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Is Mr Brown behaving like a dictator?









Stumpy Tim

Well-known member
I don't really understand the hatred towards Brown. He's a bit of an arse, has made a few poor decisions, & struggles to communicate. I don't doubt however, that his heart is in the right place. What's he done that causes people to hate him? I can see it with Thatcher as she destroyed communities, & Blair because of Iraq, but Brown gets way more stick than those two
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
36,021
But a Lib-Lab pact would represent the wishes of almost 50% more voters than the Conservatives alone. Numbers can tell you anything you want them to tell you.

and a Con-Lib pact would represent even more.

but anyway, Brown is obliged to stay on as PM until another suitable candidate who commands the confidence of parliament is clearly identified. Its only the 24 hour news channels and market intra-day traders that it matter to whether he resigns today or Monday.
 


Beach Hut

Brighton Bhuna Boy
Jul 5, 2003
72,323
Living In a Box
Personally I think he should do the right thing and just f*** off now
 




perseus

Broad Blue & White stripe
Jul 5, 2003
23,461
Sūþseaxna
Not everybody in your tribe is on your side

I don't really understand the hatred towards Brown. He's a bit of an arse, has made a few poor decisions, & struggles to communicate. I don't doubt however, that his heart is in the right place. What's he done that causes people to hate him? I can see it with Thatcher as she destroyed communities, & Blair because of Iraq, but Brown gets way more stick than those two

There is a chance he may come good (Lab-LD pact). The trouble is 6% of the artisan workers don't like him. That's a 6% swing against Labour.
 


Race

The Tank Rules!
Aug 28, 2004
7,822
Hampshire
Knock knock ......

Who's there ? ......

David ......

David Who ? ......

Gordon open the f***ing door and get out of my house.
 






drew

Drew
NSC Patron
Oct 3, 2006
23,627
Burgess Hill
A lot will depend on how far the tories will go with a committment to electoral reform. So far, they have indicated they won't go for PR, just and inquiry into modifying the current system. This could be just their opening gambit as cannot see the Libdems going for this. If they don't reach agreement, suspect you will see them try and form a coalition with Labour, on the basis of guaranteed referendum on electoral reform, whereby they would only need to secure support from 11 other MPs to get things through whereas without the Libdems, Tories need 20 others to support them. Part of the deal would definitely see GB making way for leadership election. Once new reforms in place there would be a new election.
 


Joey Deacon's Disco Suit

It's a THUG life
Apr 19, 2010
854
I don't really understand the hatred towards Brown. He's a bit of an arse, has made a few poor decisions, & struggles to communicate. I don't doubt however, that his heart is in the right place. What's he done that causes people to hate him? I can see it with Thatcher as she destroyed communities, & Blair because of Iraq, but Brown gets way more stick than those two

Thatcher gets less stick than Brown? You're joking, right?
 


zego

New member
Jul 10, 2003
1,626
In round terms, 10M people voted for right of centre politics, and 8M + 6M = 14M voted for centre and centre-left politics.

Nobody voted for a hung parliament - there wasn't a tick-box for that, anymore than there was for none-of the-above.

It is courteous, but misguided, for Nick Clegg to be discussing co-operation with Cameron.

Brown's popularity is irrelevant - what matters is who is most likely to win the war, who leads the best war-tested team.

He has no power over the Europeans nor the Americans, but nevertheless won the argument over how to tackle the banking crisis.

Added to which his own constituents, who maybe know him better than the rest of us, boosted his support by +6.4%, counter to the perceived wisdom in most areas of the country.

All the important players in his team have been returned, nobody has been lost undeserved, or of great significance.
 




Kalimantan Gull

Well-known member
Aug 13, 2003
13,449
Central Borneo / the Lizard
Its difficult for Clegg - the vast majority of Lib Dem voters are on the left of the spectrum and would prefer labour (sans Brown) to the tories. Many many people voted tactically for the libdems against the tories and won't be pleased if he props them up.

On the other hand, the only stable government at the mo is Lib-Con, and he must have a certain sense of duty to the country "in these difficult times"

But if the Cons offer nothing of note, then the Libdems get screwed. Whereas if Brown offers a) a Queens speech consisting of nothing but electoral reform and a budget protecting spending of essential services, b) his resignation as Labour leader, c) his resignation as prime minister when the new leader is chosen and d) an election once the electoral reform is completed - then the libdems, green and nationalists will surely support it. They get exactly what they want and a bigger say in future government, they are not seen to be propping up Brown.

As a libdem supporter, that is what I would support.
 


GNF on Tour

Registered Twunt
Jul 7, 2003
1,365
Auckland
As Ian Hislop just said on Have I Got News For You...

"We didn't vote for him last time. We didn't vote for him this time. But he's still Prime Minister. That's democracy."

I get pretty fed-up of hearing this shit. We vote for a party, the parties leader is the Prime Minister - its legal so get fuckin over it. Whether we like it or not has nothing to do with it. Ian Hislop is a smug little prick, if he was standing in front of me now I would stick a pickaxe through his spinal column.
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,830
Uffern
I get pretty fed-up of hearing this shit. We vote for a party, the parties leader is the Prime Minister - its legal so get fuckin over it.

In my lifetime, Brown is the fifth PM to have served in that office without having been elected by the voters, I don't recall any of the others attracting any of this vitriol of being 'unelected' - although I was bit young for Macmillan and Douglas-Home.

I know that we didn't have the web and messageboards when Callaghan and Major were elected leaders but this is not just about the Internet: I hear people talking about "unelected" Brown and there have been countless letters to the papers about his status - things that I don't recall happening to Sunny Jim and Major.

It's part of Stumpy Tim's point: there seems to be an excessive amount of hatred to the guy, something that's not tied in with his performance as PM. I don't think he's been a good PM but I don't think he's been the worst either. however there seems to be a visceral antipathy to him. Do we really want meretricious performers like Blair and Cameron? Is that the best we can do?
 




Goldstone Rapper

Rediffusion PlayerofYear
Jan 19, 2009
14,865
BN3 7DE
C'mon, guys, I've just realised, the solution is simple, isn't it?

A Conservative-Labour Coalition would have 564 seats in the House of Commons! That's certainly enough for a workable majority over the next five years. On a range of issues, a right-wing party and a centre-right party probably have a lot more in common than they realise. They could kick electoral reform into touch and keep their advantageous First Past the Post forever. In the first leaders' debate, both Cameron and Brown worked together to create the catchphrase 'I agree with Nick'. In the last leaders' debate, they co-operated even more to create a pincer movement to put the squeeze on the Lib Dems on issues such as the illegal immigrant 'amnesty'.'

Can't believe Brown and Cameron aren't on the phone to each other already.
 


If I was Cameron I would let Brown and Clegg get on with it because with all the hardship this country is about to go through by next spring there will be another election and the Lib/Lab vote will take a hammering so leaving the door open for a Tory landslide.
 


DJ Leon

New member
Aug 30, 2003
3,446
Hassocks
There no political mileage to be gained from this. He is the Prime Minister until Mr Cameron can form a government. He has already indicated that the Conservatives get the first stab at doing so - something he didn't have to do.
 


C'mon, guys, I've just realised, the solution is simple, isn't it?

A Conservative-Labour Coalition would have 564 seats in the House of Commons! That's certainly enough for a workable majority over the next five years. On a range of issues, a right-wing party and a centre-right party probably have a lot more in common than they realise. They could kick electoral reform into touch and keep their advantageous First Past the Post forever. In the first leaders' debate, both Cameron and Brown worked together to create the catchphrase 'I agree with Nick'. In the last leaders' debate, they co-operated even more to create a pincer movement to put the squeeze on the Lib Dems on issues such as the illegal immigrant 'amnesty'.'

Can't believe Brown and Cameron aren't on the phone to each other already.

Although I suspect that this is not meant to be entirely serious it does have a sort of logic to it - I think the phrase "whoever you vote for the Government always wins" springs to mind.
 






If I was Cameron I would let Brown and Clegg get on with it because with all the hardship this country is about to go through by next spring there will be another election and the Lib/Lab vote will take a hammering so leaving the door open for a Tory landslide.

So wouldn't it work the same way if Cameron becomes PM?
Labour would then get the "landslide" and people would suddenly be extolling the virtues of Brown, in hindsight ???
 


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