Helping Gordon Brown

BBC Radio 4 Toady programme interview with Gordon Brown between 08:10 and 08:28 by a mostly respectful and helpful Evan Davies. You can tell when Gordon is stressed and about to issue a Brownie, he starts to "I I I I I" and uses the word "look" with some hard emphasis. It all sounds plausible and he is determined to keep the message going out. "LOW PUBLIC DEBT", opposition policies are "ridiculous", "only if you properly understand... to our opponents", "based upon what is right for the Country", "sustainable public finances". When asked if an incoming Government after the next election would inherit as good an economy as Labour did in 1997. Gordon Brown ignores the question and only talks about the 10 years of economic growth. Evan Davies pushes that point but Gordon Brown continues with the same Brownies, that increased spending on health and education was investment. With "hindsight what mistakes" were made, "whole economic policy was focussed on keeping inflation low" - apparently nobody saw foresaw the sub-prime crisis. Evan Davies asked about cutting interest rates in 2005 and wouldn't Gordon Brown have rather have boosted public finances instead. Gordon Brown keeps to the line that it is all the fault of American sub-prime. If the bankers got it wrong, didn't you make the same mistake. "Will we get growth this year", apparently this only depends upon level of international cooperation. "End Boom and bust", on your watch we've had "boom and bust", "just admit it", let's agree one thing "are you refusing even to use the words boom and bust". Gordon Brown will not admit this and seeing the time coming up to 08:28 he repeats the mantras until time runs out.

In summary, Evan Davies was too respectful and didn't challenge the Great Clunking failure enough. Meanwhile Gordon Brown stuck rigidly to his script and refused to answer the key questions. Actually if you don't really know what mistakes Gordon Brown has made it might even have sounded convincing and that's my fear; that the public might fall for the Brownies again.


I am eagerly awaiting Evan Davies's next interview with David Cameron to hear whether he is quite as respectful of him; somehow I doubt it.