Where is the 'Stop Brown' blog campaign?

Last night we learnt that David Cameron would enjoy a notional lead of 15% if Gordon Brown was Labour leader.  If that didn't upset the Chancellor this morning's FT must really have got him worked up.

Lord Turnbull, who was Mr Brown's Permanent Secretary at the Treasury for four years before becoming Cabinet Secretary, accuses the Chancellor of "Stalinist ruthlessness" and using his department to treat ministerial colleagues with "more or less complete contempt."

According to the FT's Nicholas Timmins Mr Brown holds a “very cynical view of mankind and his colleagues”.  “He cannot allow them any serious discussion about priorities. His view is that it is just not worth it and ‘they will get what I decide’. And that is a very insulting process,” Lord Turnbull said.

This is not, of course, the first time that people who have worked closely with Gordon Brown have found his conduct wanting.  A Downing Street insider (perhaps even Blair himself) once told Andrew Rawnsley that Mr Brown was psychologically-flawed and Charles Clarke launched an extraordinary attack on his Cabinet colleague after resigning last year.

Labour MPs must surely now be considering the once-impossible thought that Gordon Brown is not the man to succeed Tony Blair.  Unlike Iain Dale, I do not worry about David Miliband.  Someone recently told me that Mr Miliband looked like the sort of boy who would be bullied in the school playground.  I don't think he could best Cameron.  If I were Labour I'd be very interested in the idea of John Denham.  The idea - floated on PoliticalBetting.com a little while ago - may be Labour's last and best hope.  Articulate, respected by colleagues, representing a southern seat, very knowledgeable about crime because of his Chairmanship of the Home Affairs Select Committee and only out of the Cabinet because of his decision to resign over the Iraq war, Mr Denham could be a credible opponent to Mr Brown.  He would be a man much more likely to represent a breath of fresh air.  Interesting times.

This is certainly the time for a powerful Labour blogging community to emerge.  On Comment is free yesterday, Mike Ion argued that left-of-centre blogging was on the rise and could be a big factor in the deputy leadership race.  My advice is this: the most powerful Labour blog will be the one that begins a Stop Brown campaign and now.  The US left wouldn't have waited this long.  Labour's grassroots shouldn't wait for Milburn and Clarke to act - they should begin a netroots movement now.  Perhaps we Tories should be mounting a Save Brown campaign?

Comments

[Opinicus]

I think it is unseemly and wrong for Con Home to intrude into private grief.

[malcolm]

Agree with the sentiments Tim, but I really don't think you should be giving free advice to Labour. Personally I think Labour should either choose Patricia Hewitt or Harriet Harman for leader or if they want to opt for a safe pair of hands maybe ask Prescott not to retire?

[Lordhawhaw]

More articles like this and I'll turn into CoNHome's biggest fan! You are right about Denham. I wonder if he has been promised a big job by Brown to keep him on side. He would be a bigger threat to us without a doubt.

[Andrew Woodman]

I've been concerned about the going after Brown campiagn for a few weeks now, as their is a real chance that Labour may go for someone else.

I agree with the comments about the challengers. Reid is a thug, Straw looks like the demon headmaster and the rest are non entities. Milliband is only rated by politicos. To the outside world, no one has heard of him and he looks too geeky. Denham would be interesting and his opposition to the Iraq war would help him win back votes. I think I may take some of the 300-1.

[malcolm]

Agree with you about Straw Andrew, but what are you doing watching the 'Demon Headmaster'? My eight year old daughter thought it was good 'though!

[Andrew Woodman]

I just happened to see the trailer Malcolm. No really!!

Here's an image if anyone wants to see.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40088000/jpg/_40088215_demonhead203.jpg

[Praguetory]

Come on. He's waited half his life for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Tories for Gordon.

[Editor]

Sorry Malcolm - I won't do it again!

[William Norton]

A "Draft Prescott" movement would be much more fun.

Strong union links, inspiring personal history, common touch, years of experience - how can they afford to lose him?

[Richard Woolley]

Brown is not a natural leader. As Frank Field said the other week, Brown lacks empathy with ordinary people, he doesn't talk and act like a prime minister whereas Blair for all his faults does. Matthew Parris wrote an excellent article in the Times the other day about Brown's unsuitability for the Premiership; he wrote about a meeting Brown had with a group of single mothers and apparently he was absolutely dreadful with them. He showed little inclinnation to embrace or be open to their views and ideas, this is the kind of behaviour cabinet colleagues have often accused him of. If he can't work with people in his own cabinet how can work or create a dialogue with the wider public? When the wider public see this his ratings will fall even further.
He would I believe frighten off middle class voters in places like Surrey, Sussex and Essex and Labour's majority would be wiped out. What is there to look forward to in a Brown premiership?; more tax and waste, more attacks on civil liberties, more tedious speeches on 'Britishness'?
Although I have some reservations about the Cameron Project and indeed the Conservative Party in general, this is a wicked and immoral government and it MUST be voted out at the next general election, otherwise we will see ever greater moves towards an Orwellian, authoritarian state. For the sake of individual liberty and freedom LABOUR MUST LOSE!

[Michael McGowan]

Good stuff, Tim. Stir that pot: that is what Campbell and Mandelson did for years.

[Mark Fulford]

Could Labour really risk Gordon Brown sulking in the wilderness? And who could be the new Chancellor without Brown’s ongoing support? I’ve seen Darling, Balls, Milliband and Straw tipped, but none of them are up to it. It seems to me that New Labour is screwed, but even more screwed if Brown doesn’t get the job.

[Jennifer Wells]

One thing you can be sure of is that LabourHome.org won't run a Stop Brown campaign.
The brown-nosers there have not even mentioned today's ICM survey.

[George Hinton]

The NuLabourites have been emasculated, they know that dissent is punishable with Siberia, and that Stalin jibe is not far from the truth.
To organise a counter coup takes planning and relies on truth and trust amongst people who have spent the last 10 years knifing each other in the back as they climb the greasy pole. As was famously said by the Stasi General in East Germany all those decades ago....one may have seditious thoughts; two may conspire; but with three one will always inform.
Being a conspirator and more dangerously, being off-message, is a dodgy game for any aspiring NuLaborite.
Let's hope that Gordo wins, it will be the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end for NuLab. (Excuse the plagairism).

[Richard]

I'm starting to feel almost sorry for Brown.

Haha, just kidding, send him down in flames like he did to our pensions...

[Richard]

"He would I believe frighten off middle class voters in places like Surrey, Sussex and Essex and Labour's majority would be wiped out"

In my part of Surrey Labour don't even get over 9% of the vote. Very useful for draining off potential Lib Dem votes though.

[Jake]

Ld. Turnbull was closer than he knew when he accused Brown of Stalinist ruthlessness .
Brown is a member of The Stalin Society and a lifelong admirer .
The Stalin Society was formed in 1991 to
defend Stalin and his work on the basis of fact and to refute capitalist, revisionist, opportunist and Trotskyist propaganda directed against him.

Here are some words which Brown wrote on 16/02/2006 in praise of the mass murdering dictator and one of the most evil men in history

"Often we are told to condemn the ills of the Soviet Union or the People's Republic of China, in particular the extraordinary careers of Joseph Stalin and Chairman Mao, but both made several important contributions to society that we as modern British citizens could learn many lessons from.

When I was a lad at Kirkcaldy High School I dreamed a dream of a more controlled, more orderly, more socially responsible society, and felt that one day this dream could be realised through the Fabian and Marxist ideals of New Labour's spiritual fathers.

Later, whilst at Edinburgh University studying for my doctorate, I became truly enamoured by the works of Joseph Stalin and wrote several essays and gave seminars on the progressive policies of Stalin as well as Mao Zedong and their important and lasting contributions to the world we live in. I still have a deep admiration for Uncle Jo today.

In the West, we tend to place far too much emphasis on the bad, and misunderstand the essential lessons of old, but whilst striving for the greater good we can learn much from such historical lights as Stalin, Mao and others who enriched their societies and delivered equality and the guiding hand of the state to their people in the modern age. "

Doubtless he is intending to " enrich " our society with his very own " guiding hand " .

Semi autistic doesn't adequately describe Brown . Sinister does .

[Justin Hinchcliffe]

It seems that we're in a win-win situation.

[Liam Murray]

Perhaps we should temper our glee a little?

Wise politicians play to their strengths and try to minimise their weaknesses. Gordon Brown's advisers understand that they'll never be able to do the 'every man' thing with anything like the flair that Cameron does - consequently I don't think they'll even try. It won't require the world's best campaign strategists to pitch Gordon Brown as a serious, perhaps even dour policy geek who always has his head in a book, looking at the numbers and thinking several moves ahead. Yes he loves his family and spends time with them but that's private and not why he's in the public eye - he's a statesman, a heavyweight politician with 10+ years experience in the second most powerful job in UK politics. Cameron's readiness to allow himself to be labelled the true heir to Blair might make political sense at the moment but come 2009 he may regret it. The public are already tiring of image-driven shallow politics and I suspect their appetite for it is even less than is evident at the moment - it's just that it's all that's on offer from both main parties. If come 2009 Cameron still has that 'air of Blair' about him that will be a gift for Labour if they decide to sell their man as I've suggested above - it essentially means that the 'time for a change' factor might bizarrely work in favour of the sitting government rather than the challenger.

I'm still not convinved Brown is the best option for those hoping for a Conservative government.

[David Cooper]

Well found, Jake. It's almost like a pub quiz question: "Which current high ranking politician said 'I still have a deep admiration for Uncle Jo [Stalin] today' - was it (a) Fidel Castro (b) Robert Mugabe (c) Kim Jong Il (d) Mahmoud Ahmedinejad (e) Gordon Brown?"

[Simon Chapman]

Jake please could you provide a reference for Brown's quote on Stalin.

[Jake]

Yes it is on his own personal website :

gordon-brown.blogspot.com/2006/02/historical-revisionismThursday, February 16, 2006

Historical revisionism in the modern age

"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas."

Often we are told to condemn the ills of the Soviet Union or the People's Republic of China, in particular the extraordinary careers of Joseph Stalin and Chairman Mao, but both made several important contributions to society that we as modern British citizens could learn many lessons from.

When I was a lad at Kirkcaldy High School I dreamed a dream of a more controlled, more orderly, more socially responsible society, and felt that one day this dream could be realised through the Fabian and Marxist ideals of New Labour's spiritual fathers.

Later, whilst at Edinburgh University studying for my doctorate, I became truly enamoured by the works of Joseph Stalin and wrote several essays and gave seminars on the progressive policies of Stalin as well as Mao Zedong and their important and lasting contributions to the world we live in. I still have a deep admiration for Uncle Jo today.

In the West, we tend to place far too much emphasis on the bad, and misunderstand the essential lessons of old, but whilst striving for the greater good we can learn much from such historical lights as Stalin, Mao and others who enriched their societies and delivered equality and the guiding hand of the state to their people in the modern age.

My dear friend and former adviser, Charlie Whelan, used to keep the collected writings of Stalin prominently on his bookshelf, and was a proud scholar of the third-way Uncle Jo doctrine which we often used to discuss, along with sharing tales of the glories of the past. The Guardian once likened my comprehensive spending review to Stalin which I took as a great honour and enormous privilege.

While we are no longer a manufacturing nation, and already run a predominantly service and government-driven economy with private partnerships, the huge jump in fuel prices will mean the inevitable restraining of consumption and along with the unstoppable pace of globalisation, Britain must adapt to the economic and social challenges of the 21st century.

More so than ever before, the goal of a socially responsible economically-just society under a stable rule-based world order is vital, and we owe a responsibility to our veterans and war heroes to continue to find ways to expand government and the role of the state in line with these projections.

We in government believe that poverty, injustice and disadvantage are a blight on all of our lives. That is why we have been modernising our policies towards the concept of inequality, and through the biometric ID scheme we can level out the problems of society by the orderly disbandment of the middle class. Furthermore, the state must now be the new parents to our offspring and education remains vital in teaching our children to respect the beacon of government and our common shared values of responsibility.

By changing the way social and educational services are delivered across the country using biometric ID cards linked into the government information database, we can ensure an orderly and progressive system of new citizenship monitoring, guidance and compliance for the challenges of tommorow.

Tighter regulation of our media is vital if we are to cohere around our shared values for governance, and stronger laws over our TV, newspapers and internet are neccessary and proportionate so that extremists may not stand in the way of these essential betterments for all.

We as British, must not be afraid to embrace the kind of bold economic and public reforms inspired by Stalin and Chairman Mao as we now look towards China as the new social and economic model for the world to follow. Going forward, into the new millenium, we simply can't ignore the Chinese fiscal and labour market strategies that are delivering growth, stability and globalisation unprecidented in a generation.

Already we are making the kinds of reforms to the UK necessary to protect our investments in the future. These include an increased and consistent military presence abroad, increased spending on the military and it's Carlyle Group-owned research facilities, and I've just announced a new expansion in proud young army cadets which will form a modern framework for conscription, necessary in the 21st century to fight multiple theatre wars on different fronts wherever extremists may be. This, along with the remarkable contributions to a modern EU army to be made by our young British troops will ensure we can keep order globally and fight extremism effectively. Additionally, we are building special rest and relocation camps for citizens in the event that extremist dissidents may try to attack us.

We are spending more on government as a whole and providing essential jobs to our economy such a diversity training officers, council tax inspectors and local government CCTV operators, vital roles in the modern age we live in. And this is just the beginnining as we try to eventually move away from the outdated concepts that have held Britain back in the past into ones of communal understanding and mutual respect as citizens.

Britain must be prepared and be equipped as long-term stability is secured only if we grasp the opportunities now.

For me, this is why I am looking forward to the privilege of completing the smooth transition and being given the opportunity to lead the United Kingdom into the 21st century, building on Tony Blair's legacy of third way Fabian incrementalist values to take the people of Britain into the next level of this new era for the decade to come.

signed Gordon Brown

Right Honorable Gordon Brown MP

[Annabel Herriott]

I have a friend who is an extremely gifted "people reader". He has this to say about Brown.
"Gordon Brown has a big following of his own within the party, and for Blair to have sacked him at any point would have made it extremely difficult for him to govern.
Gordon Brown has used his position as Chancellor to control the other ministerial departments to a degree that is also unprecedented.
In the election to become leader of the party in 1994, Brown did not stand so as not to divide the party(so he said: he would have lost had he stood).He has since built on this myth that he sacrificed his own ambitions for the sake of the party, and has made it seem like he has a right to be the next leader, and that Blair has been repeatedly treacherous in not standing aside for him.
It looks like his moment will finally arrive during the course of this year. There have been mutterings about someone standing against him in an election to be leader, but no prominent MP has put their name forward yet. If one did stand and lost, he/she could expect no largesse from Gordon Brown: their ministerial career would be over.
If I admire anything about Tony Blair, it is his ability to contain the feud with Gordon Brown. Unlike Brown, Blair is not vindictive. I dont think Gordon Brown is a leader of people - I think he is tyrannical - and I think his reputation as a brilliant Chancellor, so necessary for his self-esteem, is overblown. The fact is, that the West has been in a period of sustained economic growth for a long time now, and Brown has managed not to get in the way of that. It was the Tories who set up the conditions for the boom in the UK. If he has achieved anything, it has been in raising large amounts of cash through taxes to put into the public services, without alienating the voters by raising personal income tax.
There seems to be a widespread perception that the man is "not right"and also a sense that we have no choice but to have him as our next leader. This is not a good omen, and the opinion polls put the Tories well ahead if Brown becomes leader.
....... his leadership appears flawed before it has even begun...being PM is not going to be a happy experience for him. He has lusted after the job for years, and it is going to turn into ashes. And it will be a self-inflicted wound.
2007 is mainly about the ascent to power, but the trouble will begin straightaway....he will have problems around people accepting him and liking him- popular appeal - from the word go....his continual power seeking and plotting... This way he has of going about things is likely to seriously damage him next year. his general reputation will become damaged.
This passive aggressive..reflects the infighting that will be going on, and his defficulties in genuinly asserting himself in relation to others.Likely power struggles and in fighting within his government. His premiership will be everything one might have feared from his current reputation....will be forced to call an election by 2010 at the latest...probably lose it. Would not accept any challenge to his forthcoming leadership."

I think my friend is spot on in that analysis.
Gordon has always been better at ruling from BEHIND the throne - as befits a passisve aggressive Queen.
All Tories get down on your knees and pray. Gordon for PM!!!!
T

[Simon Chapman]

Jake, thank you for finding this site. It deserves wider recognition - but because it's a spoof.

[David Cooper]

"We are spending more on government as a whole and providing essential jobs to our economy such as diversity training officers, council tax inspectors and local government CCTV operators, vital roles in the modern age we live in."

This gets even better (alternatively: should we laugh or should we cry?). If 9 out of every 10 of these jobs disappeared overnight, or possibly a higher percentage, would we notice any tangible deterioration in overall quality of life?

[Simon Chapman]

Just laugh, David (see my 1300 post)

[Ted]

Simon

Its a shame though that it is a spoof - but then read todays Polly Toynbee and then you'll wonder if that's a Polly spoof (surely she can't be serious!)

On the anti-Brown theme - why can't any of our spokesmen puncture the "I gave Bank of England it's independence" boast. Labourin 1997 was intending to join the Euro (when conditions right etc), to do so requires giving the Central Bank independence. Only thing Brown did was do it faster than expected. He wouldn't have if Maastricht hadn't said he had to.

[David Cooper]

Simon,

Did so! Reminded of an old comedy clip - could it have been Alf Garnett? - when he was accused of making some outrageous comment and replied "I don't ever remember saying that! Sounds like me, though..."

[Curly]

Lord Turnbull paints a very grim picture of the Commisar, oops, sorry Chancellor.

[Andrew]

Tories for Gordon!

[matt wright]

Brown would be a truly terrible dinosaur if he became PM and most members of the public sense this. Blair flitted from one idea to another mouthing spin while Brown piled expensive bureaucracy on top of more bureaucracy in a failed effort to control everything while delivering nothing. The combination has been a total disaster for Britain and has squandered a period when world economic growth could have enabled so much top be done.

Matt

['Disgusting' DVA]

"Perhaps we Tories should be mounting a Save Brown campaign?"

Is 'EU Serf' at Right Links still running his Tories for Gordon campaign?

['Disgusting' DVA]

Apologies - this should be the correct link for Right Links.

[Mark R]

Judge a man by his enemies? Note it's the EU federal crowd that is gunning for him, Wall being a prime example. Where would we be on the Euro (or even the Constitution) if Brown had gone along with Blair? Do they know something we don't about where Brown goes next on the EU? And if Brown really is so bitter and unforgiving, then even better if he wins and bins all the Labour EU federalists out of spite.

Also I live and work in Scotland (actually making something in the private sector!) so I'm none too keen on seeing my country balkanised by the SNP ("Independence in Europe, everybody works in the public sector")- just take a look at the comments section of The Scotsman online and Brown suddenly looks pretty good in comparison.

What a looking glass world.