Theresa May: 130 days later - Gordon Brown’s embarrassing case of premature emasculation

In his first hundred days in Number Ten, Gordon Brown and his spin doctors tried to create an image of a politician born to be Prime Minister.  His image was to be based on five pillars: principle, prudence, competence, strength and trust. 

He has now been in power for 130 days.  And in the last thirty days, those five pillars have already crumbled beneath him.

Principle: It all seems so long ago, doesn’t it?  Gordon Brown’s first speeches as Prime Minister were littered with references to being the son of a Manse, to his belief in the power of education, to his determination to rid Africa of poverty.  They were there for a reason: to make him appear to be a man of principle.   

But in truth, Gordon Brown’s premiership has already been defined by its complete lack of direction. He has no big idea, no project driving him to achieve, apart from the sad determination to cling to power. The now infamous Pre-Budget Report summed up his leadership in half an hour: no new ideas, just a crass attempt to poach Conservative ideas on inheritance tax, non-domiciles and aviation taxes.

It is perhaps understandable for a Prime Minister to run out of steam after ten years.  But it is unforgivable for a Prime Minister to run out of steam after 100 days.  Gordon Brown’s premiership has been ruined by an embarrassing case of premature emasculation.

Prudence: For years, he spun that he was a prudent Chancellor.  But what is prudent about increasing taxes 111 times?  About selling our gold reserves at rock-bottom prices?  And presiding over a massive increase in consumer debt?  In the PBR, when Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling hit business with their changes to capital gains tax, the revised government borrowing figures, and the £2,600 tax raid on the average family, Gordon Brown finally lost his reputation for prudence.

Competence: After the last thirty days, I don’t think any voter will listen to any claims of government competence without laughing out loud.  On 8th October, ministers thought there were 800,000 foreign workers in Britain.  On 29th October, they realised there were 1.1 million foreign workers here.  And on 30th October, they admitted that they think there are 1.5 million foreign people working in Britain.  The truth, I fear, is that they simply don’t have a clue.

Strength: Yes, Gordon Brown likes to position himself as a strong leader.  He faces down his critics, and he’s so tough that he once claimed to have root canal surgery without anaesthetic.  But in spinning that he was going to hold an early election – only to cancel it when he realised he’d lose – betrayed the truth.  And the last few weeks of Prime Minister’s Questions have shown all too clearly, this isn’t a strong Prime Minister.  This is a weak politician, driven by events and polls.

Trust: After the Tony Blair years, Gordon Brown’s advisers quite understandably wanted to position him as the ‘post-spin politician’.  And for a while, it looked like he was going to get away with it.  But the British people know that ‘no spin’ is the new spin.  The Prime Minister has shamelessly broken his manifesto promise to hold a referendum on the EU treaty.  He has resorted to BNP slogans like ‘British jobs for British workers’.  And his double-counted announcement of troop withdrawals at a photo-shoot was a cynical new low in British politics. 

Those were the five pillars that Gordon Brown’s premiership was supposed to be based on.  He clearly had no expectation that they would collapse so quickly, which is why he had planned for yesterday to be polling day.  But as soon as he realised he would lose an election, he cut and ran.  It’s our job to keep chasing him until polling day finally comes.

Comments

[activist]

Absolutely right Theresa and don't let up on him! Excellent article. What do you think about the wholesale run on Northern Rock that has just followed the consumer run?

[Alex Swanson]

"He has no big idea, no project driving him to achieve, apart from the sad determination to cling to power."

I don't wish to seem negative (and most of the comments I post here do, sadly, seem to end up being negative) but what does the current leadership of the Conservative Party have as a big idea? Other than "David Cameron Is A Really Nice Bloke, Please Make Him PM"?

[Charlie Buxton]

Alex: how about social responsibility?
Spot on Theresa

[Patsy Sergeant]

A succinct and damning portrait of someone failing in their cherished ambition, failing, probably because he is a man of conviction - his conviction that he is right - fullstop...

More and more of the same.

[Brian Wood]

After the blatant theft of Conservative ideas on IHT and other recent suggestions, can you reasonably expect DC to go public on other proposals at this point in time when a GE may be possibly at least two years away, or even longer. It has already been announced that further proposals will be unveiled in early 2008. None of these should be regarded as rigid and binding commitments since events, especially economic ones, both national and international, may well require a revisiting of even well intentioned aspirations. That is surely what a vision is about, all things being equal.

[Matt Wright]

Very good article that hits the nail right on the head. You'll be off Gordos Christmas card list!!

Matt

[Tony Makara]

On the subject of hard-man Gordon Brown claiming to have root canal surgery without anesthetic, I seem to remember a dentist who came to visit my school telling us that not all teeth have a nerve in the root canal which makes it possible to operate on such teeth without anesthetic because there will be no pain!

Forgive me if I'm getting my wires crossed because I was only about 14 at the time I heard that and I haven't really thought about it since, but maybe Gordon Brown's pain threshold isn't quite as high as he claims it is?

[Bexie]

Actually I quite like the fact that the nuLab neoTrots are so bereft of ideas that they have to use ours. It makes them look even weaker and sillier. And it at least gets our ideas to the public agenda.

One other thing that has been generated in the BB years, 5 million economically inactive folks, not doing the jobs that the Poles/ Latvian/ Slovak/ etc are doing since they are paid so much to sit on their backsides watching TV.

[englandism]

premature emasculation

LOL. I will buy that subby a pint. If it was you Theresa then a large G & T. Or is that sexist. I get so confused.

[Moral minority]

"For years, he spun that he was a prudent Chancellor. But what is prudent about increasing taxes 111 times? About selling our gold reserves at rock-bottom prices? And presiding over a massive increase in consumer debt? In the PBR, when Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling hit business with their changes to capital gains tax, the revised government borrowing figures, and the £2,600 tax raid on the average family, Gordon Brown finally lost his reputation for prudence."

Fine but where is the Conservative gold-plated pledge to cut back public spending and reduce the overall burden of taxation? We want ACTION not meaningless yah boo rehetoric!!

[englandism]

Tony

'On the subject of hard-man Gordon Brown claiming to have root canal surgery without anesthetic'

Hard? Try finding an NHS dentist. I am routinely forced to do DIY root canal surgery on myself thanks to Chickenboy Brown.

[Tapestry]

How many more body blows can Gordo take? His own party will start pealing away from him next.

His root canals are dead, just like his electoral prospects. He'll be needing anaeshetics soon enough - for mental agony. Theresa knows how to deliver him plenty of doses of that.

(BTW - I don't have anaesthetic for root canals either once they're exposed - just a touch of topical now and again)

[Tony Makara]

englandism, yes you are dead right. This 'Animal Farm' Labour government promised the earth to the poor when in opposition now people can't even get their teeth fixed. If you go on You Tube and watch some old Labour election broadcasts its stomach-churning to hear them going on about 'The poor, the sick, the pensioners, the disabled, students etc' Neil Kinnock said "I ask you not to be poor, I ask you not to be old" when he lost the election. Now Labour have won three elections and we have seen the total hypocrisy of their animal farm government.

[Alex Swanson]

Charlie: the theme of social responsibility amounts in practice to saying that marriage is a good thing, that schools are better if they have discipline and teaching by ability, that children need positive male role models, that staying on welfare for years is a bad idea. All this is just stuff which the vast majority of the membership regards as plain common sense and always has done. That's the same membership which the Apostle Of Change and his attendant archangels have condemned as dangerous extremists out of touch with ordinary people, for believing precisely this sort of thing.

[Mr Logic]

Alex, so you're saying that Cameron is bad because he believes in the same things as the membership?

Another classic Conservative Home post.

[activist]

The posts by Moral Minority and Alex Swanson on this thread are typical, Mr. Logic. I challenge anybody to find a post by Moral Minority that ever has anything constructive to say on any thread.

Theresa has given us an excellent article, deconstructing five areas where Brown's trashed his own brand.

It's worth pointing out that there was a Labour Home thread this week calling for a new leader of the Labour party - so Theresa's absolutely right.

[David Sergeant]

"Fine but where is the Conservative gold-plated pledge to cut back public spending and reduce the overall burden of taxation? We want ACTION not meaningless yah boo rehetoric!! "

Opositions don't do action it's only governments that can. And Cameron isn't going to promise "gold plated" tax cuts more than two weeks before an election for reasons all too obvious.

It is silly remarks like yours that put people off the Conservative party.

[David Sergeant]

This is all good stuff but note the missed open goals. Gordon should be got for the flooding, foot and mouth and Northern Rock but he has even scored points off them. I just wonder if this government is so bad, making so many foulups, it is difficult to concentrate peoples minds on them.

However, that Theresa, and Michael Gove the other day, are stepping out of their narrow Shadow Cabinet remit and fireing at the enemy in general is considerable progress.

[Moral minority]

"Activist", where is the proverbial "red meat". Cameron has been leader for two years but it took a 10% poll deficit to get any clarity on even inheritance tax. Osborne will not commit to cutting expenditure or the overall burden of taxation. The inheritance tax pledge will be paid for higher taxes elsewhere.

The action I want is a consistent narrative arguing the economic and moral case for low taxation. What angers me is this "share the proceeds of growth" nonsense. It is OUR money NOT Osborne's. His family has got hundreds of millions so he can afford high taxes. Hard-working people paying off massive mortgages cannot.

"Activist" will find that I have made positive comments when Conservative politicians deliver Conservative (as opposed to liberal or green) policies.

[Patsy Sergeant]

Moral minority - You do not come across as very subtle. You may want 'action', but what 'action' can David Cameron possibly 'take' in opposition. Or do you mean YOU just want him to commit to much lower taxes so that you can pay off your mortgage more easily. Of course there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but a) the media, as you should know have been waiting to pounce on that particular idea AND trying to get Osborne to admit that cutting taxes IS his policy, just so that they can condemn Tory policies, in terms of only being tax-cutting policies. b) There are other problems as equally important as you being able to pay off your mortgage. In the present climate you could have your mortgage completely paid up, walk out of your front door and get mugged on the street, because of lack of police on the street, due to endless uesless form-filling. Or if you had children of school age, quite soon in some areas there will not be sufficient places for them in schools near you, because of so many immigrants arriving.

I think David Cameron is doing pretty well at the moment, because he IS attacking Brown regarding his inefficiency, useless policies and wastage of taxpayers money, and the public seem to be waking up to the truth of this, and that is what is really important!

[Andrew Langley]

When we consider Gordon Brown's so called prudence, why do we let him get away with the PFI debacle. Future generations will be paying through higher taxation for many years, for many poorly drafted, and expensive contracts drawn up in haste. He claims credit for all these new schools and hospitals, as though he himself has magicked this money from thin air, and yet refuses to accept these mortgages as future debt.

We, as an opposition should be calculating the true scale of national debt in this country, and then looking again at his golden rules on borrowing, and his record on public finances in general.

After 12 years of growth, generated by Conservative policies of supply side reforms and painful economic medicine, that brought reality to British business and the economy, the golden legacy inherited by Brown has been wasted, and at a time when we should be in great surplus repaying debt, we are massively adding to it.

This country has a serious problem looming on public debt, and when reality bites, the government of the day will take the blame for Gordon's folly. That could well be the next Conservative government - and so we had better start challenging Brown's economic record now, and sew into the minds of the electorate where the blame really lies.

Attack, attack. attack - his economic record in the long run will be slated by economic historians.

[Moral minority]

Are my two "Sergeant" questioners related? Do we have old-fashioned "double-teaming here?

As Lynton Crosby used to say, you can't fatten the pig on market day. We have to make the moral case for low taxation. To allow the media to drive our policiy agenda is shallow and cowardice.

I am equally concerned about crime and immigration. Patronising Patsy (is she related to Ms Hewitt?) tried an old diversionary tactic by suggesting that I only care about tax.

Cameron is right to attack Brown but he has not offered an alternative vision. The Conservatives must shrink the state and give us back our freedom and money, not just attempt to manage Leviathan better.

[cp]

It will be interesting to see what happens 130 days from now, 11/7/2016. won't it!!!