Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Darling Signs His Political Death Warrant


One thing is for sure. Whatever the result of the election, Alistair Darling won't be Chancellor of the Exchequer after it. No one says things like THIS against Gordon Brown and lives (politically) to tell the tale.

18 comments:

Unknown said...

I watched this interview open-mouthed. It was entirely the greatest destruction of the Prime Minister's reputation in history by a member of his Cabinet. Watch the replays if you can.

neiljward said...

Front page of the telegraph website as well. I do wonder if the broadcast news will pick it up.

DespairingLiberal said...

It was a good interview between Randall and Darling - Randall seems to have toned it down a little and become a bit more focused and Darling was less hesitant and wooden than usual - he is obviously learning.

Even if this has angered the Clunking One, he won't take action now this close to the General - after which it will all be history anyway presumably. So no Iain, Darling hasn't, which is why he said it now.

This is just another example of New Labour recognising the inevitable and letting it all hang out in public.

Not a sheep said...

But Gordon Brown is a sweet lovable chap without a bullying or revengeful bone in his body, or so we are being lead to believe so surely Alistair Darling is safe in his position. Anyway it is not as though Gordon Brown wanted to replace Alistair Darling with Ed Balls in his aborted reshuffle.

Anonymous said...

Gordon can't sack him ....

But it does look like this is the revenge on Gordon for setting McBride on him .


Juicy

M said...

When there was all the instability last year, wasnt it Darling who wouldnt budge unless he got what he wanted. Brown could have sacked him, but didnt have the bottle. I may be wrong in this so do correct me if Im wrong Iain

Anonymous said...

Does that include yourself Mr Dale?

Moriarty said...

Well this should be good. I'm just wondering how they're going to spin this one away. I gather they're limiting themselves to one smear operation a day so that's out (and Darling, as somebody who can stand up for himself, would not be deemed an appropriate object of that tactic).

Perhaps they'll deny he said it. A huge lie that can only be believed given a desperate act of will: in other words, standard NuLab operating procedure.

Anyway, I dare say we'll find out. Just as soon as Jimmy pops up with his standing orders...

Unknown said...

I'm not so sure - this could be part of a plan to shift the media narrative away from Brown and towards "bullies" who no longer work at No. 10. I.e. - there were bullies, but Brown has now sacked them. It fits in perfectly with Christine Pratt's line about Brown not being directly implicated.

Add in the line about him hoping there will be a budget before a general election "because he's working on it", and they might just succeed in shifting this whole story.

Far fetched? See http://prologue.squarespace.com/prologue/2010/2/23/forces-of-hell.html

Anonymous said...

Unless Darling knows that Brown is going to resign this week and he, Darling, will take over as caretaker until the GE and maybe after if there is a hung Parliament?

I can feel it in my waters

Jim_Watford said...

Oh dear, this won't end well. Lets hope Brown sets the dogs on him before the election, it'll help us no end.

Sir Inglegram said...

Maybe, just maybe, there are Labour politicians who realise just how disastrous for the country Gordon Brown is, and their show has been. Maybe, just maybe - and here's a shocking thought - there are some labour politicians who - have I gone mad? - want to do good for their country over and above the interests of their party. Darling does seem to have some modicum of realism and perhaps conscience. Perhaps the scorched-earth policy is in fact not what he wants to do?

Craig Ranapia said...

Silly Mr. Dale... Did you notice that Darling was very careful to "working for Mr Brown".

I can see the script now:

1) A lot of people work at Number 10, and the Prime Minister is far too busy focusing on real issues affecting real people to micro-manage all of them.

2) When you're fighting for real people, of course you get passionate and sometimes harsh words are spoken that you wish you could take back.

3) Mistakes were made -- but not by me.

4) (And if you come back later, I've got proof that Darling is actually a deep cover Tory mole/drunk/insane/plotting to take over the party and this is part of a stupid stitch-up. All off the record, of course.)

Tim Carpenter said...

This idea of "undermining" and "talking down" shows how the concept of words as "prime mover" has totally eclipsed reality in Labour - they have pushed the conceit so often that they have convinced themselves that if they say something it will happen.

"So it was said, so it is written, so it shall be done..."

p.s. It would not surprise me if Brown could not sack Darling even if he wanted to. Not enough Courage or spine.

Maybe time for a new Larson cartoon - "Spineless Chicken Manse".

Jimmy said...

But he can't possibly have said this because according to all the papers everyone is too scared of the PM to speak.

Or is that not the line now?

Moriarty said...

Not your fault Jimmy. You've done your best. Silk purse, cow's ear and all that.

Martin S said...

Unless, of course, Darling has something on Gordon Brown?

"Gordon, you dropped something. It's a prescription for... oh! Of course not, Gordon. I wouldn't dream of it. Now, about your planned re-shuffle..."

Ian M said...

Of course by tomorrow one of Gordon's attack dogs will be telling everyone, "of course Alistair's Great Uncle was a Tory MP and Tory Lord Provost of Edinburgh"