Show us your vision, Gordon

Gordon Brown called off an election to show us his vision. It's time he started doing so.

When Gordon Brown told Andrew Marr he wouldn't go to the country this year - nor next - in order to renew Labour's mandate to govern, he said:

"What I want to do is show people the vision that we have for the future of this country in housing and health and education and I want the chance, in the next phase of my premiership, to develop and show people the policies that are going to make a huge difference and show the change in the country itself."
And yet, it seems as if the only vision Gordon has is of personally retaining the keys to Number 10.

On inheritance tax and tax breaks for married couples, the government have stolen the Tories' clothes. On capital gains tax, they blundered and backtracked. On migrant workers, they have shown that they do not have a grip on the issue, nor a positive message for why migration is in the interests of Britian. On the latest EU treaty, Gordon has singularly failed to articulate the benefits of European membership, nor moved the debate from "do we even want to be in Europe?" to "what sort of Europe do we want to be in?" Instead, he will compel Labour MPs to force through the treaty without a proper debate.

If this is leadership, then it is second-rate.

Whilst the current government still represent the least worst option, they are in danger of being overtaken by a sort of complacency about a) the strength of their opposition and b) how they continue to demonstrate to the electorate that they have the ideas to drive the country forward.

The one thing I can't stand about Conservatives is the patronising way they assume they deserve to lead the country without actually proving why. Looking at the direction the current Labour government is heading in, I'm seeing a similar arrogance. It reminds of me of the last line in Orwell's Animal Farm:

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but it was already impossible to say which was which."
Labour were the future once. For all our sakes, it's time they started being the future again.

alexanderbaker.org.uk

Display: Sort:

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#1)

We are getting Browns vision it says so on the labour site, it says Browns vision it's new it's exciting, it's education education education. God i am sick and tired it's time to vote in another party just because it's getting bloody boring.

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#2)

All Brown's vision has consisted of so far is social conservatism and copying the Tories on everything else.

I didn't join Labour for either of those things. Brown should think what his real feelings are and what he would really like to see happen to this country rather than obscessing over opinion polls and holding on to power.

He hasn't set out one single bold, radical policy since he came to power.

I just wish those around him would tell him to get on with it. Something bold on constitutional reform (like replacing the Lords, or devolving more power to England, hint, hint...) would be nice.

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#3)

Well said!

I think you sum it up nicely when you say 'it seems as if the only vision Gordon has is of personally retaining the keys to Number 10'.  The dirty little secret is that Brown has no vision, it was always about getting rid of Blair.

Everything he has done since being in Number 10 has been about calculation and pandering to the Daily Mail etc.  But when last week a half sensible policy on refuse collections was dumped because it offended the Daily Mail, we should be rather concerned.


Most of us deep down in are hearts knew what we were getting and most of us deep down had serious doubts about Brown.  The person I blame most is Tony Blair firstly for not standing upto him enough when he was Chancellor and secondly not moving people into post's where they could challenge Brown from a position of strength.  Secondly Labour MP's lack of guts to noinmate leadership challengers during the corination was a joke.  If Brown had been properly challenged during an intense contest (like the Tories managed with Cameron/Clarke/Fox/Davis), at least he would have had to set out some sort of vision for Health, Education, and Home Affairs etc.  Do we actually know what Brown thinks on immigration apart from the BNP slogan 'British jobs for British workers'?  Does he think migration is to high or to low?  Does anyone know if Brown wishes to see more or less private involement in the NHS?  What's is vision for getting more value for taxpayers money?  

Today Brown has tried to set out his vision for Education
'Brown threatens failing schools':  (yes more 5-year plans and targets.  The Soviet Union would be proud)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7070190.stm

As Nick Robinson's say what this speech mean's in practice is rather 'vague'.  Listening to the speech I feel as if i've herd it a thousand times before,  i'm positive i've herd most of the stuff in budgets and Mansion House speeches before.  Perhaps it news but if I feel like that as Labour member, what does the general public feel like when they hear him drone on about:

"Our final goal for world class education will be 100% success for young people making the transition from school to college, university and skilled work".

Brown made the case for academies today, fine but then one remembers that Ed Balls undermined the very foundation of their existence by giving LEA's a greater say in how they were run.


We are stuck with what we have got.

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#5)

Yes a highly qualified bin man, bus man and street cleaner sounds good, education is only good when the jobs are available.

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#4)

A lot of people had doubts abour Gordon.I think we are seeing now that Clare Short was correct when she said he was unstoppable but unelectable.Finally the Tories have got their act together which people were wishing for at the time of the last election.The reality now is if we want to win a fourth term we must have a new leader. 

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#6)

Well I feel much more positive than others on this thread.  Many of the Brown changes aren't glitzy but aim to address people's day-to-day concerns. They will actually take a while to develop and bed in. That is why they will work. You just can't build 3 million homes overnight. Or immediately change the working of GP practices. Or quickly redefine liberty in an age of insecurity or build a new constitutional settlement at a press conference.

I think those that wanted a more humbler and workmanlike approach to governing really shouldn't be disappointed.  On a related point I really don't see a u-turn on super casinos as being a bad thing or particulary socially conservative.  I know many in the party who felt very uncomfortable with the old super casino policy and those of a medthodist mindset really appreciated it Brown's new stance.  There's a significant strand of our party that doesn't want to the market and the worship of money to extend to every corner of life. Brown has the thumbs up from me.

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#8)

But how can Brown talk about liberty when he's simultaneously pushing for 56 day detention without trial? And not to mention his lack of 'liberty' of other issues, like the supercasino as you mentioned, but also his stance on alcohol, cannabis etc. Liberty involves allowing people to choose for themselves, not imposing authoritarianism on them.

And what's the point of Brown even thinking about some Constitution in the future when at the moment we don't even know if the United Kingdom will stay together? Devolution is in a complete mess and after ten years in government, we're still nowhere nearer to completing the House of Lords reforms. He needs to get on with the tough task on constitutional reforms before he even starts thinking about a Constitution itself.

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#7)

"Humble and workmanlike" OK but I expected Gordon to look at the bigger picture. What about climate change? That's an area where politicians can really make a difference, must make a difference. As socialists we are not hampered by the conservatives' ideological baggage on this issue. As internationalists we can work through the EU and other institutions and many other countries look to the UK for leadership.

But will Gordon major on this in the queen's speech? I have a horrible feeling he won't. I have horrible feeling that he's lost his way.

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#9)

Gordon Brown doesn't have a mandate to deliver his tartan-tinted vision.  Call an election, stand in an English constituency and he'll have a mandate.

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#10)

Rubbish! Don't these Tories ever give up. Labour was elected in 2005 for 5 years; the electorate knew perfectly well the platform was 'vote Blair, get Brown'. And that's what happened. Brown will call an election in 2008/9. The same happened in 1992 when Thatcher resigned and Major took over. Simple.

Re: Show us your vision, Gordon (#11)

Not to mention the fact that at the general election people voted for their local MP, not Tony Blair. Suggesting Gordon doesn't have a mandate is just plain wrong.