Listening and learning by rote
There’s a piece in the current Private Eye comparing Gordon Brown’s statement after Labour’s defeat at the Crewe and Nantwich by-election…
The message that we have got is that people are concerned. They are concerned about rising food prices, rising petrol prices. People are concerned rightly about gas and electricity bills. They are concerned about what is happening to the economy. I think the message that I have to get to people is that we are unequivocal and clear in our direction, that we are going to address and are addressing these problems. We will continue to do so. My task is to steer the British economy through what have been very difficult times in every country in the world and that I will continue to do with a clear direction that shows that we will address all the problems that people are facing.
…and then after the Henley by-election…
By-elections come and by-elections go and of course we will listen to what people say. I think people know that we are going through difficult times in the economy. It’s my job to steer us through these difficult times. And people facing higher petrol bills, higher gas and electricity bills, people facing high food prices, it’s my job to make sure I can do more to help people’s standard of living improve.
…and after the Glasgow East by-election…
People are worried at rising food and fuel prices and we’ve got to show that we know that; only we understand and hear them. Labour will take them through these difficult times to help people and hardworking families who are hard pressed. We had a great candidate and I’m sorry that we lost but I know that people are looking to the government for the action that’s necessary. We’re looking at everything we can do for what is a global problem so we can help people through these difficult times and that’s exactly that we will continue to do. My task is to get on with the job of getting us through these difficult times.
To be honest, it sounds like the Prime Minister’s task in the last few months has been to listen to the sound of his own voice and learn just one all-purpose speech. Actually, you wonder if he’s in a bit of daze and thinks he’s commenting on the same by-election.
At least the speech will come in handy again after the Glenrothes by-election. In fact, it could come in handy after the next general election. When Labour are smashed and put out of power for twenty years, Brown could simply turn up for work as usual, declare on the steps of Downing Street that the message from the British public is unequivocal, fuel bills are rising, and that it’s his task to get on with the job. He’ll then attempt to carry on regardless in a lurching futility that’s difficult to watch. Hell, it’s worked perfectly well so far.
Posted on August 15th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
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Its like watching a slowmotion trainwreck - Labour is hurtling towards the buffers, and everyone on board knows that they`re heading for disaster but no-one seems to have either the wit or the spine to try and get their hands on the brakes. Its clear that Brown is essentially sleepwalking us down into Neo-Conservative hell, gradually dismantling the institutions that helped us stave off the worst of the Thatcher years and thus making it easy as pie for the Tories to do anything that they want. Anything. A couple of years after a Tory victory, there won`t be an NHS left, at least as we would recognise it. There will be something CALLED the NHS, maybe even with some services free-at-point-of-use (that deadly mantra) but no-one working in it will be working for the government department, ie us. Instead nurses and doctors will be working for private healthcare companies creaming off tasty profits from government contracts, handing lipsmacking bonuses and salaries to executives and dividends to shareholders (I wonder how many Tory MPs/party members hold shares in companies who have done well out of the Blair/Brown PFI pillaging).
Same goes for education, and maybe they`ll even figure out a way to privatise the benefits system, mebbe even the whole justice/prison system as has been done in the States. Oh yes, what a cashtastic capitalist wonderland Britain will be under Cameron for the next 10-15-20 years.
Scandinavia`s looking better all the time.
Steady now Justin/Richard.
You don’t want to leave yourselves open to accusations from the tribalists in New Labour of aiding and abetting the Tories.
You should know by now that its OK to talk about what the Tories “might” do or say they are going to do - that part of what you’ve written will get you the Brownie points with the tribalists - but criticising what New Labour are actually doing will “bore” them to death.
It does beggar belief. This ‘economic slowdown … global markets blah’ is the New Labour line for their difficulties. It’s because they are incapable of doing a root and branch review of the policies that are actually responsible for their miserable defeats and poll showings. If they haven’t worked that out by now they’ve got no chance at the next general election.
a very public sociologist’s latest blog post… The Perfect Vagina
I think Labour could pick a winner for the hotseat. (Or not.)