Nov 15 2009
Ten things Mr Brown could apologise for
Apologies mean more when you apologise for something you did. If Gordon Brown is in the mood to apologise, I suggest he apologises for the following:
1. Giving away so much power to the EU.
2. Failing to honour his promise to give us a vote on Lisbon.
3. Selling large quantities of our gold at the bottom of the market to buy Euros
4. Running up the largest ever public debt
5. Nationalising two banks and losing us a fortune in them
6. Requiring our troops to fight a war in Afghanistan without a proper political strategy
7. Undermining our Parliament by stifling proper questioning and debate
8. Lurching from boom to bust to attempted boom in his money policy
9. Blocking reform of our schools and hospitals
10. Failing to control our borders
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
Gordon Brown finds it difficult if not impossible to appologise except when forced to.
If and when he does it is always meaningless.
Gordon Brown could do one other honourable thing for the people of Britain.
That is to resign before he is pushed out by his own colleagues.
Brown won’t to either of these honorable things.
Honour is of no value to a man who values his fellow man not at all!
Reply
Paul Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Brown doesn’t really apologise at all ; he uses those backhanded “I’m sorry if you’ve been upset by what I’ve said”
i.e. it’s your fault for getting upset about my obviously true statements of fact rather than my fault for saying what I said.
Brown virtually never admits fault on anything ever and repeats the same simple “facts” over and over again. His strategy is straight out of Mein Kampf in this respect.
Reply
There are more, but these 10 would be a good start.
Reply
I think the silent acceptance of the odious smear tactics devised by Damien McBride and other members of the inner circle ranks pretty highly
Reply
Chris Paul Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
GB apologised profusely for this very soon after made aware of the problem, he had by then got rid of McBride. (words left out) Brown’s apology included individual hand-written letters to those who were either identified by Guido/MSM or who identified themselves as Nadine did. Over the ROMP that never happened.
Reply
Quite correct in the principle of only apologising for what you are responsible for.
My point 11 – his failure to accept that he has limitations (as everybody does) and his ignoring any view other than his own.
Point 12 – failing to answer any question posed directly to him (which presumably leads to your point 7)
Point 13 – the imposition of massive camera surveillance and fines based on it
Point 14 – poorly conceived “anti-terrorism” laws that allow councils to stalk innocent people, or to barge into their homes
Point 15 – the poor management of his own MPs, allowing them to commit fraud on an industrial scale
Point 16 – the rise of the Quango culture, to try and pass blame for everything he is repsonsible for on to somebody else
Reply
Excellent list. I would just change No 6 to:
Sending our troops to war on a peacetime budget.
Reply
Noted and read with interest . However I think an important one missing !
His persistant lies.
Reply
I don’t want to hear any apology from Brown because it would lack sincerity. He has been a disaster as Chancellor and Prime Minister but he is no doubt proud of his appalling record.
Reply
You have got about as much chance of Gordon Brown giving a sincere apology, as you have of him answering any question with a simple yes or a no.
Reply
What is the point of discussing something that will never happen.
In order to apologies, you first have to accept that your actions were wrong. Gordon believes he is never wrong, so ergo Gordon doesn’t ‘DO’ apologies.
Reply
THE ESSEX BOYS Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Having just caught up with the news of the week after a holiday we’re amazed that The Sun has received so much stick.
Putting aside assertions of disrespect surely we have a right to know just how shoddy a job the Prime Minister of Britain makes of a simple task like sending a letter and, frankly, what a botch he makes of then trying to apologise with that familiar whiff of self justification.
Vision impairment is no excuse – he has helpers and advisors aplenty. No. Lack of judgement (again) and an inability to execute common sense tasks (again) are matters we SHOULD know about. For heavens sake we’re not criticising a handicapped child or an infirm pensioner here – this is the holder of our country’s highest office and we have every right to expect much much better.
Reply
Mick Anderson: excellent points 11 – 16
to which may I add point 17.
Introduction of child tax credits system.
Supposedly to help the poor, who in modern Britain are often the least able to plough through the volumes of paperwork* involved in applying for the benefit.
Then for an innocent or ignorant mistake hunting down and prosecuting the hapless recipient, scaring the living daylights out of the poor sod by bringing the whole apparatus of the state on his or her shoulders.
* Ten years ago I did consider applying for the child tax credit, but after reading through the impertinent questions, for a couple of hundred pounds decided my time could more productively be spent.
Reply
This isn’t even scratching the surface and largely misses a lot from when he was Chancellor. What about pensions to name just one?
Reply
I could add to your list John
Abolishing ACT relief for pension schemes and so acting as a catalyst to the winding up of many final salary schemes and diminishing the aggregate schemes by many tens of billions of pounds.
With health you could add that he fed in huge amounts of money Foie gras into an unstructured system and so wasting a lot of that money.
With the war in Afghanistan you could add, to the lack of a clear strategy, putting troops onto a front line inadequately resourced. Now trying to save face by ordering equipment late in the day.
Giving the bank of England a phoney independence, setting up the committee of the great and good to select interest rates, and dismantling a regulatory structure that worked, then putting all the blame on greedy bankers.
Pulling the union apart by inducing regional government in Scotland, leading to an imbalance where Scottish MP’s without fear of upsetting their electorate, can and have voted through bills that apply to peoples living in England. Look at the imbalance in tuition fees, care home charges abolished, prescription fees abolished, road tolls abolished on Skye Bridge, Forth Road Bridge.
Employing , is it over 300,000 public workers over the tenure of this government, many on final salary pensions, the effect of this will not be felt for years, and what have we tangibly got to show for all of this increase, they’re not all doctors and nurses and policemen as the government mantra declares. (It reminds me of when I have to bale my kids out – “You’ve spent that cash, but you’ve nothing to show for it? Now you want some more, because that will solve things?”
Politicising the civil service.
I could go on but I’ve got work to do
Reply
Many of these are “apologise for not being a Conservative”. Should he really do that, especially given Conservtive ideas were decisively rejected by the electorate in 1997, 2001 and 2005? Should the electorate apologise too?
On 1, Cameron supports this does he not? At least, he is not going to reduce the EUs powers is he. If this is important to you, you should join UKIP as they are the only seriously anti-EU party rather than just spouting the empty rhetoric of Conservatives.
On 2, there is no EU constitution. Wasn’t Labour’s promise a vote on a constitution? Cameron’s “cast iron guarantee” however was on any treaty arising from negotiation. Is he apologising for his rusted hunk of metal? Again, UKIP is the only party who would follow polices to reduce the EU’s powers.
On 3, aside from berating the PM for not predicting the future, be interested in a proper and full assessment of the costs. Money of course earns interest which gold does not, and the value of euros has been risen in recent years.
On 4 and 5, at least they are not apologising for complete financial collapse of the UK as following your prescription would have led to.
On 6, what would the Conservatives have done differently? Why did you vote for the war if the strategy was bad?
7 just seems like rhetoric. What do you mean? What will Cameron do differently?
On 8, isn’t monetary policy independent? How is Cameron going to alter the framework?
On 9, didn’t the public vote for Labour’s reform rather than yours. Why apologise for that?
On 10, have you ever been abroad and noticed the extensive passport and visa checks you have to have before being allowed in. It would seem our Borders are controlled. And immigration was high pre-2005 when it seemed many people were not “thinking what you were thinking” about immigration.
You surely could come up with a better list of things Brown should apologise for. What about failing to regulate the financial sector enough for a start, or failing to ignore those who claimed mortgages were over-regulated?
Reply
Chris H Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 8:50 am
“….given Conservtive ideas were decisively rejected by the electorate in 1997, 2001 and 2005? ”
Were they? From what I remember, Labour was re-elected in 2005 via a pitifully small percentage of voters. Wouldnt say that was “decisive rejection”.
Reply
Sevillista Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 9:18 am
ChrisH
Over two thirds of voters rejected the Conservatives.
Would you suggest Thatcher had no mandate because she was only elected by a minority? Or The next Government has little mandate if less than 50% of the electorate vote for it?
PR would be good, but I don’t see the Conservatives ever winning an election with it (most people reject their values even with a Labour government perceived as a disaster).
Reply
Only ten?
Such generosity Mr R – perhaps because it is the Sabbath.
Reply
2. Failing to honour his promise to give us a vote on Lisbon.
When did he promise to give us a vote on Lisbon? Are you talking about the now defunct European Constitution?
Surely Cameron has more of a case for an apology given his “cast iron promise” of a vote on the Lisbon Treaty which he is now not going to honour.
Reply
I just wonder when some future Prime Minister will stand up in Parliament and apologise for the way that Social Services are finding excuses for taking babies from parents and having them adopted in order to meet their quotas.
I can’t see much difference from the situation when they were snatched as children and sent to our colonies.
Reply
John,
The problems is, you see – Brown is NEVER wrong. Indeed, anything he says is, by definition, true.
Hence – Tory cuts BAD. Labour cuts GOOD. And so one.
I’m inclined to think the man is mildly sociopathic. Regardless, he should never be in any position of power.
Reply
http://timesbusiness.typepad.com/money_weblog/2009/06/gordons-10-worst-financial-gaffs.html
This list is better
Reply
Brown probably views each of these 10 things as successful policy implementations. So rather than apologise he lists them as doing the right thing whilst the Tories made the wrong decisions (sic)
Reply
Ha! My grandchildren will be paying off the massive debts that we were blackmailed into paying by your mates in the City and you think Brown should apologise for that?
Reply
For barring the NHS from giving treatment for (age related) macular degeneration of the eye except for 1000 people, and only in 1 eye on those, and then taking MY appointment at Moorfields for his own age related macular degeneration of his one eye! He did this because people that age don’t pay tax anyway, they said in parliament – but I pay tax and so does he. I hope he does.
Reply
1. Giving away so much power to the EU – so boring John – actually I am rather glad the EU has so much power – all you and your Tory EU nihilists want are countries so weal that international corporations can walk all over them.
2. Failing to honour his promise to give us a vote on Lisbon – the promise was a vote on the constitution – can you not read?
3. Selling large quantities of our gold at the bottom of the market to buy Euros – was that his decision?
4. Running up the largest ever public debt – yes – but why?? Mainly because a large bunch of idiots in the financial sector had been creaming it at our expense – and then the whole pack of cards fell down. Someone had to step in and ensure that ordinary families did not suffer. Your monetarist polices would have sent us into slump. You were wrong then and you are wrong now.
5. Nationalising two banks and losing us a fortune in them – so far better for a many thousands of people to lose their savings then Such ‘compassionate’ conservatism!
6. Requiring our troops to fight a war in Afghanistan without a proper political strategy – just like many wars – including Iraq. There was a strategy – albeit the wrong one – driven mainly by the Americans.
7. Undermining our Parliament by stifling proper questioning and debate – how exactly? If you mean having cabinet dominated government I agree – but I wonder whose idea that was in the first place?
8. Lurching from boom to bust to attempted boom in his money policy – this is just another version of 4 & 5 above – were you running out of ideas at this point?
9. Blocking reform of our schools and hospitals – whose reform? Indeed I would say that there has been too much reform of the NHS – driven by Tory crackpot ideas around an internal market and not enough reform of schools I agree – please can we reform grammar schools away now – they divide society and there is no evidence base that have anything other than a malign effect.
10. Failing to control our borders – well – that is part of being in the EU. I am sorry – but this sort of ‘little Englander’ stuff is just so tedious now – if capital can freely ‘walk’ from country to country – why not labour?
all in all a rather crap list John – I would have expected better from you.
Reply
Robbie Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Reply to point 2.
The Labour Party manifesto 2005 stated:
“The EU now has 25 members and will continue to expand. The new Constitutional Treaty ensures the new Europe can work effectively, and that Britain keeps control of key national interests like foreign policy, taxation, social security and defence. The Treaty sets out what the EU can do and what it cannot. It strengthens the voice of national parliaments and governments in EU affairs. It is a good treaty for Britain and for the new Europe. We will put it to the British people in a referendum and campaign whole-heartedly for a ‘Yes’ vote to keep Britain a leading nation in Europe.”
Looks like they promised a vote on a treaty to me Jack.
Reply
andy dan Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
1/ Independent countries are easily walked over by international corporations? So, who’s walking all over Norway and Switzerland?Your point is meaningless
2/Dealt with by Robbie
3/Yes, it was
4/According to Jack, the massive debt has been run up “mainly” by by idiots in the financial sector. Of course it hasn’t Jack. That debt is in addition to the large, unrelated increase in public spending. And your boys were quite happy to take the profits from those “idiots” when times were good.
5/ JR has always said that savers in the failed banks should be compensated.
6/It’s all the Americans’ fault again…like the recession
7/ Have a quick dig at the “hated” Mrs T..always good for a laugh. How much time does Mr Brown face PMQs in a year compared to Mrs Thatcher in her day? I think you’ll find it significantly less time.
8/Thanks to this asset bubble, which you won’t allow to deflate due to your QE nonsense, I’ve got a 26 year old step son living in my home, unlikely to get on the property ladder in the near future.
9/Reform away grammar schools – they have a malign effect. Evidence? Nil. Quite a lot of people come on this sight and say the exact opposite.
10/Why on earth should people be able to walk from country to country just because capital can? Because countries get full. Infrastructure gets affected. Because there’s plenty of labour already there.
All in all, a rather crap list Jack
Reply
Yes – what about the billions that Brown (as chancellor) took (and is still taking) out of the private pensions sector?
Do the Tories have a policy on restoring these pensions tax reliefs?
Reply
Poor Mr Brown!
What a loser!
Unlike Our Tony, he has promised very little and not even achieved that.
Reply
11. Letting the City run rings round the regulators and doing nothing to prevent this.
Reply
what about criminalising masses of the middle class workers by mass uptake of speed cameras which have failed to improve road safety while removing policing of the roads and allowing the most serious criminals to operate without fear
what about thinning down roads in the name of road safety while all the other western nations are busy widening theirs?
what about the issue of inter company transfer visas like confetti making the minor checks and balances on work visas pointless?
what about allowing our biggest council estates and inner cities to become perpetual drains on our society as the schools are so bad the kids will never grow up into wealth creators?
Reply
Bazman Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
‘what about allowing our biggest council estates and inner cities to become perpetual drains on our society as the schools are so bad the kids will never grow up into wealth creators?’
LOL! Last Tory government in a nutshell! Add the destruction of industry aided and abetted by a so called Labour government.
Reply
Sevillista has it about right. These proposed apologies are essentially for not being a right wing, europhobic Tory.
Leaving that aside can anyone provide a list of the apologies we’ve had from UK Prime Ministers of a Tory persuasion. While in power or at all. And while you’re at it you could do other world conservatives like the Bush father and son.
Reply
Postscript:
I personally think it is very unfortunate indeed that Isaby, Montgomerie, Pickles and others picked up this faulty apology meme and effectively rained on the parade of the lost children.
This also happened over the Alan Turing apology.
Reply
He could also apologose for raiding the pension funds while Chancellor, something his hero and biographical subject James Maxton execrated a contemporary politician for to devastating effect.
I’d like to apologise for the lack of contrition in the above paragraph.
Reply
I think it’s slightly naughty of a Tory to ask Gordon Brown to apologise for items (1) and (2), both of which are fully supported by official Tory policy.
Reply
There have been two constant themes in Labour thinking and actions ever since the Second world War: they hate liberty and they hate their own country. Their ready kow-towing to a totally undemocratic European Union provides an additional dimension.
Reply