Can Gordon Brown really be this inept?

[Saracen]

Anyone that reads my comments on politics and/or the economic crisis will undoubtedly know my opinion of Gordon Brown's skills, or lack thereof, as an economist and Chancellor. But I really can't conceive of how someone so apparently politically inept ever rose so far. I mean, there are some people that seem to have trouble putting their shoes on without kicking themselves in the butt, and Brown seems to be the political equivalent. I've reached the point where I've decided he'd have trouble finding his own backside with both hands and a bloodhound.

I won't go though all the goofs, but a couple are worth remembering. Firstly, the 10p tax band abolition. Did he not realise the effects on the lowest paid, or did he just think he wouldn't get caught? Considering how brief his stint in the top job is, there seems to be a litany of such goofs.

But most recently, two things :-

1) E-mail gate.

Gordon, if you want to pull the fangs of such a farce when it turns out your personally recruited staff have got so publicly caught, the worst thing you can do is to drag out saying sorry for a week, so that by the time you do, not only has the damage already been done, but it looks mealy-mouthed and horribly insincere because it had to be dragged out of you.

No, Gordy Ol' Mucker, you pre-empt things by firing the bloke that dropped you in it, not letting him quit, and you get right out there and apologise for the things being done in your name, as quickly and sincerely as you can. That way, you don't have a week's worth of headlines moaning that you don't know the meaning of the word. It's all about perception, my boy.


2) MPs expenses.

We all understand that having several of your senior ministers being so publicly exposed as appearing to have their noses firmly embedded in the trough is embarrassing, but when you say in Parliament that you need to wait for yet another of your committees to report, and then announce a u-turn via YouTube (and a vid on the No.10 website), you're going to manage to offend just about everyone.

We all know you want to be seen to be doing something, to be in control, to "own" the problem and ride in, on your white charger, to save "the worl ...." sorry, MPs, from ridicule. But all the smirking and smiling made it look like you were telling gags at the Christmas staff party, and the electorate don't see MPs feathering their nests as that funny.

And by trying to present your proposals as a fait accompli you pretty much guaranteed the Tories and LibDems would scupper you if they can. You should have got them on-board first, not tried to make political capital of it for yourself.

Oh, and by letting your own back-benchers find out your proposals for their expenses via a vidcast, rather than the rather more courteous method of a dignified statement to the House, you offended them too.


3) I'm not even going into the piece of political dishonesty he had the temerity to dress up as a budget.


Still, I don't think you've upset the No.10 cat yet ..... assuming he does still come home at night and hasn't walked out on you???

Oh, and the rats (or the four-legged ones) might not have jumped ship yet, but I'd keep an eye on your partymates if I were you ..... especially those in marginal seats. When desperation sets in, they might start searching for a convenient back to stick a knife into.



Gordon, I didn't think my opinion of you could drop much more before recent events but, well, congrat's mate, you've managed to surprise and astonish me with the level of your political ineptitude. Believe me, that's an achievement.

[Rave]

As far as I'm concerned Brown sowed the seeds of his own destruction when he was Chancellor. The severity and magnitude of the financial crisis we now face is IMO directly due to decisions he personally took while at No11 (or, to a lesser extent, hard decisions he did not make). I knew when he took over in June 2007 that his chances of ever winning a general election were slim to none.

Before he became (in)famous as the BBC's peculiarly-voiced Economics editor, Robert Peston wrote a book about Brown called Brown's Britain. Reading it is a slog; it seems endlessly recursive, although it may simply be that one discussion of a policy decision seems very much like another to someone who isn't wasn't directly involved or interested the whole time. However, through reading it, one gets the sense that Brown genuinely is motivated by a desire to bring about social justice. However much I am enraged by the state the country is in, and my belief that my generation has been comprehensively screwed over- and I am, genuinely, enraged- I cannot actually hate Brown. I think he started off genuinely motivated by a desire to do good. Since then though, his own megalomania and inability to consider any criticism has led the country to its knees.

Which is, basically, a tragedy for him, and more so, for us.

[0iD]

It's true, he's the master of his own & indeed our destruction, and the ineptitude of those around him. However, what I find ultimately depressing is, look at the alternatives...now that's just as scary.

It was Saracen who said in a different thread, that those in power are doing everything they can to stay there, the opposition are merely trying to get those in power out & themselves in, and the others are just trying everything to just get re-elected. That's what politics is all about, everything else is semantics.

[Stringent]

Everything thats happening, I reckon the government just 'can't be bothered' with anything, and are just going to let it get SO bad when the Tories do get in its going to be one almighty mess for them to clean up and sort out, that Labour will give them a hard time in HoC saying look they can't do it either ...

Look at the Gurkhas recently. That smacks of can't pay attention to anything, or do anything decent or charitable.

[0iD]

Labour are trying now to mess up so big, the Tories will have very little chance of sorting it completely in their first term in office. They are playing on the fact that the public have short political memories & are hoping to get voted back in as the saviours of the economy again, blaming the Conservatives for everything.

[Zak33]

Gordon, I didn't think my opinion of you could drop much more before recent events but, well, congrat's mate, you've managed to surprise and astonish me with the level of your political ineptitude. Believe me, that's an achievement.

Please add

Sending out lads and lasses out to Afgan wars with boots that don't do the job, body armour that's so out of date that they end up trying to buy good stuff from the yanks on ebay before leaving WITH THEIR OWN SALARY'S

and

a complete nightmare of leaving the Gurkas out in the political AND geographic wilderness.

I KNOW the other lot could be as bad, but it's time to find out tbh.

[menthel]

Well, Labour and Gordon Brown have dragged us into this mess but quite frankly I can't see anyone doing any better. The conservatives and their slimy leader seem to just barrack the government and come up with peripheral and silly policies that don't address the problems. The party that makes sense (but only every so often) are so far in 3rd place that they will be in the peripheries for a very long time. In fact I think that if they did end up in opposition or even in power that they would turn into the others anyway.

Quite frankly I have become dissolusioned with politics that unless something changes drastically with the parties I won't actually vote at the next election. I can't vote for the conservatives just for change unless they show in some way that they might be able to run the country rather than just snide comments and politicking. Can't see it happening!

[TheAnimus]

Labour are trying now to mess up so big, the Tories will have very little chance of sorting it completely in their first term in office. They are playing on the fact that the public have short political memories & are hoping to get voted back in as the saviours of the economy again, blaming the Conservatives for everything.

This is my fear too.

[kalniel]

I won't go though all the goofs, but a couple are worth remembering. Firstly, the 10p tax band abolition. Did the not realise the effects on the lowest paid, or did he just think he wouldn't get caught?

So good thing the Tories will bring the 10p tax band back then isn't it? Oh wait a minute, they won't, they're far more concerned with reducing the tax for the rich again.

The budget actually increased take home pay for everyone who earns under 75k. Again, when the Tories get in power we can expect to see the opposite happen - they want to claim otherwise? Then how about they introduce a 10p bracket rather than try to scrap the 50p tax rate.

[TheAnimus]

The budget actually increased take home pay for everyone who earns under 75k. Again, when the Tories get in power we can expect to see the opposite happen - they want to claim otherwise? Then how about they introduce a 10p bracket rather than try to scrap the 50p tax rate.

Really, how are they better off over the last 12 months?

The 50% tax rate is simply extortion, you have to be some kind of moron to think people will actually pay it.

If your earning 200k its 25k you have to pay someone to figure out a loophole. So they will. Its puer and simple propaganda.

What we need now is a tory party that knows its identity, that knows its going to have to make cuts to schools, hospitals etc, before we go bankrupt!

[G4Z]

I think it is very naieve to look at take home pay alone to be quite honest with you, look at the borrowing that is going on. It will need to be paid for and ultimately that comes out of our pocket sooner or later. You are also ignoring the fact that fuel duty, tax on booze and cigs also went up hugely so I would be willing to bet that I for one will pay more tax this year than last.

[Salazaar]

There's an e-petition asking him to just quit. Only 21000 signatures so far though

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/please-go/

[kalniel]

You are also ignoring the fact that fuel dute, tax on booze and cigs also went up

No, I'm not. You can take a cross section of personal situations and in the majority of them your take home pay is higher if as an individual you earn less than 75k. Of course, there are some minorities with particular spending habits that will have smaller take home.

[TheAnimus]

No, I'm not. You can take a cross section of personal situations and in the majority of them your take home pay is higher if as an individual you earn less than 75k. Of course, there are some minorities with particular spending habits that will have smaller take home.

Errrr.

How? What exactly was cut?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/p...worse-off.html

Am i missing something?

(also where does the 75k come from?)

[kalniel]

Errrr.

How? What exactly was cut?

Not cut, but personal tax allowance was increased. Benefits in various circumstances also increased I think. ISA allowance also increased.

(also where does the 75k come from?)

That was the point across the samples at which you were no longer better off. I think this was summarised in the Metro.

Don't get me wrong - I think there have been a number of bad decisions made by individuals in the current government, but that's on a personal level - I think the intentions are right but the execution bad. Contrast that with a tory govt. and we have no idea about any individual's competance, but as long as the intentions are contrary to what I think are right then it's only by spectacular chance that things I think are important will play out right.

That calculator seems broken - says I'll be paying the same income tax next year, which isn't right, I'll be paying quite a bit less. Ah, torygraph. I see.

[TheAnimus]

Not cut, but personal tax allowance was increased. Benefits in various circumstances also increased I think.

No they didn't cut the personal allowance?

Also don't forget the rise in NI from the last budget (employer contributions DO count as to how much I am taxed, no matter how much that slippery runt brown claimed otherwise when he was next door).

That was the point across the samples at which you were no longer better off. I think this was summarised in the Metro.

Really? Playing with the torygraph's calculator, it looks like your no better or worse of at 15k on Income tax + PA than u are at 149k.

as long as the intentions are contrary to what I think are right then it's only by spectacular chance that things I think are important will play out right.

Thats what worries me, they've not stated their intentions! They need to. Benefits really need to be brutally re-evaluated, people who have been in recipt of them should be forced to do some kind of community work, even if its little more than punishment for been on them.

Red tape, buracratic waste, and the love of databases needs to be stopped. Spending on massive white elephants can not be tolerated.

Taxes will also regretably have to rise, but they should be done openly and honestly, perhaps a 0.5%(abs not relative) rise on the 20% bracket, with a look to pushing VAT to 20% too?