Thoughts from the Brown press conference

Three thoughts from the Brown press conference:

1. That trying to pretend that he did not call off his election simply because of the polls is absurd and unecessary. David Cameron is right to say that it treats people as if they are stupid.

2. He cannot argue that he relishes the opportunity to argue about inheritance tax, because he clearly didn't relish that. If he relished it we would be having an election. Why not just say the argument takes time and he realised that seeing the polls. So he delayed the election to give him time. That at least would be nearer the truth.

3. Wasn't his comment that perhaps he should have gone earlier fascinating? An unexplored question is whether he might have been better advised to push the button on an early election in early September or before the Tory conference.

But he's no Blair, is he?

Comments

[Vincenzo]

It was always going to be hard for Brown to say no to a poll once oppostition politicians started trying to catch up and the media egged the whole thing on.

Several commentators wrote about how it would be 'dishonest' to go to the polls when Labour were leading the polls. Now it is dishonest not to when their lead is not so great.

Let's be utterly honest - this is about politics and only politics. There's no point making a decision to enter an election just because everyone expects you to. You do so when it is the right time.

Not going now benefits the electorate as they won't be:
a) lumbered with a hung parliament;
b) left with a Governemnt of useless Tories and leader who thinks that ledership is about speaking without notes;
c) two months of relentless media fluff.

Unfotunately the Tories have now got the opportunity to to go back to in-fighting and trying to make a credible case for governing - no wonder they'd rather have an election...

[David Moss]

THOUGHTS FROM BBC RADIO'S WORLD AT ONE (WATO) -- INTRODUCING HUCKLEBERRY BROWN
Never let it be said again that the BBC is biased in favour of New Labour.

Mr Brown received a roasting in WATO interviews today with Lord Ashley (need for an EU treaty referendum), Tom Bower (indecisive to the point of cowardly) and Michael Portillo (he has done David Cameron's job for him) being remarkably disobliging.

We can listen to the opinions and so can everyone else, including the foreign leaders Mr Brown is expected to negotiate with on our behalf. He will be mincemeat in their hands. That is not safe for the country. We must have an election quickly.

With regard to your point 1. above, it seems as though, whenever given the choice, Mr Brown would rather obfuscate than tell the naked truth, he would rather hide something than reveal it, to tell the truth is to be caught out, it is a weakness, ...

Do you remember Huckleberry Finn*:

"I reckon a body that ups and tells the truth when he is in a tight place is taking considerable many resks, though I ain't had no experience, and can't say for certain; but it looks so to me, anyway; and yet here's a case where I'm blest if it don't look to me like the truth is better and actuly safer than a lie. I must lay it by in my mind, and think it over some time or other, it's so kind of strange and unregular. I never see nothing like it. Well, I says to myself at last, I'm a-going to chance it; I'll up and tell the truth this time, though it does seem most like setting down on a kag of powder and touching it off just to see where you'll go to."

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* http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=Twa2Huc.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=all, p.248

[mike cassidy]

that Gordon brown thinks Uk public is stupid' as suggested by D Cameron is quite justified in the circumstances- and perhaps wholly justified when he voiced his views on the Andrew Marr show (sunday a.m.)i.e. "that we would win" -referring to the polls had he called an election- taking the 'voter' for granted is 'stupid'- actually voicing same is really really stupid--
His comment made Marr blink but no challenge was forthcoming re such arrrogant assumptions- i wonder why?????

[William]

So, Daniel, your case against Brown now is that he does what all PMs, politicians, diplomats, generals, public servants in the public eye do all the time: namely dress the truth up in careful language. Should he really just blurt out simple truths off the top of his head? Is that what we pay him for? Do we want our generals to admit they might lose a battle? A diplomat to admit we have a bad case in international law? If we want childish honesty, why doesn't Cameron admit that he was terrified there might be an election? Was he treating the public as "fools" when he said "Bring it on!" We knew he was garnishing the truth. And we expect, even want, our pols to do this. So where's the beef against Brown?

[Nigel]

Dressing up the truth ?
When asked by Simon Carr towards the end of the press conference what he would have done, had the polls shown a LABOUR lead of 6% in the marginals: "I would have made the same decision..."
A prime minister who is a blatant liar - or utterly self-deluded ? Take your pick.