Powerful personalities can save and cripple political parties. Tory dominance in the 80’s was built almost entirely on the strength of Thatcher’s character - their eventual banishment into the electoral wilderness was a function of the same thing, aided and abetted of course by Major’s incompetence. Blair’s similarly dominant character was the key factor in New Labour’s success but his departure before he became a total liability (and I stress total) meant he never quite became as destructive to Labour’s electoral prospects as Thatcher did for the Tories. The events of the last 10 months suggests Gordon Brown is happy to pick up that mantle in his stead.
Brown’s position as No.2 for a decade allowed him to garner a whole range of character traits that were never really put to the test. The stock list of attributes – serious, committed, intellectual, passionate, stubborn etc. – gained ground in part because they contrasted so starkly with his boss. Blair played his own part in this myth-making with his ‘huge clunking fist’ remark, something which wasn’t necessarily the compliment some assumed it to be. We’ve now had 10 months with Gordon at the helm and those attributes have never looked more inappropriate. Where they were once used regularly by critics and supporters alike they’re only ever mentioned now by the most partisan supporter and even then with an almost visible sense of the ridiculous. They’re more likely to crop up in the context of a ‘what happened’ type discussion now. The national consensus on Brown as a serious and competent politician, recognised as a cut above the rest even by opponents is dead. Despite this his personality is still sufficiently powerful in Labour legend to mean he’s unlikely to face a challenge before an election and he’ll fight on whatever the longer term consequences for his party.
When Vince Cable made his ‘Stalin to Mr Bean’ quip it seemed bold and cheeky – it wasn’t entirely misplaced because of the election and data security debacles but neither was it entirely fair. It was PMQ theatrics at their best, a bit over the top and something Cable only got away with it because he was caretaker leader of the 3rd party. Now it seems like an unjustified slight on Mr Bean.
Brown’s position as No.2 for a decade allowed him to garner a whole range of character traits that were never really put to the test. The stock list of attributes – serious, committed, intellectual, passionate, stubborn etc. – gained ground in part because they contrasted so starkly with his boss. Blair played his own part in this myth-making with his ‘huge clunking fist’ remark, something which wasn’t necessarily the compliment some assumed it to be. We’ve now had 10 months with Gordon at the helm and those attributes have never looked more inappropriate. Where they were once used regularly by critics and supporters alike they’re only ever mentioned now by the most partisan supporter and even then with an almost visible sense of the ridiculous. They’re more likely to crop up in the context of a ‘what happened’ type discussion now. The national consensus on Brown as a serious and competent politician, recognised as a cut above the rest even by opponents is dead. Despite this his personality is still sufficiently powerful in Labour legend to mean he’s unlikely to face a challenge before an election and he’ll fight on whatever the longer term consequences for his party.
When Vince Cable made his ‘Stalin to Mr Bean’ quip it seemed bold and cheeky – it wasn’t entirely misplaced because of the election and data security debacles but neither was it entirely fair. It was PMQ theatrics at their best, a bit over the top and something Cable only got away with it because he was caretaker leader of the 3rd party. Now it seems like an unjustified slight on Mr Bean.
2 Comments:
Can I remind you that I was saying this all along . Brown is like a puffed up fly weight . It happened because historically miraculous world wide growth made it appear he had found the left ‘stone of destiny’ and spent loads more without running out of money. Thus a odd little back room bod grew into a mighty figure of state on fiscal steroids .
The unsurprising evidence that this reputation was based on luck and borrowing has retrospectively deleted his smarts and as no-one liked him much in the first place we are back where we were under Blair. His accession to power was also from the left of the Labour Party which makes him commensurately weak in dealing with the country.
Your problem C is that your determination to hover in the centre and “See both sides” means you drift with every passing breeze . You are also , in my humble ..., overly influenced by the fads of the week and therefore unable to see such things as the Lilliputian scale of Brown until the world agrees
This is where the greater adherence to unbending principle evinced by yours truly comes to the fore. Intellectuals, and I feel you aspire to that state , are always prone to power worship ,Orwell noticed this . The deeper loyalties and instincts from which I chart my course are , in the end , a surer compass.
( Well at least a stopped watch tells the right time twice a day and this is one of those times )
In conclusion ; I told you so !
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