´óÏó´«Ã½

No doubt Brown will try to duck this, claiming that he is busy saving the country (and the world). But all he is doing these days is playing politics while our public finances go down the drain. He should put himself up for election to the whole British people.

At last - the first rats are attempting to desert the sinking ship.

For gawd's sake here we go again. It's obvious the country hates Brown and it's obvious the labour party sees him as a serious liability with the voters. Please keep Brown in power as he is the conservative's best asset and we don't want a hung parliament do we? If that happens then the IMF will surely come knocking on our door.

Maybe this will help, Nicholas.
The email, in full, sent during PMQ's....

"Dear Colleague,

As we move towards a General Election it remains the case that the Parliamentary Labour Party is deeply divided over the question of the leadership. Many colleagues have expressed their frustration at the way in which this question is affecting our political performance. We have therefore come to the conclusion that the only way to resolve this issue would be to allow every member to express their view in a secret ballot.

This could be done quickly and with minimum disruption to the work of MPs and the Government. Whatever the outcome the whole of the party could then go forward, knowing that this matter had been sorted out once and for all.

Strong supporters of the Prime Minister should have no difficulty in backing this approach. There is a risk otherwise that the persistent background briefing and grumbling could continue up to and possibly through the election campaign, affecting our ability to concentrate all of our energies on getting our real message across.

Equally those who want change, should they lose such a vote, would be expected by the majority of the PLP to devote all of their efforts to winning the election. The implications of such a vote would be clear – everyone would be bound to support the result.

This is a clear opportunity to finally lay this matter to rest. The continued speculation and uncertainty is allowing our opponents to portray us as dispirited and disunited. It is damaging our ability to set out our strong case to the electorate. It is giving our political opponents an easy target.

In what will inevitably be a difficult and demanding election campaign, we must have a determined and united parliamentary party. It is our job to lead the fight against our political opponents. We can only do that if we resolve these distractions. We hope that you will support this proposal.

Yours fraternally,

Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt"

PLP chairman has already dismissed it, as has another no-name Brownite. Frank Field apparently approves.

Hey Nick, Guido has had the letter posted on his site for the last 40 minutes - I suggest you check there. So much for your comments on Andrew Neil's show that talk of a leadership challenge today was rubbish!

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Just a moment ago on the radio you underlined the fact that the PM is not elcted by the public. Well,he is,if indirectly. We elect our local MPs, they elect a leader, who, if their party wins, becomes PM. It is British democracy, not US democracy nor Strictly Come dancing. Please do not distort our democratic process and other listeners' understanding.

Thanks!

yay but then what.....? Does Brown give up, do they substitute him for yet another unelected Leader?

OMG whatever which way it is one huge headache for our glorious leader. Time he went. Time for the election date to be made public. Labour will never lead this country again. Thank God.

Apparently the text is as follows:-

"We all love Gordon, don't we? Which is why we are asking him to jump before he is pushed...

Do you think they were sparred on by one of many issues such as the bogus climate change claims? Flies in the face of all that hippie waffle about climate change when the country is held in the grip of one of the coldest and snowiest winters in years. Ha! Told you so! This is the stinkiest parliament ever, and will go down in history as such.

Brown is a cloistered out of touch man trying to lead a group of incompetent no hopers.

Brown will cling on to power as long as he can. It's got nothing to do with 'national interest' and everything to do with his own deluded personal interest in retaining power, as many a politician has having tasted power too long. Mind you, there is no ovbious successor to him as there is a distinct dearth of talent in NuLabour.

I guess that means Brown is really for it then.... Hewitt who gave away the NHS with at the taxpayer's expense and three homes Hoooooooon are hardly heavyweight.

The sooner Labour get's someone serious in to do the job the better.

I believe this secret ballet should go ahead, then the labour party can then put in place there own way of voting for a leader..

This as run out of stream, how many times have we heard all this leadership debate since, Tony Blaire stepped down.

Labour will the next general election should they lose the existing leader...

Bring it on ...am a floating voter and will vote labour, if this happens.

when this happens the rules should be changed so that no prime minister can be ousted out of office and the Prime minister office should have a time scale and the British people , should vote to decide who they have that leads this country..after the election of a polictcal party....

Surely this cannot be allowed to happen? The government must put itself before the electorate now. We can't be faced with another unelected Prime Minister, can we? This does smack of a government and political party in utter chaos. Meantime, is anyone looking after the interests of the beleaguered citizens of this increasing basket case of a country?

Why would anyone want to be leader at this juncture?

So Hoon and Hewitt are looking to cause a leadership contest. Think they need someone of a younger generation.

Let's face it though he is not popular, with anyone. It may be best if he walked but he believes everything he says so doubt that will happen. God help Britain because the world have seen through the bullying bluster.

FOR GOODNESS SAKE LEAVE GORDON BROWN ALONE .I THINK HE IS A GENUINE CARING MAN.ALL THIS WILL DO IS LOOSE LABOUR THE ELECTION

Gordon needs to face facts. He's been in one or other of the two top jobs for the whole of Labours tenure in Government and the country is currently in a right old mess. Claims that a fourth term will sort out the problems are incredible while he remains in no 10, it'll just be mnore of the same. Its high time he went. The best prospect of Labour being returned at the election really is for them to have a new leader. Not either of the Millibland bros thanks or Alan Johnson either. Lord Mandy is highly skilled and might be a very effective PM actually, though I acknowedge he's not universally popular. It really needs someone who is essentially unknown and with a fairly clean slate, somebody off the back-benches, in exactly the same way that Jim Hacker found his way into the top job...

Again failed ministers who relied on a dishonest PM and who are leaving Parliament are stamping in their own defacations and sod the consequencies to the party because they are upset. Gorden Brown has tried to ga#overn with Tony browns leavings and really he should have scraped the plate clean and gone for a new plateful chosen by himself.
I ask is Pmandelson behind this?

17#

Thats all the more reason to do it!


and by the way, take your caps lock off, theres no need to shout!

7. At 1:23pm on 06 Jan 2010, Celia Robbins wrote:
Just a moment ago on the radio you underlined the fact that the PM is not elcted by the public. Well,he is,if indirectly. We elect our local MPs, they elect a leader, who, if their party wins, becomes PM. It is British democracy, not US democracy nor Strictly Come dancing. Please do not distort our democratic process and other listeners' understanding.

Thanks!

--------------

Please do not deliberatly mislead by stating the strict form when it is clearly the form that matters here, not he substance.

The majority of people in the UK DO vote based on who will be PM. Hence the importance of Blair's popularity. It is the PM who drives policy, the MP's meakly do as they are told for fear of losing the party whip.

I hesitate to say voting on your individual MP is pointless, there are some genuine ones out there, but they are few and far between. People, as a general rule, vote for the PM, not for their MP, and the people it seems do not want Gordon Brown to be PM.

Think it will probably fizzle out. Exciting though - the idea of Harriet Harman as PM, even if just for the blink of an eye, makes me feel all squishy inside. A change would throw up Johnson as big favourite though, I suppose.

DukeJake wrote:
"Please keep Brown in power as he is the conservative's best asset and we don't want a hung parliament do we?"


Only goes to show how pathetic the Conservative MP's are, no-one's ever got anything good to say about any of them and Gordon Brown is the best asset the party have.

Given the choice I'd much prefer to have a hung parliament instead of another New Labour/Tory government, the last few decades of Tory/Labour failure should be enough to convince everyone to vote for someone else but sadly much of the electorate are brain-dead and will continue to pull out their blue or red rosettes come the election. At least with a hung parliament the Lib Dems would be able to make a start on some much needed electoral reform.

A country (and supposed democracy) where the leader is chosen on the views and ability to govern, rather than who's best to lead them to success in the next election.

Is that really, honestly, truly asking too much?

Quote: "The continued speculation and uncertainty is allowing our opponents to portray us as dispirited and disunited." Only in their own minds!
How ridiculous! How much more evidence is needed that MPs live in their own little world? The general public /had/ no idea that there are continuing divisions within the party. This sad fact is now obvious to all, and sets an excellent example of why the Labour party is no longer fit to govern.
They may have had a credible campaign up until today. No longer.
Tragic.

Hoon and Hewitt? Saviours of the Labour Party? Says it all really.

Just watching Geraldine Smith MP on ´óÏó´«Ã½ news 24. She just sums up why Labour will be trounced in the election.

General Jack...

Best we all vote Lib Dem then. But the tory policies worked until Blair could not hold Brown in anymore. What with the changes to bank regulation and the head on ruch to increase the public service the ball was on the slates a long time ago.

I'm watching MPS coming out now defending the PM and rubbishing the plotters, but its the UK people who really ought to be able to have the final say here. Brown out!

Hallelujah! Finally the game is up for the scheming Brown – stabbed in the back by the devious Patricia Hewitt - a delicious irony. The nation has been led into poverty by Brown – who promised us growth! History won’t be kind to his memory.
Hoon & Hewitt were obviously swayed by the thought of GB in the planned TV debates. They realise that Gordon will produce such a wooden, gauche performance that every Labour candidate would suffer by association. The polls must be telling them that Labour, led by Gordon, face annihilation at the election. It is wonderful to see the rats running around the deck of the sinking ship.

Hello - the Labour newbies are back!

Welcome Marion (if that is your real name) the writings on the wall, you were welcome to read it at anytime.

Gordon may well be a caring man - sadly he seems to care for the wrong things.

#7 welcome to you too - Many people choose a party because of the strength they see in leadership of that party and that Party and its leader must have the strength and policies to lead the country correctly.

Which is why it is so important for the conservatives that Brown remains in charge.

An unelected leader leading a doomed party to oblivion.

I doubt that anything will come of it. We've been here before remember, but the fact is that no-one apart from Gordon wants the job of leading Labour to its worst electoral defeat for a generation.

I expect this is just an attempt by Hoon and Hewitt to distance themselves from Brown in a desperate attempt to hang onto their own seats.

If there is to be a ballot, I hope it's done quickly. The country doesn't want yet another leader elected after a general election (by the party) who wasn't chosen by the people!

As both Geoff Hoon and Pat Hewitt have now been interviewed since this bombshell was revealed on the Daily Politics, it's for real.

A sealed ballot is a good thing. Gordo and the bullies will try to scupper it, but as Gordo's popularity rate will not rise it might be the best strategy for New Labour.

A sealed ballot will enable the MPs to say what they really think and resign later..!

Funny ol' world innit?

FIGHT!!!!!!

You'll probably find that Harriet Harman is behind all this, together with Mandy.
Brown is such a liability but I want him to stay put for the time being to definitely ensure Labour is ousted once and for all at the election.

We should all be learning from our history books, 18 years of conservative government would be unconceivable to go through that all again , and no leader is safe.

13 years of labour government ....maybe ….

voting the liberal democrats would be good , as they cant do much worse...

after all labour got into government in 1997 on a promise of sticking to the spending plans by the conservatives at the time, and we need a party who as the vision to say when the debt of the UK will be cleared and how it will be done.....

I ask for honesty, and bring the people of the UK into politics, its becoming very boring too so many people , engage everyone....

#14 moraymint

"(...) this increasing basket case of a country (...)": a description of the disintegrating UK state with which many others in Moray and further afield would doubtless agree.

" (...) a government and political party in utter chaos": here again one would struggle to disagree.

In Scotland the little dog is still laughing to see such fun, as the SNP government prepares to make an important announcement this afternoon.

#34 Naomimuse - "A sealed ballot is a good thing. Gordo and the bullies will try to scupper it, but as Gordo's popularity rate will not rise it might be the best strategy for New Labour."

Totally agree - Darth Mandy Vader is in the wings with his stormtroopers and light sabres at the ready, moving to cut down the pesky rebellion before they have chance to form an alliance.

Will Luke HoonWalker Have his day - I doubt it.

This was a characteristically snide,with Gordon being savaged by two deadbeats.
It will go nowhere and if anything will garner support for Gordon.
A dead loss ex-Defence minister and a dead loss ex-Health Minister.
Harman would be disastrous, Miliband worse and Johnson is too vile of temperament.....perhaps Mandy.....but he is not a traitor....Mandy will turn this around for Gordon.

I found it very uncomfortable that Geoff Hoom and Patricia Hewitt are destroying the hard work of many people because of self interest. We actually elected GB because I elected my MP who voted for Brown as a leader. This is the time the two little minds should join together and fight their common enemy, not a friendly fire.

Nick,
If you can get an interview today with Hoon, you need to ask him what your colleague who had him earlier in the Central Lobby didn't.
Hoon said "...I have not SPOKEN to any member of the Cabinet...." (My caps). He was very specific on that, just like Bill Clinton was very specific about what 'sexual relations' meant, at least to him.
Ask Hoon if he has had any COMMUNICATION with any member of the Cabinet, specifically, text messages or emails. When he and Hewitt were organising this last night, no-one from the Cabinet wanted to be seen within 50 yards of them, or to be heard taking a stilted telephone call. Texts, on the other hand, are anonymous to all but a police investigation.
Keep up the good work.

These folks are not the sort to ask a question unless they already know the answer!

17. At 1:34pm on 06 Jan 2010, marion wrote:
FOR GOODNESS SAKE LEAVE GORDON BROWN ALONE .I THINK HE IS A GENUINE CARING MAN.

Possibly the funniest thing I've heard this year! Thanks - I needed a good guffaw!

Gordon Brown cares for one thing alone - his political survival. He's one of the LEAST genuine men around; his constant, blatant lying surely hasn't gone over your head has it?

And there's no need to shout.

22

"Exciting though - the idea of Harriet Harman as PM"

---

A PM who is facing criminal charges eh?

...and there was me thinking that there was no way that Labour could turn this country into more of a laughing stock...

It's amazing that they very day that Mndelson comes out of his sulk to pretend that all is right with Labour this hits GoBro.

What a coincidence, do a DNA check!!!!

Shame about the slight slip live on the DP there Nick

Maybe you should change who you get your lobby fodder from?

The Labour man was a little uncomfortable too

The note doesn't look very anti-Brown, and could actually be a rallying call to strengthen Gordon's position.

Please let him still be there at the election, when I can have a choice of anyone but Brown for the next five years

Re: 27. "Just watching Geraldine Smith MP on ´óÏó´«Ã½ news 24. She just sums up why Labour will be trounced in the election."

Yes, I saw her too. Such breathtaking arrogance. According to her Brown led the USA, the world, and the people want him to stay.

I felt distinctly nauseous watching her.

Voldemandy will be doing whatever is needed to make sure that whatever happens it's good for Voldemandy. If he wants Brown to stay, he'll make sure of that. As and when Voldemandy feels it's in his interests for Brown to be deposed as leader, that's when it'll happen: not beforehand.

A few years ago, a letter in the Times told the story of an affable chap who practised as provincial lawyer.

The letter went on to say that this person joined a political party, and ended up spouting party claptrap all the time and became somebody to avoid.

Since that letter was published the subject of the letter has also gone on to build a property empire, whilst still being a 'public servant'/Minister(ex).

Geoff Hoon is an example of what the political process makes some people become and it seems overall to be a pretty unedifying spectacle.

Certainly looks like the one-time logins used by the rebuttal squad are out in force. Think I'll just sit back and laugh at them.

Note to Charlie Whelan: Mate, can you not make it any more obvious? Its like shooting fish in a barrel...

Exiledscot52

The Tory policies worked so well that;
Our hospitals, school's and other publicly owned buildings were all falling apart by 1997
Waiting lists were often over 18 months long for simple procedures
Schools under funded to the point where class sizes were often reaching 40 pupils per teacher
Our social housing stock all sold off for a fraction of its true value & the money spent on tax breaks for the rich
Housing stock was never replaced and rules were even put in place preventing local authorities from replacing much needed social housing
Oil revenues wasted on vanity projects and economically naive free market policies
Teaching standards destroyed by the introduction of the National Curriculum

I could go on but I'd end up filling the whole blog.

Ideally we would elect the Lib Dems this time around, let Vince Cable deal with the economy and get our electoral reform sorted so that come the next election we could vote for someone who will actually represent the views of the electorate instead of the party whips. Sadly, it isn't going to happen and the best we can hope for is a hung parliament with the Lib Dems using the situation to force through some decent reforms.

The usual Tory-boys are always on here bemoaning New Labour, the biggest irony being that they just picked up where the Conservatives left off and the Conservatives have gone along with almost everything New Labour have done.

In 1997 it was vote Blair, get Thatcher.
Today it is vote Cameron, get Blair.

Here's the new boss, same as the old boss...

17. Marion - you're not a trade union leader are you? They are notoriously bad spellers (loose / lose). I think Brown and Labour will lose the election no question about it whether or not the odd person such as yourself pipes up.

22. At 1:38pm on 06 Jan 2010, sagamix wrote:
Think it will probably fizzle out. Exciting though - the idea of Harriet Harman as PM, even if just for the blink of an eye, makes me feel all squishy inside. A change would throw up Johnson as big favourite though, I suppose.

**

Harman? Well thats half the population who wouldn't vote labour straight away. She'd put all the men down the pits wouldn't she?

Re#33 Nezzer. That's the key thing really. Having Gordon booted out in 12 months time, e.g. after the election when the Banking system is falling around our ears again, would not be good...

42. Ha ha. Amen to that. And another one:

"There has been no whitewash at the White House..." Nixon

41. At 1:58pm on 06 Jan 2010, Enitan Onikoyi wrote:
I found it very uncomfortable that Geoff Hoom and Patricia Hewitt are destroying the hard work of many people because of self interest. We actually elected GB because I elected my MP who voted for Brown as a leader. This is the time the two little minds should join together and fight their common enemy, not a friendly fire.

***

Another first time poster who supports brown - there a surprise.

Could you perhaps explain futher, in what leadership election your MP voted for Brown?

At last some labour MP's with some back-bone. Brown was an unelected PM, he has been the worst UK PM in my opinion for a long time.

He needs to go and give Labour a fresh start to go into an election. Labour has no hope of winning with Brown in charge.

Brown is a self-serving leader who wanted to be PM at any cost, even when he was not elected and had no public mandate.

51. At 2:15pm on 06 Jan 2010, General_Jack_Ripper wrote:

In 1997 it was vote Blair, get Thatcher.
Today it is vote Cameron, get Blair.

Here's the new boss, same as the old boss...

****

Or you could vote Brown, and just watch the brown stuff completely hit the proverbial fan.

Nothing will come of it before the election. I doubt anybody wants the job, or that anybody wants anybody who would want the job.

I suspect Milliband or Harman will make their move after Brown loses the elction.

As for Alan Johnson, electing him as leader could pretty much guarantee that I don't vote Labour for many years. He's an arrogant, power-driven man who has betrayed his own trade union roots in favour of chasing Daily Mail headlines.

The worst of a bad lot.

Watched the ´óÏó´«Ã½ lunchtime news today, and after talking to hoon, the wheeled out some labour muppet who when asked about the secret ballot answered with a prepared answer about labours dodgy dossier about the conservatives as if thats relevent.

You've got to hand it to them then know how to get everyone talking from the same hymn sheet even if its got nothing to do with the question put to them.

Will labour ever learn that they are supposed to spend their time running the country, not attacking the opposition - its as if they never realised they won in 1997.

Call me a conspiracy theorist but 2 Blairite lackeys start kicking up a fuss about Gordon Brown's leadership just as Alistair 'Porno' Campbell and Tony 'Dollars' Blair are due to be, um, ruthlessly cross examined at Chilcott's Iraq tea party, I mean, inquiry.
Spooky!

Re:57 Steve: Yes you've hit the nail on the head

All a distraction to take attention away from the election date. Or a push towards setting a date?

sweetAnybody wrote:
"Or you could vote Brown"


No thanks mate, I think I'd rather eat my own gonads :-)

There hasn't been a Labour leader worth voting for since Clement Attlee and I doubt we'll see another one worth voting for in our lifetime.

" 60. At 2:31pm on 06 Jan 2010, sweetAnybody wrote:

Will labour ever learn that they are supposed to spend their time running the country, not attacking the opposition - its as if they never realised they won in 1997."

Very insightful. Probably explains why they have never been able to govern properly since they've been in power - they won in '97 and haven't known what to do since. Which no doubt explains the mess we're in now.

I doubt Labour ever will learn how to govern. Blair perhaps came closest in his early days - but then squandered it on too many bad laws and allowing Brown to do his damage unfettered. Now it's all unravelling, and Labour will soon be back where they surely belong - at best as a small opposition, or, hopefully, consigned to the dustbin of history.

General Jack

Some of the points you raise are OK. Now we have higher illiteracy rates than ever (education, education ) A level students doing what used to Olevel work 40 years ago. You cant see a doctor out of hours. Doctors paid more for less work. No dentists. More Quango's with 7 figure salaried heads. All in the last 13 years.

So where do we go from here?

Getting rid of Brown may not be enough. We need to be shot of SPIN not the selling technique but news management. Also we have a parliamentary system not a Presedential one. The decisions are not in the hands of one man. Parliament must hold the executive to account not cow tow to it.

So stop spin, bring back MPs with the guts to vote with their concencse

60 sweetanybodys
"Watched the ´óÏó´«Ã½ lunchtime news today, and after talking to hoon, the wheeled out some labour muppet who when asked about the secret ballot answered with a prepared answer about labours dodgy dossier about the conservatives as if thats relevent".

We should call them, along with the readers of planted questions at PMQ's choirboys.

Exiledscot52

I'm not trying to defend Labour, just pointing out how disastrous the 18 years of Conservative rule were for the country until '97, something many people seem to have forgotten.

I'd agree with you that we need to get rid of spin and also have some decent MP's who stand up for their constituents but, to be honest, I think we are desperately in need of a change to our system of government.
Proportional representation would be a good start but what we really need is a directly elected Prime Minister, fixed term governments, an elected Upper House and various other systematic changes including the decentralisation of government.
World War Two saw a massive shift of power from local and regional governments to central government; this was essential for the war effort but has been a death sentence for British democracy. We need a new system of government were all decisions are made as locally as possible and also where those who are elected are also directed by their constituents rather than just being voted for once every four or five years.

It would appear that Gordon Brown has now totally lost touch with reality and seems to be living in a completely different world to the rest of us.
He seems concerned only to go down in history for something good that he can be remembered for. Bringing the country to its knees, destroying numerous industries and losing contrtol of virtually everything just will not do!
Saving the World therefore looks like a winner to him, hence all the spin on Climate Change.
He is now ignoring critical issues at home while pretending to be the savior of the World. This is far too dangerous to be allowed to continue. He has to go.

I do wish one of the Cabinet Ministers has the Balls to pick up the challenge and run with it. If they don't I think we'll have to put them in the same "completely out of touch with public opinion" category as Gordon...

I am totally disgusted at the Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt letter which shows disloyalty and is seriously ill timed.
However, I recall when Geoff Hoon was Defence secretary and helped lead us to that fateful war in Iraq. He didn't seem to have full cognizance of the facts at the time, and in particular did not support the troops properly and make sure they were well equipped. Whenever he was questioned on television, he was smug, but evasive and did not show proper awareness of the whole war situation. I remember disliking him then. I also disliked Tony Blair and the Labour party in general at that time. Since then Gordon Brown has been a beacon of light in the Labour Party and stands for sincerity and integrity in a way that his predeccor never did. I think Brown has handled the financal crisis as well as has been possible, and shown the Tories to be lacking in experience and judgement. If Brown is Prime Minister I will now become a Labour Voter for the first time in a long while. Geoff Hoon should be exposed for what he is. Disloyal. Inefficient. Self serving. I am still working out what sort of person is Patricia Hewitt? Maybe another of the same character?

It shows that Brown is as much out touch with his own party as he is with the rest of public opinion. We are now to be subjected to months of political promises and lies as each party tries to score points.

A plea from the suffering public to Mr Brown ---- grow some balls and call the election NOW.

Many will not remember - or even know - what an abismal state this country was in when the Conservatives last took over from Labour.
As a guide - it was much the same as it is now. A typical Labour legacy.
But by the time Labour secured their victory in 97, the country was in a very much healthy state. The legacy that Labour has once again squandered.
And yes, there were some very hard (and unpopular) decisions for the Tories to take whilst in office to dig us out of the very deep hole and in order to get us there - but they were taken and not just talked about.
And as for prudence - fancy our Brilliant GB giving away the Nation's Gold at £250 when it would now be worth £1000, in order to gain a one off short term cashflow benefit.
Labour love to spend but never learn that you cannot go on spending when you havent got it, and unfortunately it doesn't grow on trees.

New Labour has never been any good at long term strategic planning but calling for a leadership ballot in the run-up to an election has to be the height of idiocy.

Any new leader will need time to earn the confidence of the party, to build up a management team in the form of a cabinet, to develop workable policies that are acceptable to the party and the public at large and to put them into an election campaign all in a period of less than five months minus the time it takes to elect the new leader.

Despite Gordon Brown's shortcomings and the fact that they are most likely on a loser when it comes to the election, New Labour have a major problem in that they do not have any alternative candidates with the experience to do the job and the charisma to lead the party.Though there are a lot of ambitious ministers there does not appear to be any party plan to have a number of potential leaders being groomed in the wings.

If they wanted to change leaders they should have done it at least 6-12 months ago to give the new leader time to get the party in shape for the election.

The writing is on the wall and now that it looks like New Labour will lose, Labour MPs have become desperate to change to a winning tack but unfortunately it is too late and they will have to sail into the election with Gordon Brown at the helm.

This could be a blunder of titanic proportions.Then again it could be a neat trick if they can pull it off. We'll all know which way it went after the election.

53 SweetAnybody

Yes but only after we had all been surgically emasculated.

Gordon Brown seems to be totally fine as a leader, and it is the mess created by Blair with Iraq that is really the problem with Labour....but, Cameron and his rich ensemble from the class of inherited furniture...does anyone really believe when they say we "understand"? Brown, whatever people may say about him, and i think his lack or charisma is good for it won't blight people in the way Blair did, certainly is the best option i can see for this country. representational parliament would be a better option, europe style, but that may be as far off as obligatory winter tyres for cars in the UK.

Oh golly gumdrops, the two least imposing former ministers Hewitt and Hoon attempting a coup! With either of those two in power I would vote BNP! With MP's of that ilk no wonder Labour is unpopular

The YORUBA people will say: "kaka keku ma je sese, a a fi saa wa danu". Meaning, if i dont have it , no one will do either. Geoff and Margaret should cover their head in shame. They just want to distroy the party and the country regardless of the consequences. They are on their way to political wilderness and does not care if the whole country falls.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

If the former ministers carry on with this secret ballot, they will be responsible for the down fall of the government. We need a financial wizard to help us get through the next few years, this may involve difficult and unpopular decisions, but I believe Gordon Brown has the ability to lead us through the financial troubles ahead.
Everyone should stand firm behind him and show the strength of the party so that it gives us all confidence that Labour are the right team to carry on a good job done so far.

Oily Hoon and pointless Hewitt,a plot???

Don't forget,you party members that Harriet Harperson and the
forked tongue Davie Milliband took hours to mumble support !!!

Meddlesome did the same with longer words and "its not me gov"frowns !!!

Ask Hoon,a co-author of the Dodgy Dossier,if he is going to be
economical with the truth,alongside his boss Bliar,and tell the
truth to Chilcot ???

Hoon must have time on his hands,preparing for Chilcot,or is he
going to be a simple laddie ???
Oily Hoon is there again,giving the impression of not having chewed his breakfast ??
Have you all forgotten about Hoon's £1.6 mil property portfolio when
he stayed in "grace and favour"residences.
Worse than a duck house or a bathplug ???

Heard later the SNAKE Milliband and Harriet Softbrainperson couldn't
get statements out in 3 hours !!!

A wish-Harriet leads the Nation to a hung Parliament,and the SNP and
Ulster Unionists hold real power!!!
Please Santa I've been good !!!

81#

Blimey Derek, are you feeling alright?? All that tub-thumping isnt good for you mate!

80#

"If the former ministers carry on with this secret ballot, they will be responsible for the down fall of the government"

Spot the PPPE graduate. Thats the whole point, you chump.

"We need a financial wizard to help us get through the next few years"

Your beloved dear leader and his financial incontinence has left you needing more than a wizard. Not even Albus Dumbledore would be able to get you out of this one. You're going to be left needing divine intervention.

71#

"Since then Gordon Brown has been a beacon of light in the Labour Party and stands for sincerity and integrity in a way that his predeccor never did. I think Brown has handled the financal crisis as well as has been possible, and shown the Tories to be lacking in experience and judgement. If Brown is Prime Minister I will now become a Labour Voter for the first time in a long while. Geoff Hoon should be exposed for what he is. Disloyal. Inefficient. Self serving."

Blimey Charlie, where do you find them? Or is it like having a room full of typing monkeys trying to write Shakespeare?

Well that was one way to get yourself removed from the Christmas card list ..!!!!!

Just a quick point where were these two during the process to replace Tony Blair I do not remember comments like this from them coming out before !

Gordon will have no friends left at this rate..