Not quite sure how to put this, but I simply did not believe him. I thought that our Prime Minister was telling a bare-faced 'porkie'. A few weeks ago, Gordon Brown made a comment at PMQs about Conservative policy being developed on "the playing fields of Eton". At the time, I thought it was shameful, calculated and premeditated. I thought it was part of the deeply unpleasant campaign being orchestrated by the current Labour Government to bring 'class' into the General Election campaign. The first time we saw this nauseating strategy was in the Crewe and Nantwich By-election - where it failed miserably. You would think they'd learn. Its seems obvious to me that Labour's strategy over the last few months has been based on portraying the Conservatives as 'posh' and not concerned about the poorest people in society. It's made them look very nasty people. At first the 'Eton' jibe was thought to have been successful. To some extent, it worked in the House of Commons 'bear pit' - probably because it genuinely reflects Gordon Brown's approach to politics. But it hasn't worked amongst swing voters, who are not overly concerned about where politicians 'have been educated. And anyway, Labour just look incredible and spiteful, whenever William Hague, Ken Clarke and Eric Pickles are leading for us. The strategy is back firing.
But this post is about truthfulness, and credibility, rather than political strategy. Today, the Prime Minister informed us that the 'Eton' comment was just a 'joke'. Now I'm not sure whether I can be charged with any crime against the state for this, but I just do not believe him. It was not a 'joke'. It was deliberate. He meant what he said. He (or at least his advisers) now realises it was a crass comment to make - and some of his own Ministers have turned on him over it. And today he was trying to get out of it. Watch it, and tell me you believe him. Go on, try to change my mind.
13 comments:
Glyn, I dont believe him either. I watched the Andrew Marr show, awful, it was a car-crash of an interview. Our self-proclaimed economic genius who has banished boom and bust of a PM announced that he was going to halve the financial deficit in 4 years by increasing spending!
The rest of the time he looked awkward and shifty; just like Nixon
I, too, saw the Eton comment on PMQs. If it was a joke, I would suggest that Brown work a little on his 'delivery'.
The comment was spat out with his normal purse-lipped petulance without a single trace of humour.
With regard to your reluctance to use a strictly non-Parliamentary term , kindly allow me to assist:
GORDON BROWN IS A LIAR.
In fact he's a damned LIAR.
His propensity for lying is manifest to such an extent, that if he were to wish me a 'good morning', I would be obliged to consult my watch.
'The wheels of political fortune (or disaster) are slowly, determindedly, turning turning turning, more turning, still more turning ... but they are turning the wrong way in Gordon Brown's head.
I relly don't know why you are making a fuss about a very good soundbite in PM's question time. In fact it was so good that it must have been prepared by one of the advisers who realised that there was some traction in turning the Duke of Wellington's alleged phrase about Waterloo against another Old Etonian. Unfortunately politics can be a rough old trade. At least David Cameron wasn't compared by Gordon Brown to Saddam Hussein and the Taliban as I was by paid up members of the Tory Party in the press. In fact the Taliban letter written by a person who went on to be a very ineffective Tory councillor was one of the last straws in my decision to give up politics. It wasn't very pleasant seeing one of my daughters crying as she read the letter.
Anon - I didn't see it, but your's seems to be the predominant view.
Alistair - Well put.
Jeff - Fair point. It's the overall strategy that I'm contemptuous of. The particular comment was indeed just a soundbite. But that was not my point anyway - which was the almost casual way our Prime Minister tells us untruths, even when he must know that we will not believe him. As for the personal 'stick' you took from Conservatives, I don't suppose it was any worse than 'stick' I took in the early 90s, and that was from MPs, who were setting aside time from completing their expense claims.
Anybody who believes Gordon Brown must be highly gullible or totally unaware. His strategy is directed purely towards re-election with no concern for anyone who gets in the way. His expression says it all.
...the front bench of the Labour Government is, of course filled with Steelworkers, Boilermakers, Miners, Shipyard Workers etc.
The closes Labour has come to someone who is "Working Class" is Gorbals Mick, look what happened to him.
Glyn, All politicians take stick. although I doubt if you ever received a suspicious package which ended up in Porton Down as I once did. But that's a story for the memoirs. It goes with the territory as John Wayne would have put it. But some of the comments which you see on right wing blogs suggest that certain people should as Michael Winner often argues in a TV advert 'Calm down'. They seem to have an attack of the vapours every time they see or hear Gordon Brown. Brown it could be argued took his eye off the ball after 2001 and made a number of mistakes which possibly increased the severity of the crash on the UK economy. But would a Tory government have acted any differently between 1997 and 2008 as the money in tax receipts flowed in from the casino capitalism in the City? I very much doubt it. It wasn't Brown who caused the recession in the first place. The major mistake was made by Bush and Hank Paulsen in allowing Lehman Brothers to go under which set in train a series of events which none of the economic models set up city whizz kids who should have stuck to Maths and Physics instead of dabbling in voodoo econmics could imagine. But once the crash occurred most economists agree that both Brown and Darling ensured that the recession did not grow into a 1930s style depression. The do nothing approach of the Conservatives would probably have made matters worse. Everyone agrees that the deficit in public finances has to be reduced. The arguments revolve around both the timing and where the cuts should take place. If the Tories cut too fast we could have a repetion of what happened in the USA in 1937 when they cut before growth had really taken off.If I were a Tory I would be more worried by the criticism of Cameron's recent speech by Fraser Nelson. At the moment both parties in my opinion are not being honest about where possible cuts should take place. It's easy spending the war chest putting up posters arguing that you would cut the deficit not the NHS. That leads on to the question of if the NHS is ring fenced what will you cut and by how much. Who knows as we get closer to the election we might get a little less name calling and a little more mature debate if that is possible in modern politics.
If you can't take it, dont give it. Jeff Jones of Bridgend has himself said some pretty nasty stuff in the past so he can hardly complain when someone give him a taste of his own medicine.
Right. Jeff Jones wa a dyed-in-the-wool Labour councillor, and his comments follow the Labour trait of party first and 'we can do no wrong', despite engaging in snide comments in oder to bring down their political opponents.
Perhaps AluninDyfed could give some example of my snide comments. In any debate I can not only take it but dish it out. What I always found frustrating was that those who disagreed with me were usually never prepared to say so to my face. The one Conservative that I always respected was Peter Hubbard Miles precisely because he was prepared to debate with you. In fact I have a lot of time for politicians in all parties who do their homework and argue their corner. What I don't have any time for are those who seem to have what borders on an irrational hatred of politicians who might hold a different view to their own. I do,however, object as any democrat should when someone sends me a letter containing a suspicious substance and the words 'Jeff If this doesn't kill you something else will'. I wasn't in the Council Offices at the time. The Offices were closed for the day whilst a full scale terror emergancy took place because it was at the time when anthrax letters were being sent through the post. Emergency showers were set up in the street outside and terrified staff who had come into contact with the letter had to strip and take a shower.I've still got a copy of the letter which was sent for analysis to Porton Down.In fact I've often wondered how much the whole episode cost the taxpayer. Perhaps those who live in the Bridgend area should ask why such an event was never reported in the local press.
Admittedly, I tend to tar most Labour politicians with the same brush these days. It must be all the bad press they are getting, deservedly I might add. The 'snide comments' refer to Labour politicians in general and nobody in particular.
However, Mr Jones appears to have had a difference in views over the existing Assembly members' ability to perform:
"Former Bridgend council leader Jeff Jones, who has known Mr Davies for many years, said: “It concerns me that with Andrew and other senior AMs like Jane Davidson and, of course, Rhodri Morgan stepping down, there will be a lack of experience in those who remain."
I think you have missed an important point here in making an assumption that people pay attention to anything politicians say. I think a huge proportion of the population recognise that political ambition is inconsistent with an understanding of the concepts of truth and transparency. The only people who pay attention to anything politicians say are other politicians and political commentators. The rest of us just dismiss it as the bullshit it is. No offence mate but no one actually takes politicians as seriously as they take themselves.
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