecessary to be asking just who are getting the million pound bonuses. Why are they not doing what the US government is doing and insisting we know who this mysterious bankers are? If the Labour government think this in any way enhances their credibility then I am totally mystified. And don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely certain that the Conservatives would do no better. It's just inexplicable that a so-called Socialist government can behave in such a manner.

And let's not kid ourselves shall we. Just who are these bankers going to go and work for if they don't get the level of bonuses that Britain's banks are paying?

I am becoming so disillusioned by what is going on with politics. It's not a bloody game (with particular reference to that idiot Alex Salmond and his display in Holyrood today) it affects our national state of mind. Is it any wonder that we are a nation in terminal decline. Is it just me that thinks we are living in the last days of Rome?

A Fairer Britain or The Forces of Hell?

Good! So that's alright then. We now all know that Mr Brown is not a bully. He's just someone who cares and is determined to build a fairer Britain.

In the meantime Mr Darling, arguably the next most important man in government to the PM, has confirmed in an interview with Sky News that two of the Prime Minister's key aides briefed long and hard against the Chancellor when he predicted, back in 2008 that Britain's economy was in for a very rough time. According to Mr Darling, "the forces of hell were unleashed." Now who could have unleashed the forces? The 'forces of hell', clearly not a very nice man. But does this constitute bullying. No it probably does not but what then followed exposes someone who is clearly hell-bent on getting his own way.

During the summer Mr Brown wanted to replace Mr Darling with Ed 'Blinker' Balls, but Mr Darling got his own back by refusing to be replaced, insisting he would resign to the back benches rather than accept another job in government. This would have made the PM's job close to untenable. Result Mr Darling is still in No.11, while Mr Brown remains in No.10.

Now all this can do little for the smooth working of government in these most testing of times. Mr Brown is clearly someone who likes to get his own way. For years he wanted the top job, over which he agreed a deal with Tony Blair. Now is it, was it, right that Tony Blair, who said he was going to serve a full term, stepped down to allow a man into the top job who is most obviously not cut out for such a role?

As I've often said on this blog, Mr Brown is not a leader, he is not the stuff from which leaders are made. All that has gone on since he has come to power shows a man who is Machiavellian, a man who has not the skills to be PM and most worryingly a man who is by inclination introverted rather than an extrovert. Leadership in a parliamentary democracy, one that is founded on the longstanding principals of cabinet rule does not sit well with Mr Brown (nor did it with his predecessor but he was a lot cleverer, as were those he gathered around him.) Gordon Brown is a controller, not a leader.

Vast column inches are given over to the opinion polls, the tea leaves and crystal ball gazing by pollsters trying to determine who is ahead, and by how much, and what it could all mean for our future government. Clearly Mr Cameron has not grabbed the electoral high ground; it might all change when we have the TV debates, but then again it may not. So could Gordon Brown still be PM after the election? Yes he could, and then the country will be in real trouble. Watch then the infighting and the jockeying before the knives come out. We will be faced with a Labour party who thinks it is omnipotent, one that will contain even less experience than the current cabinet. Who will push the knife into Mr Brown should he win in a couple of months?

Gordon Brown may want to be careful what he wishes for. . .

An Apple for Teacher. . .Mandarin for all Pupils

Mandarin for all pupils, says Ed Balls, so goes the headline in the Daily Telegraph. No, not an update of the apple for teacher routine but a plan by the aptly named Balls to allow all children to learn the Chinese language. He also thinks that more children should be able to study Polish, Russian and Arabic up to GCSE level. It's all very laudable but like so much Nu-Labour policy it's all about the soundbite, grabbing the headlines with little or no attention paid to the reality of delivering on the ideas. How will schools cope with yet more subjects to schedule? Could we just get the basics right? In Scotland, and to be fair Balls has nothing to do with the situation north of the border, one in five children leave school without being fully literate. It may be better in England, but i suspect not by much. . .

Gordon Brown – Nero Without a Gun (Or the Bullets)

Gordon Brown when he became PM promised us a government of all the talents and set about granting peerages left, right and centre to bring in people to positions as 'ultra special advisers'. But with this latest reshuffle Brown seems to be bringing in more and more talent' to do jobs that others could just as easily do. Mrs Kinnock, while experienced in Europe, gets a great gig to boost her personal standing and do precisely what? Is there really nobody among the 350 Labour MPs who could do the job?

Of course we've already had Mandelson who is now according to reports defacto Deputy Prime Minister. Lord Adonis is the Transport Minister and Alan Sugar has been given a peerage to be 'Enterprise Tsar'. In many ways the appointment and peerage of Sugar is the worst of all. It's a flagrant attempt to cash in on his profile as a TV face and got little to do with 'enterprise'. It's arguable what anyone in a position like his can actually do. I also doubt, among British business leaders, that Sugar has the highest respect quotient.

Democracies are wonderful things; we are blessed in this country with one that is much better than most. However, Brown's actions are making a mockery of the whole thing. Unelected cronies, hangers on, self servers and out of touch is what most of them are. It's the out of touch bit that's probably the worse thing in all this. But that's Brown's Achilles heal. He has been in government for so long that he has lost touch with people. Not content with bringing people into government his bunker mentality is what has done for him.

There's more than a whiff of "I'm going to take you all down with me." The moral compass was lost a long time ago. His emotional radar never has worked and now it seems the 'brain the size of a planet' has gone into lock down. We are about to witness a very unpleasant few months in which Brown finally implodes before our eyes. Do I feel sorry for him? No, not one bit. But I do feel sorry for Britain though. His arrogance and delusional behaviour has brought the office he coveted for so long down to a level of disrespect I never thought I'd see in my life time. Defiance is not strength. Saying you are, "not going to walk away", does not make you a leader.

Fundamentally Brown is a weak man. He's no leader as he's proved, yet again, over his dithering about Alastair Darling's removal. How can a man who cannot command the respect of his party get the respect of the country – let alone run it. It's all going to get very nasty indeed as Brown impersonates Nero. Unfortunately such is the ineptitude of his cabinet that none of them thought to take a gun, let alone the bullets into the bunker.

Not So Divine, Jim Devine

According to the Sunday Herald this morning, Jim Devine, the Labour MP for Livingstone, has claimed a total of nearly £17,000 in "car" and "mileage" costs, saying his office manager drove him around his constituency in her own vehicle and he repaid her costs in full. But the office manager, Marion Kinley, told the Sunday Herald: "I received only £60."

I suppose this would be the reason that Mr Devine has never voted on the issue of a transparent parliament. Anything to do with the fact that he’s ranked 21 out of our 645 MPs in the level of expenses they claim? With a 2,680 majority he's one who's likely under threat from the SNP (Mr Devine replaced Robin Cook following the former Foreign Secretary's death)

In The Name of God Go. . .part 2

The official web site of the Prime Minister's Office, and more specifically the bit about the petitions, seem to be tampering with the information. The petition that states – We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to resign, has been shortened to just 'resign' on the front page. Why? 'Cos it's all so horribly embarrassing for Gordon Brown who seems to be completely losing his grip. Even Baron Mandy in his interview at the weekend spoke in a way to suggest he knows that they're doomed....then as long as Brown is in charge I guess we all are.

I urge you all to sign here....it's already the most popular petition on the site.

Gordon Brown is Finished

Anyone who has been a regular on this blog will know that I'm no fan of Gordon Brown. But, honestly? Not even I thought he was this bad. Back in May 2007 under a post entitled, Never Make Dreams Your Master, I said.
Previously the one thing that people perhaps could say about Brown is they respected him for what he has done, now even that is unravelling. So what are we left with? A man who isn't actually very likeable, who is fond of telling us all how wrong we are and how he knows what's best. At the same time those close to the clunking one have been working double time to try and soften his image, they know how damaging it is. Yet no matter what they do he will never be able to pull it off. Gordon Brown will never a leader be.

Five days later I commented on The Last Ten Years – It was Nothing To Do With Me.
It was after his first speech as PM in which he famously said.
He was to move away from the "cult of celebrity" and sleaze allegations that had tarnished Mr Blair's years in office and that his premiership would be guided by a "moral compass" instilled in him by his father, a Scots minister of religion, and his mother.

By June I went all Oscar Wilde and talked of The Importance of Being Earnest. It was in response to Milliband's appointment as Foreign Minister and the bringing in of 'experts' who would be made peers to do specific jobs.
Government of all the talents my big toe, it's Gordon Brown trying to appear to be all embracing while he will continue to be what he's always been - a controller and a man who is exclusive rather than inclusive. This is not going to be a lot of fun.

By May last year I was getting desperate, Gordon Brown – Back Door Man
People talk of Brown's intellect, his work ethic, his brain, all the other attributes that he is supposed to have in abundance, yet has any one ever talked about his leadership skills? It's too easy to say, ah yes, but he was always been in Tony's shadow, but he’s had time to do his own thing and he’s been found wanting. No matter what Brown does he has not the charisma, the charm, the interpersonal skills - that special something that leaders have and those who are their number's two's always think they have - that's GB's biggest problem and always will be. He thinks he's cleverer than everyone around him, which he might well be in intellectual terms, but IQ, brainpower, cleverness, and being a bit of a know it all will never out trump someone who has that special something. Like it or not Blair had it and Brown will forever be the man in search of it.

In the same month I was asking if he was Standing on the Shoulders of Midgets.
Twenty-five years ago I was on a plane somewhere over America when I picked up a copy of Time magazine with Ronald Reagan’s picture on the cover. The lead article was about Reagan’s style of managing his team. He said, “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out.” It’s the total antithesis of what Gordon Brown is about and it’s why he can’t hack it. As a No.2 his power was based upon tripping people up on the detail, as a No.1 it’s his Achilles heal. He just doesn’t have what it takes to be a leader and the more that the young guns defend him it only highlights what’s wrong with his leadership.

By June it was another question. Are No.2s Always Brown?
Leadership is an art and it’s also something that has a huge deal to do with confidence. It’s why I have constantly said that Brown is no number one, he’s a No.2 and always will be; sort of appropriate really….

By July 2008 I was loosing it Gordon Brown, Superstar

“Gordon Brown, Gordon Brown
Who are you, what have you sacrificed
Gordon Brown, Superstar

Do you think you're what you say you are?”

Gordon Brown is no superstar; he’s just damaged goods.

At the Labour Party Conference in the autumn I noted that Gordon Brown was Like A Worn Out Record
"This is not about rhetoric", says the Prime Minister. It's not? That's what this and his entire government is based upon. He doesn't do leadership; he does talking. Politics as we all know has a lot to do with the ancient art of smoke and mirrors, but it also, just occasionally, has to do with not just talking the talk, sometimes you have to walk the walk too. Fundamentally it's all about leadership and it's what Brown doesn't get about it. He thinks the more he talks the talk about “fairness” and “rising to challenges” it will all magically come right on the night. Just about everyone in Britain have had their pockets picked by Labour with stealth tax after stealth tax making things ever worse, while all Brown can do is blame it on the global crunch. Yes of course there are global issues but our problems are also domestic, labour-made, issues. It's been an accident waiting to happen and Brown has overseen this mess - much of which is his own making.

A couple of days later I suggested that.
Gordon Brown will become a similar object of derision for Conservatives and those who vote labour out at the next election. He will become the man whose legacy will keep Labour out of power for years to come. No matter what happens he’ll be the Brown eyed loathsome man.

Over the past week or so the McBride scandal and now the addition of Balls, Whelen and co. has dragged Brown to a new low. In the Sunday Telegraph there is an article by Tom Bower. It is THE best article I've read anywhere on the calamity that is Labour and the unmitigated disaster that is Gordon Brown – especially since becoming PM. The simple fact is that Brown does not have the ability to lead. He's like a guy I once worked with that was recruited from academia. His response to everything was, let's write a paper. These papers looked impressive, were big and were full of graphs and diagrams. However, very little of what he proposed made any sense – fine in the confines of the classroom, no good in the real world of cut and thrust business. Brown and his boys (because that is largely the problem, they have little experience) can go on and on talking the talk – they just can't walk the walk.


What's to happen? Well, we're going to have a completely discredited government under a leader who cannot lead, doesn't know how to lead at a time when we need leadership and a strong government more than we've ever needed one. The blogosphere (not keen on the term, but it'll do) did well under Guido's full frontal attack last week. However, the MSM, and especially the newspapers have been stung into action. They are having difficulties coping with declining sales and Ad revenue; they don't need their credentials as journalists and commentators called into question. We will have a run of stories on the government from papers anxious to show their Lobby correspondents are not tame hacks doing Labour's bidding.

Watch their space....it's going to get bloody.

Labour Gone For A Generation...

The story in the News of the World on Sunday about Labour's General Secretary being fully involved in the Red Rag web site and now the Sunday Times breaking the story that Ed Balls has been 'running' McBride come as yet more seismic shocks for Labour and Gordon Brown.

You will need to the read the full shocking details for yourself, but suffice to say. Is it any wonder that things in this country are the way they are? Government ministers are so busy sniping at each other that they are too preoccupied to run the country. Of course they all see the writing on the wall for Labour who are hopelessly out of touch and will be out of office as soon as there's an election. The SNP will decimate Labour in Scotland; the Tories in England, which means Labour will be gone for a generation. . .at least.

McBride. . .How Come It Took So Long?

There's an interesting post on Iain Dale this evening about 'client journalism'; talking about how journalists are reliant on people like Damian McBride for their information so that he was in some way tolerated. Am I surprised, not one bit. But when you get to hear how bad McBride's behaviour has been it's all pretty staggering. Take this little scenario...

In early 2007 McBride sent a text message to Anthony Browne, the outgoing political correspondent of the Times.
'I just wish for once you'd try to get past your cynical, Tory, halfwit Harold Lloyd schtick to try and be a genuine journalist. It’s presumably cos of your inability to do so that you’re off to earn a crust at some Tory think-tank instead. Pathetic.’

Apparently Browne had asked McBride for a comment on his paper’s scoop that Gordon Brown had been warned in advance about the problems his 1997 pensions fund raid would cause. He was the Prime Minister's special adviser on press issues, working closely with the director of communications Mike Ellam. Even then McBride operated in the shadows and was perceived to be closer to the PM. He also dealt with personal PR for Sarah Brown, the PM’s wife.

According to some McBride employed Machiavellian means when it came to Brown’s obsession to succeed Tony Blair as Labour leader. According to one unnamed source ‘Anybody who was potentially a rival to Gordon would suddenly find lots of negative stories about them in the press, whether it was David Blunkett, Alan Milburn or John Reid – with all the disasters in the Home Office – and then David Miliband. A lot of people would say those stories have come from Damian.’

Now let's not forget that this man was being paid by us, the taxpayers and are we seriously to believe that Gordon Brown knew nothing of his dark arts?

Hat Tip Brand Republic

McBride – The Price of Silence

Is it fair to assume that McBride was allowed to resign, rather than be sacked, because it will in some way help his financial position? Will he keep pension rights as a result? Is there any 'hardship payment' for a resignation rather than a sacking? Or was this all about buying his silence. If McBride was sacked then surely he would be more likely to have something to say about the Great Protector that is Gordon Brown.

Which ever way the affair is looked at how can Gordon Brown not be implicated? The PM had lunch with Derek Draper at Chequers shortly after Draper registered his Red Rag web site. . .WHY? Why would the Prime Minister invite Draper to lunch? To discuss his work as a psychotherapist? Downing Street were oh so quick to react to the situation, casting McBride adrift, which tells you how worried they are.

What is clear is that there is something very rotten at the core of Labour. The fact that they think there is some orchestrated Tory campaign against them, led by Guido, shows how delusional they are. They are so beleaguered that they are demonstrating all the worrying traits of a bunker mentality. Brown's ability to get on with the more important job of getting us through the recession will be close to impossible.

Draper, McBride and Brown – Triplets of Different Mothers?

Liam Byrne, the Cabinet Minister, was on BBC News this morning stating the government and Gordon Brown's position on Smeargate debacle. He said not once but several times that Mr. McBride sent these emails to "a friend" and engaged in "juvenile banter". It's as though Derek Draper, the 'friend' had nothing to do with Labour and this was just a couple of 'lads having a laugh'. Draper is the editor of Labourlist, for which we can assume the Labour party have been paying handsomely. How long will Draper be in that position? Draper has written a piece on LabourList justifying his actions and in the comments section he's been attacked by just about all the commentators. Interesting too that the minister in commentating about McBride always referred to him as "Mr." It's as though they barely knew one another when in reality they worked together on a daily basis.

Of course Gordon Brown didn't order McBride to do what he did, but he knew exactly what kind of person McBride is and what in general he was up to in his capacity as his tame spinner. If Brown didn't know, why didn't he? You don't employ someone like McBride, who incidentally is paid for by us, and not know what he's doing, do you?

John Prescott – A Man with Time on His Hands

According to the Observer this morning John Prescott is Labour's new web weapon. He's "been chosen as the unlikely leader of Labour's general election campaign on the internet, as the party prepares to launch a low-budget battle for a fourth term in government."

"Prescott, a veteran of traditional, on-the-road campaigning who famously thumped an egg-throwing heckler during the 2001 campaign, has told friends that he sees his new role as driving Labour's "virtual battle bus". The former cabinet minister has surprised the party's high command by helping to raise Labour's profile on the web with his own blog and by establishing a formidable presence on the networking sites Facebook and Twitter."

All well and good, and probably all true, but in the meantime what about the day job? In the last year Prescott has failed speak in any parliamentary debate, is a member of no parliamentary committees and has only voted on 47% of occasions – well below the average. Added to which during 2008 this man of the people has received remuneration of between £112,000 and £165,000 for speeches, TV and books.

What about the day job Mr Prescott? What about doing what your constituents and the country expects you to be doing? How about turning up for what we the tax payers pay you for? Easy to do the twittering, facebook and blogging stuff if you're doing bugger all else! Of course he is to stand down at the next election so why does he care? No doubt he's expecting a peerage when he does and the gravy train will roll on once he's in the Lords.

Money's Not Too Tight. . .

OK, let's get this straight. Fred Goodwin, I can't bring myself to call him Sir Fred, isn't contractually bound to get the £693K pension that he's been given. It was a deal agreed by the RBS Board (which indeed is our bank in which the Havers' millions are deposited) to somehow reward him for his years of service. The government knew he was getting this pension last year but said nothing. . .now there's a surprise. Meanwhile we have a new Chief Executive of RBS (I wonder what his pension arrangements are?) in the shape of Stephen Hester (salary £1.2 million and a pay-off package reported to be £4 million if he's sacked) who finds it difficult to answer the question as to why some of the people who are still on the RBS board were the same people who gave Goodwin his pension deal.

Then you have the BBC senior executives justifying the salaries they are paying to some of the presenters by saying that they would get that much in the commercial sector. No they bloody wouldn't! Has anyone noticed the dire straights that ITV and commercial radio are in?

Oh yes, and then we have the likes of Peter Mandelson, Baron Fop of Mandy who is another that seems to be given a whopping salary to be a government minister because none of our elected MPs are up to the task. So we make him a Lord, for which he gets paid handsomely by us the tax payers.

What's this all mean? It's a bloody cartel, a club in which those who are running it decide whose in it, decide what they are going to get and then police it as well. There's something very rotten in the state of Britain and it won't be long before something happens that will be related to releasing the pressure.

Alastair Campbell Still Tellling it Like it is

Alastair Campbell has a new web site on which the banner claims he's "a communicator, writer and strategist." He's also started a blog in which he says he's "I have enjoyed some of the exchanges (on facebook) with political opponents, of which I seem to have a few, despite having left the frontline ages ago." This despite also saying "Tories welcome (to the blog). Some of them anyway, if only to be told where they're going wrong.

There's a section on the blog where it talks in the third person about his public speaking. Part of it says. "He is towards the top end of the fee scale for paid public speaking engagements. But he speaks regularly, pro bono, for charitable, political and educational events. "

Pro Bono? Does that mean he likes U2?

Brown's Resignation?

Well it's a fair question isn't it? Surely after solving the world's financial crisis the last time by telling the world what to do, and it not working here in the UK, then maybe he should just go. This idea that he's the only man that can save us seems increasingly hollow. Is the rest of the world really in the kind of hole that we in Britain are? Somehow it doesn't seem like it. Yesterday Brown kept thundering on about it being everyone else's fault but his.

Just remember we didn't elect him; he's not there by right. He's a bit like a caretaker manager at a football club – the only difference is he hasn't had that lucky 'Brown bounce' where there's an upturn in the results.

Mandy Watch No.7

There's an interview with Baron Mandelson of Foy and Hartlepool in the Guardian today. Apart from it being mostly about how great his Lordship thinks he is, there is much guff about how good his relationship with our Prime Minister has become once again and what a truly great leader Gordon Brown is. This utterly bizarre statement tops it off.

"Internationally people say to me,’ Your prime minister has been transformed. His standing has soared.' People really do look to him like some Moses figure who is going to lead them away from this economic mess to the promised land."

First he wants to be on Strictly Come Dancing and now he's waxing lyrical. He gives the impression of somehow taking the whole thing as a bit of a joke. Then again he has it made. Mandelson will spend the rest of his life, assuming Labour lose the next ejection, being a non-exec director for a large number of businesses keeping him the style to which he has become accustomed, yet never having done a decent days work to deserve. The man is a shyster, a fiddler and worst of all he's arrogant in the extreme.

Is John Prescott value for money?

Just to return to the Prescott TV license fee money laundering scam for a moment. Is it any wonder we're in such a mess with our television and the BBC in particular. Here's Prescott being paid half of what he gets a year as an MP for a two part TV show. Value for money? I don't think so. . .on either count.

Careless Talk Costs Careers

All this, he said this, about him, and he said this, about him, relating to Mandelson, Osborne, the very rich Russian blokey with the funny name and the very rich English blokey with a name that's all to familiar is becoming increasingly absurd. We've now got a piece in the Standard claiming that Osborne poor mouthed David Davis. These journalists, who are relishing all this tittle tattle, seem to be missing the point. Whenever people gather and wine is drunk then tongues start to wag. I'm sure there was a good deal of egging on all round and then before you know it there's an element of competition among the guests as to who can come out with something more outrageous than the next guy. It came as no surprise that Mandy gave Brown a bashing. All this false bonhomie about he and the PM being friends again is just nuts. Mandy sold his soul; well he agreed to kiss and make up (ghastly thought) in order to get a title – would he have come back without one? Mandy's made for the rest of his life. It's worth millions being a Baron, so what does he care? 

Now young Georgie Porgy is a different matter; he's far too naive in all this. Then what do you expect? He's been a data entry clerk, worked in a shop, worked in Conservative Central Office, been a special adviser and finally an MP since 2001. He's wet; probably thinks it's all a bit of a game. Frankly it would be better if he went, and went soon. David Cameron has put his trust in him, but he's also not as experienced as we'd probably all like him to be. The old lions led by donkeys comes to mind. However, let's move to WW2 for the analogy. . .Careless talk costs careers.

Sion Simon is Rubbish.

You just have to read this piece at Labourhome about the elevation of the loud-mouthed dimbo Sion Simon the Labour MP for Birmingham Erdington. He is promoted to become MP for Skills! His only skill is looking like he's failed an audition as an extra on Little Britain. Even if, and it's a huge if, some may think Mandelson is part of a Labour revival plan then Simon completely shatters that illusion.



Labourhome, the Labour supporting blog call him a " obnoxious misanthrope" and "thick, ignorant muppet". Don't forget folks he's minister for Skills. Why you might ask? Well, of course, he did have a big hand in ousting Tony Blair, so Gordon's just rewarding him. So much for the PM's Government of all the talents. Simon's appointment will continue to bight him in the ass from now until he goes.

Just When You Thought. . .

. . .it couldn't get any worse. According to the Mail on Sunday. . .
Blunkett set to return to Cabinet as Mandy wrecks Miliband's leadership bid

Gordon Brown plans to bring David Blunkett back into the Cabinet in another dramatic bid to revive Labour's political fortunes.