Shock! Gordon isn't dreadful- Labour have improved this country imo

[mrsruffallo]

I thought that his speech was great, he seems very sincere, intelligent and caring
Is the media induced hate campaign having an influence on us all?

[PoorOldEnid]

yes I must admit I thought his speech was good

[FAQ]

ok - so what have Labour achieved? I'm struggling to see it myself, despite feeling triumphant that the first vote I was ever allowed to cast (just after I'd turned 18) helped Labour to their landslide victory over the Tories just over 10yrs ago...

[sagacious]

I'm sure he is very sincere, intelligent and caring.
Sadly he's a crap PM

[mrsruffallo]

I don't think he is a crap PM.
Sure start has improved many young families lives. Schools and health service has improved, Northern Ireland has a peace pact.
Pensioners have free travel, fuel allowance.
They have done a great job.
You need to look back 10 yrs ago and you would see this country is a better place

[mrsruffallo]

Agree fio- he left Brown wioth the crap he knew was coming but I think we can ride it out

[throckenholt]

I think anyone who was PM at the moment would be getting the same problems. They are hamstrung by global events, and by the fact that any party that has been in for that long is going to be blamed for everything wrong, and no-one notices the good bits.

Not that I think the other lot are much of an alternative - but for democracy to work you can't have one party for so long.

[PoorOldEnid]

agree throckenholt

[mrsruffallo]

Brown very different to Blair though.
I think one leader for too long is destructive-agree

[sagacious]

yy life is wonderful

[TwoIfBySea]

Blair was all talk over serving three full terms, gave a speech hinting heavily at just that with godawful Cherie winking away in support. He knew what was about to happen so quickly handed over the wheel of the sinking ship to Brown.

I feel sorry for Brown, his wife is certainly more of a role model than Cherie ever could hope to be. See madam, that is how you should present yourself, a bit of class, a bit of dignity. I wonder what differences there would have been had Brown been in charge rather than that smarmy Bliar.

However, when Labour arrived the promises they gave were fantastic. They have not delivered, in fact they have turned away from those they were meant to help and have created such a massive divide between rich and poor that they seem to have out-Toried the Tories.

[throckenholt]

Blair wouldn't have coped brilliantly with all the stuff Brown has been hit by - flooding, huge oil price rises, etc etc

[artichokes]

Whether or not Brown is a good PM is something we may never know as the media are determined to paint him as a failure. It makes a good story. 10 years of the Tories in the duldrums got boring. They need new headlines and a new angle.

On top of that the media never warmed to Brown because he won't play their game: he won't show his sons, he won't talk about his private life, he doesn't do photo-grabbing opps like riding his bike to work etc and he is less presidential (i.e. he actually lets Cabinet colleagues talk about their own areas of responsibility rather than grabbing every headline like Blair).

[Upwind]

Brown left Brown with the crap that was coming - Brown as chancellor made sure that after an extraordinary boom the coffers were empty when the bust came. Brown claimed he had abolished "boom and bust" while doing nothing to calm an unsustainable boom and credit bubble.

Yes, it is a Global credit crunch, but we are badly positioned for it, unlike other countries whose politicians took a longer term view.

[wannaBe]

I know an ex cabinet minister who says Brown has a screw loose.

[mrsruffallo]

Agree artichokes- the media hate him.

[Upwind]

anyone who insists they have abolished economic cycles clearly does have a screw loose

when that person is prime minister and was chancellor it is really rather scary

[throckenholt]

the problem is most people don't think for themselves and don't come to their own conclusions. They get their opinions from sound bites and headlines - therefore Brown must be a disaster.

Can't say I think much of the plotters in Labour though - do any of them honestly think they would be in a much different position - regardless of who was the PM at the moment. And ditching him and putting in a new fresh face won't help much either.

[LaTrucha]

As well as what other have said...

Minimum wage
First steps to paternity leave
Civil partnerships
500 000 less children living in poverty
Devolution
Introduction of Gift aid
Drop in crime overall
£200 winter fuel payments to pensioners
One million pensioners out of poverty
Free bus travel to pensioners
Northen Ireland peace process
Free entry to galleries and museums

Theres a lot more but don't want to be tedious. I think what Labour party snipers forget is that governments rarely are popular after 20 years in power. People just get pissed off with a party that has been in so long.

I am dreading a Tory victory in the next General Election. I can't believe anyone could say, for example, that the Tories were concerned about pensioners. The tories have NEVER done anything for pensioners.

[Piffle]

I like him
I think he is trustworthy, reliable, responsible and with the economy sliding down I think he is the right person for now.

[throckenholt]

I have the impression that Cameron will say anything he thinks people want to hear - but has very little clue about how he would get all the things he says to actually work.

Not that manifesto promises ever really materalise in the way we all thought they were meant to.

God I am cynical. I will vote - but frankly at the moment I am not inspired by any of them.

None of them have the courage to stand up and address the really difficult issues that we need to face - the long term issues that only government can deal with - but won't because they are all so worried about short term election (and re-election ) prospects.

[BigTeuchLittleTeuch]

I know someone that goes to the same gym as him and they say he has terrible bo...

...before the workout

[throckenholt]

Brown is probably better, and certainly no worse than the rest of them at the moment.