A Heseltine moment?

Mr Milliband’s incautious remarks in a lift are important political news, proving that the government fiddles whilst Rome, Wall Street and London burn.

There is one thing worse than Mr Brown in Number 10, and that would be Mr Miliband. He is completely sold out to the European project, and would hustle us into even more power give aways.

His enthusiasm for the Euro shows just how little economics he understands and how he would subordinate the UK’s economic interests to EU demands.

26 Comments

  1. Johnny Norfolk
    September 23, 2008

    I think and hope the people have seen through Labour. If anyone cannot see Milliband as another Blair type chancer then God help us.

  2. Letters From A Tory
    September 23, 2008

    Thankfully Labour seem as hesitant about Miliband as the rest of us!

    http://lettersfromatory.wordpress.com

  3. Pete Chown
    September 23, 2008

    You’re right about Miliband and Europe. Also, don’t forget his proposal that we should all carry a personal carbon trading card. How does he imagine that this could ever work?

    The current emissions trading scheme is completely broken. Favoured polluting industries get more free credits than they need, which they can sell at a profit. Industries that aren’t favoured have to buy credits in. The result is that the scheme transfers money to polluters that are good at lobbying. In the process it hands windfalls to some of the worst climate offenders.

    Rather than fix this, Miliband proposes extending the scheme to cover everyone as individuals. Why should that work when the current, much smaller, scheme does not? It’s hard to take him seriously after he made a proposal that is so obviously going to fail.

  4. Neil Craig
    September 23, 2008

    Brown, bad as he is, is easily the best Labour have. Without him they would fefinitely be producing windfall taxes, increasing spending even more & making sure all the poor workers at Northern Rock kept their jobs.

    I have yet to see an original thought, rather than a platitude, from Millipede. If he had any brains he would wish Brown to keep the job until after the election, rather than trying to carry the can himself.

  5. Stephen Southworth
    September 23, 2008

    There is rumour that the post-conference cabinet reshuffle will involve Darling and Milliband swopping roles!

    1. Andrew Forbes
      September 24, 2008

      This makes some sense. It's what Major did to the troublesome Portillo a while ago; moved him from a role where he had a bit of free time and a podium to make speeches (Portillo at the DTI) to a role where most of his day would be consumed with real work and detail (Portillo went to the MoD).

  6. Richard
    September 23, 2008

    Labour are desperately casting around for someone to head their ABG (anyone but Gordon) coup. Unfortunately the Blair / Brown project relied on a presidential form of government that left little scope for any potential rivals to engender the press attention that's required in order to become a "big beast".

    Looking at the 1992-5 Conservative governments there were at least five or six potential prime ministers who would have been acceptable to the British public (notably Heseltine, Portillo, Lilley, Hague and Redwood (cough!) whereas in the current Labour cabinet there is no-one.

    The only credible choice is the Millipede and there's no way he'll want to be known as the man who toppled Brown and led the party to electoral disaster. Much better to wait until after the self-destruct button gets pushed in 2010 and take over as opposition leader.

  7. Eddie Allen
    September 23, 2008

    Its difficult for me to comment about the man without getting into personalaties, so I'll just say I don't believe he has the capacity for any post in government or as an MP.

    I've just been watching a few old video's of John F Kennedy and feel noone today who could hold a candle to the man in terms of how to inspire a nation with principles of truth, freedom and independence, least of all David Miliband.

    I'd say on a scale of 100, JFK would be 110 and David Miliband would be at the opposite side in minus in my book. And as for his Euro babble he can shove it !

  8. David Eyles
    September 23, 2008

    I quite agree – Milliband is hopeless. However, under what circumstances could the Conservatives call a vote of no confidence in the government, as that time is fast approaching. I feel that these incompetents are not in any way concerned with the proper governance of the UK but are solely interested in their own survival and every statement that they have made for the last twelve months is concerned only maintaining a semblance of being in charge. Fundamentally, the country is ungoverned.

    Furthermore, if Labour did elect a new leader, then what is the constitutional position regarding an immediate general election?

    1. Acorn
      September 23, 2008

      Fear not David, we get our esteemed – but useless – parliament back on the 6th October; after its eleven week holiday. The Tory opposition will still not be able to win a vote on anything. The rest of us can do absolutely (nothing -ed)about changing anything, we just have to keep taking it up the sphincter.

      It is times like these that demonstrate what a crappy system of government we have. The planet’s financial system is falling apart and all our MPs are at garden parties, swapping notes on expenses scams.

    2. Nicholas Taylor
      September 23, 2008

      As far as I understand there is no constiutional requirment to call a general election as in theory the electorate elect their MP not the PM and the MP's haven't stood down!
      But failing to do so would be a complete PR disaster so he would be obliged to do so, only because of the pressure from the public.
      To reiterate the above points this Government doesn't have a clue what it is doing does it!

      1. APL
        September 24, 2008

        Nicholas Taylor: "As far as I understand there is no constiutional requirment to call a general election .."

        Given the ravages our elected ' representitives' have visited on the English constitution; the treaty of Rome, all the suplementary European Treaties, the destruction of the rule of law increased use of Regulations, persecution of legally conducted businesses, Stuffing the house of Lords with placemen, for example the wretch Kinnock, elevating the European Court of 'justice' above the High Court.

        Sadly, I rather think there is no constitution left.

  9. Freeborn John
    September 23, 2008

    Brown gives the impression of knowing what needs to be done, but being too timid to do it. Milliband is a smart guy, effective in handling interviewers, but his guiding principle is the course of least resistance. Under either man Labour will simply get dragged along on an uncharted course until they end up on the rocks.

    In truth Labour never really knew where they were going even under Blair; their appeal was mainly that the country had got fed up of the Tories after so many years of change after which the Tories ended up rudderless too under Major. However this anti-Tory reason for voting Labour has worn off now. Labour need a compass of their own more than a new personality at the top, but none of the potential leaders appears to have a better program of government that the timorous Scot. The trouble is that I don’t think David Cameron has one either.

    If Brown dropped the great clunking fist on Milliband, told other EU leaders that Lisbon is dead and that the UK wants powers back from Brussels, demonstrated global leadership in the current financial crisis and articulated a vision that might appeal to those who voted for it in 2005 (e.g. fairer society, healed economy, efficient transport, new drugs available on the NHS, choice in schools, etc, etc.) I could see him winning in 2010. I don’t expect him to do it.

    ——
    “No great party can survive except on the basis of firm beliefs about what it wants to do.” M. Thatcher (1968).

  10. mikestallard
    September 23, 2008

    I have just listened (in full) to Mr Brown's speech.
    He pushed all the right buttons, in the right order too, and got lots of clapping, at first dutiful, then sincere, then a standing ovation for the National Health Service. He kept mentioning "Fairness" and he obviously believed in what he said because I could hear his voice breaking.
    If I were Labour (erm…) I should be really pleased. The relief could be felt right through the TV screen.
    If I were Miliband in the lift, I could have said that I wanted to avoid a Hesseltine moment because I did not want to hurt the PM who was just about to promote me. Miliband got a good mention at the very end of the speech where all the important people were.
    Anyway, he must know (mustn't he?) that he stands no chance of becoming PM at the moment.
    He reminds me so much of Hugh Gaitskill.

  11. DiscoveredJoys
    September 23, 2008

    I’ve read elsewhere that the election of a new Labour leader would not necessarily require an immediate general election – as long as he or she could be seen as commanding an overall majority in the House of Commons.

    My best guess at the moment is that Brown is secure, for now, for two reasons:

    1) Selection of a new Labour leader would probably lead to so much factional strife that no clear majority could be guaranteed, thus obliging Labour to fight a general election in the very near future. Which they would lose, massively.

    2) The Labour Party has big debts and probably couldn’t fight a general election other than by lots of factionally riven individuals ‘doing their best’. They would lose, massively.

    This state of affairs will probably continue until someone despairs enough to pull the self destruct switch. In the meantime Brown will lurch on from one challenge to another.

  12. Bazman
    September 23, 2008

    Where is any criticism of the City and the problems they have caused, by the Conservative party? A simple question.Their silence speaks volumes about a future Conservative government.
    Business as usual? I don't thinks so.

  13. Andrew
    September 23, 2008

    There's something about the Foreign Secretary that exudes natural and very capable leadership for this nation….if only Labour could give him a chance to prove himself. I may be completely wrong, but time will tell… .

  14. Bazman
    September 23, 2008

    Ever wondered who I am? I'm a tradesman who owns his own home without any debts. When you can't threaten me. What is your strategy?

    1. mikestallard
      September 25, 2008

      I wonder if you actually pay any tax?
      I wonder, too, where your children go to school.
      If you live in an area like mine, I wonder if they have any real hope of a job when they leave.
      Maybe you fancy a holiday abroad?
      Maybe you drive a car or use electricity?
      Have you actually walked into your city centre after 9.00 p.m.?

  15. Adrian Peirson
    September 24, 2008

    Speaking of Kennedy, here he is asking fotr help to inform the American Public about what we see happening now.
    http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=XRLPG_HplrA

    And here,
    http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=XY02Qkuc_f8

    It's of interest to note that Kennedy went some way to Minting Silver Backed Dollars, he was killed shortly afterwards, Our own Money is of course worthless paper.
    Gordon swapped a Pile of Our Gold, for a Pile of Paper, I beleive this has something to do with our Problem.

    Similarly, the Printing of Interest Bearing Gilts rather than printing Money, free of charge.

    when a bank lends you money, that money doesn't exist, the moment they say yes, that money owed is conjured up as a Debt that you now agree to pay them back.

  16. Adrian Peirson
    September 24, 2008

    No, there are two things worse than Brown remaining in no 10, one is Milliband, the other is Brown under the civil contingencies act.

    The shock Doctrine.
    Also, and as we had reported on in our September 16th report US To Declare October ‘Economic Emergency’, Suspend Elections, the use of these suitcase nuclear weapons do, indeed, appear to be designed to deal the final death of the Western Nations political and economic structures in their continued efforts to shock their citizens senseless and allow them to institute the final set of laws needed to totally enslave these peoples forever.

    Source. http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1145.htm

    1. Andrew Forbes
      September 24, 2008

      Really, this orgasm of conspiracy nonsense shouldn't be allowed here. Your only serious source is Wikipedia, an an article which you may well have written yourselves.

  17. Eddie Allen
    September 24, 2008

    NO FOG ON THE TYNE

    We'll invest £15 billion of taxpayers money and another £1 billion on nurseries for 2 year olds so kids won't know who their mothers are.
    We'll give away another £700 million to kids for computers so they can spend more time on chat rooms and less time with their friends and families.
    We'll feed the world and I won't tell you how much this will cost.
    We'll make this a fairer Britain for everyone except British taxpayers whether they like it or not !

    Tories are stuck in the past and have no plans. I mean look at what we've achieved in the past and be proud of our past, then go out and tell everyone how we're going to spend their money and tax them up to the eyeballs.

    The city caused this crisis so I'm going to come down hard on them regardless that it was me who made the Bank of England incapable of regulating it by putting a bureaucratic changeling , reminiscent of 1944 Germany, viz a vis the FSA in charge.

    Because I'm a liar and paid back all the debt the Tories left me ( which they didn't because my borrowing is higher than theirs ), I can now borrow loads more money for the above projects ( plus those I never told you about and the £100 billion I gave to financial institutions which aren't on the books yet ), and I will promise anything to keep this job that nobody voted me in to.

    The British people don't elect their Prime Minister and we don't have a presidential type of government so that's why I need to shape up my personal ratings because the people don't elect me and I need them to vote for "me" ( like a presidential candidate )

    Fog on the Tyne is not all mine, Fog on the Tyne belongs to Gordon Brown !

  18. Neil Craig
    September 24, 2008

    Miliband on the other hand made a pretty amateur speech. End of.

    Brown's vision of a society doing everything possible to help children is a noble one. However the best way of doing that is ensuring a successfully growing economy not a successfully growing state sector. Even 3.5% extra growth would mean the national income doubled by the time babies reach 20.

    He did say that he wished to cut dependence on oil & assure energy supply which, to those in the know, means nuclear, though he didn't use the word.

    The final line about having succeeded if even one family are better off may have assured that there wasn't a dry eye in the house but if thought about, would be a massive failure in his duty to the other 60 million of us.

  19. John
    September 24, 2008

    I disagree with Mr Redwood's assessment that David Milliband is the one person who would be worse than Gordon Brown as Prime Minister. New Labour's problem is that although Brown may be tragically incompetant, that most of his cabinet are measurably even less impressive.

    God forbid that anyone put the (unflattering adjective) Ed Balls into the driving seat, the walking calamity that is Harriet Harman or Geoff "Slitherin" Hoon.

    Aside from dodging bankrupcy that is Labour's real problem – the apprentices are worse than the Maestro, and they know it.

  20. Stuart Fairney
    September 25, 2008

    As this probably isn’t getting on, by all means delete it.

Comments are closed.