The Brownian Approach to Politics

Gordon Brown has in recent weeks demonstrated a four-step approach to politics:

Step one: Realise what you’ve done wrong (but don’t admit it)
Step two: Announce in the most brazen terms that the worst thing you could possibly do is what you’ve already done wrong
Step three: Compound the problem by acting as though you haven’t done anything wrong, ever.
Step four: Pray the public are as stupid as you presume them to be.

Allow me to prove my thesis by referring to GB’s speech this morning to the CBI:

Exhibit A

Step one: Realise you’ve racked up levels of debt not seen in the UK since the 1940s, all to finance a vast expansion of the state.

Step two: Announce that:“If we have learnt anything in these last tumultuous and unprecedented months, it is that this is not the time to become prisoners of the old dogmas of the past”

Step three: Borrow even more to spend on government projects and temporary tax cuts, all to be paid for at a later date by tax rises, especially for high earners (does this remind anyone of an old dogma?)

Step four: Pray the public are as stupid as you presume them to be.

Exhibit B

Step one: Realise that the last ten years of economic mis-management has left the country’s coffers woefully under-prepared for a downturn and that, far from leading the globe, Britain has been behind the US, Ireland, Germany, Australia and Lord knows who else in proposing significant measures to tackle the economic downturn.

Step two: State that: “Doing too little too late would mean more damage, more deterioration – the loss of vital business – a weaker economy, lower growth…”

Step three: Months after other countries have offered significant tax cuts and fiscal stimuli, introduce a temporary 2.5% reduction in VAT that is likely to cost £12bn but represents a tenth of what desperate retailers are already lopping off their prices to no avail.

Step four: Pray the public are as stupid as BBC political correspondants.

Exhibit C

Step one: Realise that Government has wasted billions on pet projects, quangos, failed IT systems, myriad consultants and Blackberry training.

Step two: Proclaim that “We must ensure we get the greatest value we can for every pound we spend”

Step three: Announce significant increases in Government spending and, well, you know what follows.

Step four: Pray…


The mainstream media has seemingly allowed Brown to get away with steps one to three, we must ensure he is not allowed to get away with step four.

Brown: "we are better prepared than other countries". IMF: "No you're not".

At Wednesday's Guy Fawkes installment of PMQs, David Cameron attacked Gordon Brown with the aid of an EU Commission report forecasting the recession in the UK to be the deepest of any other major EU economy. Unwilling to answer the charge that we are worse prepared than other leading economies, the PM instead chose to mock Cameron for quoting from an EU report:

"That was the only time I have ever heard the right hon. Gentleman quoting the European Commission..... The right hon. Gentleman usually likes to quote the International Monetary Fund, rather than the European Union."

I suspect this may come back to haunt the Prime Minister, for yesterday the IMF predicted that the UK will be the worst hit of the world’s leading rich economies. Not that you'd know from the BBC website; "Credit crunch hits horse owners" and "Disney hit by economic slowdown" are given more prominence than the IMF.

Tortellini Socialist

Hazel Blears has recently completed the Daily Politico questionnaire over at Total Politics, with one answer striking this blogger as particularly revealing:

Q: What’s your favourite dish?
A: I like food where someone has gone to some effort. I like it messed with! I had some lovely handmade tortellini the other day. Someone else was paying.

Typical socialist. Always looking for someone else to foot the bill.