I gave an interview to the Evening Standard last week which is in today’s paper. Generally it’s a fair piece and reflects my views on Iraq (articulated previously on this blog) and other issues.
But one line that I took issue with was where the article says:
“Gordon Brown and Tony Blair have been a huge disappointment and let down the Labour Party,” he believes.
As readers of Left Foot Forward will know, I have been a defender of Gordon Brown and believe that the recent attempted coup against him was a mistake.
I have spoken to the writer of the article, David Cohen, and we shared our notes on the interview. It seems that I did make these comments towards the end of our conversation in the context of a wider discussion about Labour’s organisation (a topic on which I have co-edited a book) and some specific policy areas including the Government’s timidity in relation to the City and the lack of progress in tackling inequality – themes on which I regularly write.
I also mentioned earlier in the interview that, like others, I was disappointed by the lack of progress on constitutional reform under Gordon Brown. But I also noted that Brown had been buffeted by an economic and a political crisis not of his making. I want to reiterate here that, aside from these points, I do not regard Gordon Brown to have been a disappointment or to have let down the Labour party.
In relation to Blair, we discussed a number of issues where I praised his record as Prime Minister including some covered in the piece such as his record on education and health.
It is also worth noting that the article implies I have more strategic vision than is actually the case:
So it is fascinating that he should have picked this moment, as his 63-year-old father prepares to give evidence on Thursday to the Chilcot inquiry, to speak his mind and put clear water between the party that his dad represents and the new generation of young Left-wing progressives who, like him, are disenchanted with its direction.
David Cohen made the initial contact and the date was suggested by him.
I understand why the article has been written in the way that it has and have not sought a correction on the Evening Standard’s pages. But I thought some context would be helpful.
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17 Responses to “Evening Standard interview: a clarification”
Anon E Mouse
Don – We agree to disagree sir – Brown is the least popular PM ever and there is a reason for that. He cannot make a decision and that is weak leadership.
Forget his personality for a minute it still comes back to being indecisive. It is simply not good enough to state “We will have another review blah blah” instead of making his opinion clear and acting on it.
Even if the decision was incorrect, if it was made honestly then people would accept it. Instead we have a hopeless weak individual who seems only able to threaten and bully to get his own way and one who can never admit he’s wrong.
Instead of simply apologising to Nadine Dorries for example over the McBride affair, he dithered and refused to admit he was wrong and that just annoys people – same with the Gurkha’s.
There is a lot to be said for the Ronald Reagan “Gee guys I guess I screwed up” method – that worked for him but if you are a person that is cautious and weak by nature you will not do that. (Not that I am personally).
As for who would be better? Anyone – even that awful Harriet Harman would do a better job I think and I’m not her biggest fan.
Brown stood at the dispatch box in the commons and stated he had ended boom and bust. We all knew he hadn’t but when confronted he then started spinning about “Tory boom and bust” and that is dishonest.
Liz – That was immediately after the greatest war the world has ever known and we had to rebuild our country. Irrespective of the nonsense spouted by this government of building “affordable housing” it simply isn’t doing it.
Back then we had an economy built on manufacturing and producing things – now (and Thatcher needs to take her share of the blame for this) we have an economy where Public Service is the biggest employer and the remainder is a service industry.
The reason we pulled out from 1946 onwards was employment produces tax receipts for the government – that situation is simply not available any more. The NHS is the UK’s biggest employer for goodness sake – where is the money going to come from?
Regarding some “New Green Deal” nonsense why did this government let the UK’s only wind turbine manufacturer go to the wall when it gives billions of our money to the bankers?
I say forget the climate change nutter stuff Liz and reopen the coal mines in South Wales. How can it be economic to import German coal when we have mass unemployment here and 400 years of fuel not five miles from my home?
Liz McShane
Anon – I presume you are not a fan of economist David Blanchflower then…..?