When Ministers vote with their feet, we should be allowed to vote with our ballots.
Gordon Brown is plainly now devoid of all moral authority, and despite the volatility of public opinion and its ever increasing tendency to be caught in waves of emotion, the coming New Labour electoral massacre will only get worse the longer he hangs on.
Hazel Blears’ announcement today is the most stunning act of treachery. The treachery to Gordon Brown is vast. She timed the announcement for just before a Prime Minister’s Questions, where everybody was already anticipating there might be one of those great parliamentary moments when it becomes clear that he no longer has the confidence of the House – and the Commons could thus recover just a tiny bit of its reputation as a democratic forum.
All Cameron has to do today is point to the New Labour benches behind Brown and open with the insouciantly delivered “Are you quite sure it is wise to show your back to those people?” Gordon will return with his leaden pre-written line about working to save the economy for hard-working families, and be lost.
Indeed, it is hard to know at present whether the nation finds the meltdown of Susan Boyle or the meltdown of Gordon Brown more fascinating. Are they perhaps related?
But Hazel Blears’ treachery is far worse than to Gordon Brown. That can be forgiven, as he was about to sack her anyway.
To announce a political resignation from the Cabinet on the very eve of a national election, is an act of betrayal of her own party so extraordinary that I really can’t think of any precedent. Here, I think the hideously ambitious right wing populist Blears may have miscalculated. A lot of New Labour activists, not to mention MEPs and councillors, who lose their seats this week, will not easily forgive her.
Becoming leader of New Labour is hopefully going to become irrelevant to government, but nonetheless that is where Blears sees her future, as witness her campaign for deputy leader. She was the most enthusiastic propagandist in the government for the “war on terror”. I found her lies to parliament on the situation in Uzbekistan especially galling, but plenty of others have reason to dislike her.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2005/10/hazel_blears_ma.html
Blears continually talked up the BNP, and often seemed to argue that the way to combat them was to steal their rhetorical clothes.
I do not believe for one second that Blears wishes to return to grassroots politics as she claims. But happily, I think for the rest of her life she will get what she pretends to want.
Maybe she should give up on politics and take up property speculation. Now there’s something she’s good at.
‘….think the hideously ambitious right wing populist Blear’.
Craig, I realised you were left wing but, please, do me a favour.
Sorry, does the previous poster think that Blears is a left-winger? Holy ****.
There are more mad people out there than I thought.
Quite. She’s Blairite, not ‘right wing’.
And stealing the BNP’s clothes would make her racist (or at least prepared to accommodate racism), not ‘right wing’.
Craig – have a heart man, many many people are crying their eyes out – me included.
Her brilliance shone too bright for this government, her warmth and erudition, her compassion and grace, her love for the working man, the poor and needy, the dispossed and vanquished, ne’er will we seek her like again.
Anywho – how do they make those processed cheese slices? Always wondered.
I think you’re reading it the wrong way.
She is concerned with the Labour grass roots. She will have calculated that her leak of Smiths resignation [allegedly], and her own resignation will actually encourage people to vote Labour after all, as they can finally see senior Labour people getting off their collective arses and getting ready to junk Brown.
It’s actually inspiring, in a weird way.
And that’s indicative of how far things have got, and how much of a liability Brown is.
Many of us have instinctively loathed Blears since first casting unfortunate eyes on her.
Now she shows her true colours.
Vindictive, treacherous and oblivious of consequences to everyone but herself.
Unfortunately, there’s plenty more (parliamentarians, I mean) where that came from.
I’d love to know where the first and anonymous poster thinks Blears appears on the 2-dimensional political map discussed on a previous thread. Does he/she think the sainted Blears appears in the bottom left quadrant with the Green Party and Gandhi?
(snigger)
She’s Blairite, not ‘right wing’.
so bliars left wing now?
Brown called her allowance claims ‘totally unacceptable’ publicly, so he may have wanted her to go anyway, so it is possible that he will not mind her resignation too much. I imagine there is a standing order, that as soon as any minister resigns, a ‘thank you’ note is given, and his or her deputy promoted. Problem solved.
But perhaps some think that ministers are running the country well, and therefore a deputy wouldn’t be able to do as good a job?
At last she’s made the right decision: to return to Salford to serve her constituents. Question is: can McDonalds find a uniform small enough?
This comment she made is particularly interested (source: BBC website):
“In this next phase of my political life I am redoubling my efforts to speak up for the people of Salford as their Member of Parliament. I am returning to the grassroots … to the cut and thrust of political debate”.
That would not be like the cut and thrust of the debate she had with George Monbiot, in which he repeatedly exposed her as a fraud and a stooge?
@John:
“She is concerned with the Labour grass roots”
Um, is that a joke? If not, watch the video of the interview with Monbiot (on the Guardian website) and let me know if you still hold that view.
Not only is this site infested with racists but it also has a fair quotient of misogynists, Craig included judging by the way he singles out women politicans for attack.
Dear Craig
“Maybe she should give up on politics and take up property speculation. Now there’s something she’s good at”.
Oh Bitchy, did you learn that working in the FCO?
Great line to finish a post on.
My opinion of Hazel Blears is that she is a backstabbing useless bitch.
I hope the voters put her midget arse out on the street at the General Election.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
eddie.
Yes, I agree it is unfair to single out Hazel Blear’s behaviour as ‘unacceptable’.
Just a pity she’s a thieving retch or I would feel sorrow for her.
eddie detects irrational prejudice and moral debit everywhere except in the guy in the mirror.
Yes eddie, you’re right.
More NuLabour is what this country needs. They’re the only people with the understanding and character to make a good job of governing Britain.
The Ginger Dwarf has finally managed to jump and bite a chunk off Gordon Brown’s butt, and the world is in furore, about Gordon Brown and his style of leadership.
Fact is, do we have anyone whom actually can govern, given the systematic route of all of the political parties from any kind of thinking sorts?
Who will get your vote from the current batch of ne’er-do-wells, you call politicians? They are all corrupt, self serving, lickspittles all too ready to kiss the correct butts, and criminalize we the people even more.
Furthermore given the rotten boroughs that the same bunch of expense scrounging, work shy, busy bodies have sprung up from, will return the same bunch back in to the “new Parliament” to inflict even more misery upon us all. Why the expensive exercise in validation of hopeless powerlessness of we the people?
The ginger Dwarf being the case in example, she is bound to get back in, in fact if a pony was given a red rosette, and set up as the candidate the Salford faithful will vote it in regardless of the four legged status of the candidate, which media will then hype; as the representative democracy of our lands.
Finally, her arrogance knowing no bounds, has got on with issuing Margaret Thatcherial statements; where there is discord, we shall …., grass roots, …..smoke up the butt,…. and she is still an MP after all this, with pundits warning us all not to write her off either!!!!!!
eddie
“misogynist” is a term I only every hear from man-bashers and man-haters. It is not in the vocabulary of decent people.
I hope you are all looking forward to the next Tory government, because that is what is coming. You may hate Labour as much as you like, but if you seriously think that a tory government will be better than a Labour one, what planet are you on? Tomorrow there will be a huge protest vote against the main parties but it won’t last. Clegg is dire and the Libs stand no chance of progressing, neither do the greens or any of the fringe parties. So it is either Labour or Tory, the choice is yours. Your words are maningless. When all is said and done a lot more is said than done.
Maningless words indeed Mr Ed, maningless indeed. Are you a prophet, a hitherto undiscovered sage, a chap of reason and logic or perhaps a tool? Who’s to say, to wonder, nay, to dream for those once halycion days of yore when New Labour swept off the cobwebs of deceit, of larceny …. err… that’s enough of that.
Dear Eddie
In Scotland, the choice for people is to vote SNP.
Only the SNP is prepared to fight for the people of Scotland.
Labour is in meltdown, even party hacks don’t want to get out and support them.
The only thing Labour understands is punishment; they dish it out to the poor often enough.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Sorry, Eddie, but I’m not voting for Fred West because they other guy’s Charles Manson. They can both get lost.
Even if the only thing my vote does it make it slightly more possible for a third party to gain power at the *next* election (as more people get the same idea) that will bring me more satisfaction than endorsing Labour or the Conservatives.
I don’t see how this is singling out Blears, either. Have any other ministers resigned today?
I suppose the BBC are misogynists as well since it’s their lead story at the moment. (Not that there isn’t a lot wrong with BBC News.)
Diddums. None of the above comments answers my point. As usual you are up your own arses in fantasy land and refuse to answer the point. We live in a grown up democracy, not one for little children to play in. You either play the system we have or you get enough people on your side to change it. Don’t sulk like three year olds. The issues for millions of people are real.
George, the SNP is irrelevant to the national picture. Unless of course we reach a constitutional position where independence is possible. Good luck and good riddance to them if that happens, remembering of course their failed imperialism in Darien that led to the Act of Union in 1701. No doubt they would come running back to the English for help after a few years.
The misogyny tag was aimed at Craig becasue he has a habit of singling our women politicians for attack. Not just today.
‘our women’ – Eddie? – you go girl, you go get ’em.
Dear Eddie
In Scotland, the SNP are the Party in Government at Holyrood.
Once Scotland is independent we won’t be running back to England rest assured.
I look forward to England losing its seat on the UN security Council.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
“Rest assured” ? Over-confident I would say. Scotland has no independent means of support and its people are just about the unhealthiest in Europe so its survival as an independent state seems unlikely. Latvia may be a comparable. If scotland is such a paradise why are so many of your mob down here?
Richard, do piss off. If you have never made a typo you are a sad git.
eddie,
Quote:”You may hate Labour as much as you like, but if you seriously think that a tory government will be better than a Labour one…….?”
No, the Tories will not be better…..
……here’s hoping the public at large start to realise that the 3 main parties (and probably others) are 3 heads on the one body….they are interchangeable…..they will all represent the interests of big money first. They will all deliver us into the hands of the globalists.
@eddie
I am sure similar views were expressed about Ireland’s survival. Yet, having thrown off the imperial yoke, GDP per capita is now $9k greater than in the UK.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html
Like Craig mentioned on another post, I am not convinced that a Tory govt under Cameron would be more right-wing economically or socially than Labour under Blair/Brown. Under their direction, Labour was a keen proponent of privatisation, illegal and costly war, huge attacks on civil liberties, the use of fear for social control, the politicisation of the civil and security services, and an increase in the use of spin and media management techniques.
Anyone who thinks we should vote Labour now to keep the Tories out should have trouble regarding our system as a democracy (in which the people have genuine choice).
For my part, I think the expenses issue, which should be regarded as much less serious as the lies over Iraq (and many other things), at least will persuade people to give smaller parties a try. The MSM seem to be advocating this, which to my mind goes against their usual grain of supporting the corrupt two/three-horse race.
I was toying with the Lib Dems despite their being quite far away from me on the political map. But if there is a mood to vote for smaller parties, then I am much closer to the Greens, and I would feel better for voting for them than strategically for a “best worst choice”. There is no f*cking way I am voting Labour, since it is now diametrically opposed to the original aims of the party (plus it can boast of ten years of war crimes and generally increased social inequality).
Addendum: I should explain that in my Euro constituency – West Midlands – the Lib Dems are the best option to beat Lab/Con, although unfortunately in 2004 UKIP received 17.5% to the Liberals 13.7%. I am hoping this time around UKIP have been damaged by the various allegations of expenses, giving the Lib Dems and Greens a better chance.
Still, all of this might be a touch optimistic. Even otherwise intelligent people are sometimes politically ignorant, and/or vote selfishly. If the Tories get in at the next GE, we’ll have to picket, demonstrate and write to fight crap policies, just like we’ve had to under Labour.
Not normally prone to violence, I alwways wanted to slap her hard on both cheeks (a la Eric Morecambe style) to wipe that stupid and very annoying smile off heer chops. Happy biking Hazel and Goodbyeeee.