Poor Gordon is in the Brown stuff
Poor Gordon Brown (excuse the sarcasm).
Assessing his current predicament, one can draw many parallels with previous PMs and Labour leaders. Like James Callaghan, he opted not to call an early election when he really should have, and the scale of Labours recent defeat in the English and Welsh local elections is comparable to that suffered under Michael Foot in the 1983 General Election.
But the most interesting parallel I feel is with Mrs Thatcher. After a decade of hubris, she introduced the poll tax and was stabbed in the back by her own party. Mr Brown’s followed his decade of hubris (much of it as a Chancellor of unprecedented influence) with his own poll tax moment; the abolition of the 10p tax band. Time will tell though whether he too will be stabbed in the back amidst the resurgence of the Tories, rising criticism from within his own party and an increasingly hostile press.
But while Gordon Browns ignominious demise is inevitable, I don’t think it is likely to come soon. The political careers and ambitions of the likes of Miliband and Balls would be better served by having Gordon Brown lose the next election; thereby allowing them to step in, regroup the party in opposition, and have a better shot at an election victory the next time round.
So, like I said; poor Gordon Brown. His decade long wait to get a shot at the top job was probably agonizing and torturous. His remaining years as PM will be much the same.
Will Gordon Brown still be the UK’s Prime Minister on 1st Nov 2008?
Will Gordon Brown resign before the end of Aug 2008?
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Tags: Conservative Party, David Miliband, Ed Balls, Gordon Brown, James Callaghan, Labour Party, Margaret Thatcher, Michael Foot
