The case against Brown staying
TonyH Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 04:23:53 PM GMT 
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I would love for someone to put forward a convincing argument on why Gordon Brown should stay as leader of this Party.
After all this time I have only heard one: that the Party can’t afford a leadership election. My mate David reminded me earlier. That’s hardly the inspiring clarion call – but can someone come up with a good argument that he should stay?
After all this time I have only heard one: that the Party can’t afford a leadership election. My mate David reminded me earlier. That’s hardly the inspiring clarion call – but can someone come up with a good argument that he should stay?
Let’s look at a few:
“We should support our leader.”
We should support our party in order to help improve this country. We should support our leader when we believe in him and his capability. At this point the majority do not.
Incidentally, did he support the last leader? Can he really demand loyalty? I think not.
“Who will you replace him with?”
If we continue as we are, Brown WILL be replaced by David Cameron.
What were his qualifications before the Conservative leadership? Are you really saying that despite 11 years in Government, we have nobody comparable to Clegg or Cameron who can’t do a better job than is being done now?
Wouldn’t someone less qualified than Brown need the experience of people around him or her? Wouldn’t this be a collaborative effort where a new leader couldn’t afford not to listen?
“We shouldn’t do the Tories’ work for them”
The Tories are cock-a-hoop that their policy less party is riding high. They love Gordon Brown’s premiership – it’s making it so easy for them to even pretend that they’d do better.
We are now without a coherent message on what we want to achieve, a completely infertile media to plant what we do have and a leader whom it is generally accepted cannot argue it anyway.
If there was a “message” it would be, “We’re not the Tories” which doesn’t wash anymore. People mistakenly believe there’s no difference and that a message of what we’re against, rather than what we’re for does not motivate.
This country is already choked by cancerous cynicism and it used to be our job to counter it rather than sustain it.
Our work, as opposed to the Tories work, is to win, govern well and deserve to win again not spout about loyalty to a politician before our loyalty to serving the public and the Party’s movement.
“Give him another year to sort it out”
Governance of this country isn’t ours to give! Since the election wipe out in May can you think of one encouraging sign that he is listening or has developed a logical plan to dig us out? One? PLEASE?
We’ve seen “it’s the economy”, “let’s love middle England” and a right-wing agenda. We’re still in freefall. Last October he said he wanted the chance to show the Country his vision. Well?
If there was anything in the past year that demonstrated an ability to make improvements next year, then perhaps, but what is there?
“Two leaders without a general election – the British public won’t stand for that.” Ok – what will they do to us? Swing away in our safest seats? Hammer us in local elections? Call us the nasty Party (bloody incredible!!!)?
Will they take every policy announcement and treat it with contempt? Will they bury every single bit of good news we’ve had in eight months? Will they ignore job figures and falling crime rates?
Because that’s what they’re doing now. Can we not at least try to improve our situation? The public will not like a second leader but everyone knows that when an organisation makes a mistake, the test of their offering is how they compensate that mistake.
Our mistake was letting Gordon in unopposed – we’re still not opposing him now. In the eyes of the British public we are now complicit in this series of mismanagement and if we’re still where we are in a year’s time, by God I expect they will show us what they won’t stand for.
“He’s not good at presentation, he’s good at substance – that’s what counts.”
The substance was in the tone of the nasty Crewe campaign which he signed off and we lost badly. The detail was in the 10p tax which he denied for months and then accepted after an election routing.
The substance for an electoral strategist was understanding that speculation on an election would be critically compromising if we were to back down on that election.
The details were there for anyone interested in them in the policy announcements on non-Doms, capital gains tax changes, stabbers visiting A&E and on and on and on.
“The economy will turn around in time before election, and with it our chance will improve.”
The economy improved from 1995 to 1997 and it didn’t save Major. If the pressures are international, what looks set to change that will aid our recovery? Will China and India stop drinking up the oil? Will Iran all of a sudden abandon its desire for nuclear weaponry? Will North Korea?
Even if there is an improvement, will the press and “narrative” attribute it to Brown. It’d want to be a pretty spectacular improvement to turn around 22% swings against us.
“He’s a decent man, it’s not like Labour to wield the knife.”
My MP, Clive Efford, is a wonderfully decent man and a very hardworking and honourable constituency MP. The way things are going, he’s going to be routed in a London marginal. There are scores of others and it’s them I’d be very worried about.
The bigger disloyalty to the Party is to allow this train wreck to continue. The biggest disservice to the public is put our Leader ahead of competent governance.
“I’m from [insert faction] and our poll figures just typify how wrong/arrogant/out of touch/compromised [insert other faction] are.”
Whatever faction you’re from – it’s not the Conservative Party who stand to walk into government while we seem paralysed.
Finally, my understanding of responsibility is that you accept blame that you are owed. I find it difficult to respect Brown when he pulls the old "It's not me Gov" routine. I accept he comes in for some criticism that he doesn't deserve but I don't think I;ve included any of it here and it's still a pretty compelling case against him.
If any business, football team or any organisation had a string of results like ours, you look to the person in charge and ask what is to be done.
“It’s the economy” and “I’m getting on with the job” are not proper accountable answers and I think we have a right to demand better.
Please, convince me I’m wrong.
“We should support our leader.”
We should support our party in order to help improve this country. We should support our leader when we believe in him and his capability. At this point the majority do not.
Incidentally, did he support the last leader? Can he really demand loyalty? I think not.
“Who will you replace him with?”
If we continue as we are, Brown WILL be replaced by David Cameron.
What were his qualifications before the Conservative leadership? Are you really saying that despite 11 years in Government, we have nobody comparable to Clegg or Cameron who can’t do a better job than is being done now?
Wouldn’t someone less qualified than Brown need the experience of people around him or her? Wouldn’t this be a collaborative effort where a new leader couldn’t afford not to listen?
“We shouldn’t do the Tories’ work for them”
The Tories are cock-a-hoop that their policy less party is riding high. They love Gordon Brown’s premiership – it’s making it so easy for them to even pretend that they’d do better.
We are now without a coherent message on what we want to achieve, a completely infertile media to plant what we do have and a leader whom it is generally accepted cannot argue it anyway.
If there was a “message” it would be, “We’re not the Tories” which doesn’t wash anymore. People mistakenly believe there’s no difference and that a message of what we’re against, rather than what we’re for does not motivate.
This country is already choked by cancerous cynicism and it used to be our job to counter it rather than sustain it.
Our work, as opposed to the Tories work, is to win, govern well and deserve to win again not spout about loyalty to a politician before our loyalty to serving the public and the Party’s movement.
“Give him another year to sort it out”
Governance of this country isn’t ours to give! Since the election wipe out in May can you think of one encouraging sign that he is listening or has developed a logical plan to dig us out? One? PLEASE?
We’ve seen “it’s the economy”, “let’s love middle England” and a right-wing agenda. We’re still in freefall. Last October he said he wanted the chance to show the Country his vision. Well?
If there was anything in the past year that demonstrated an ability to make improvements next year, then perhaps, but what is there?
“Two leaders without a general election – the British public won’t stand for that.” Ok – what will they do to us? Swing away in our safest seats? Hammer us in local elections? Call us the nasty Party (bloody incredible!!!)?
Will they take every policy announcement and treat it with contempt? Will they bury every single bit of good news we’ve had in eight months? Will they ignore job figures and falling crime rates?
Because that’s what they’re doing now. Can we not at least try to improve our situation? The public will not like a second leader but everyone knows that when an organisation makes a mistake, the test of their offering is how they compensate that mistake.
Our mistake was letting Gordon in unopposed – we’re still not opposing him now. In the eyes of the British public we are now complicit in this series of mismanagement and if we’re still where we are in a year’s time, by God I expect they will show us what they won’t stand for.
“He’s not good at presentation, he’s good at substance – that’s what counts.”
The substance was in the tone of the nasty Crewe campaign which he signed off and we lost badly. The detail was in the 10p tax which he denied for months and then accepted after an election routing.
The substance for an electoral strategist was understanding that speculation on an election would be critically compromising if we were to back down on that election.
The details were there for anyone interested in them in the policy announcements on non-Doms, capital gains tax changes, stabbers visiting A&E and on and on and on.
“The economy will turn around in time before election, and with it our chance will improve.”
The economy improved from 1995 to 1997 and it didn’t save Major. If the pressures are international, what looks set to change that will aid our recovery? Will China and India stop drinking up the oil? Will Iran all of a sudden abandon its desire for nuclear weaponry? Will North Korea?
Even if there is an improvement, will the press and “narrative” attribute it to Brown. It’d want to be a pretty spectacular improvement to turn around 22% swings against us.
“He’s a decent man, it’s not like Labour to wield the knife.”
My MP, Clive Efford, is a wonderfully decent man and a very hardworking and honourable constituency MP. The way things are going, he’s going to be routed in a London marginal. There are scores of others and it’s them I’d be very worried about.
The bigger disloyalty to the Party is to allow this train wreck to continue. The biggest disservice to the public is put our Leader ahead of competent governance.
“I’m from [insert faction] and our poll figures just typify how wrong/arrogant/out of touch/compromised [insert other faction] are.”
Whatever faction you’re from – it’s not the Conservative Party who stand to walk into government while we seem paralysed.
Finally, my understanding of responsibility is that you accept blame that you are owed. I find it difficult to respect Brown when he pulls the old "It's not me Gov" routine. I accept he comes in for some criticism that he doesn't deserve but I don't think I;ve included any of it here and it's still a pretty compelling case against him.
If any business, football team or any organisation had a string of results like ours, you look to the person in charge and ask what is to be done.
“It’s the economy” and “I’m getting on with the job” are not proper accountable answers and I think we have a right to demand better.
Please, convince me I’m wrong.
The case against Brown staying | 129 comments (129 topical)