That lesson can be seen in this video:
Two lines from that interview jump out at me as in stark contrast to our Gordon:
1) There is a tendency in Washington to think that our job description ... is to get re-elected. That's not our job description.
2) I'd rather be a really good one term President than a mediocre two term President.
I'm not sure I can even picture Gordon expressing similar sentiments let alone actually believing them. It seems clear to me and I think a significant majority of the public that Gordon cares about nothing else except winning the next election. Obviously almost every politician in history has succumbed to this to varying degrees but none that I can think of have such a chronic case as Brown.
The obvious implication that Obama is making is that an elected official, especially the highest elected official in the country, should care more about doing what is right for that country and it's people than any other concern (especially electoral advantage). I cannot see any way in which Gordon can claim to follow this principle. If he did he would not have:
2) offered benefit rises and a bonus tax in what anyone can see was nothing but crass electioneering
3) waited until effectively the last possible moment to call an election
4) refused a promised referendum on the Lisbon treaty because it wouldn't have gone his way
5) engaged in a vicious, nasty and irrelevant class based election strategy
I could list many more but I'm fairly sure those five illustrate my point adequately.
Gordon Brown would prefer to be a mediocre two term PM than a really good one term PM but he doesn't even have that choice. Realistically now he can choose between being an abysmal one term PM or an abysmal one term PM who still escapes with some dignity remaining. Unless he calls the election immediately he will surely be remembered as one of the worst we have ever had.
8 comments:
Right on the money T.O!
(and to be fair, the bastard hasn't even served a FULL term!) He's still managed to wreck the country even further!
Good post.
If Obama means what he says there, then my respect for him has grown. It seems to me that a large number of the politicians in the UK, (not only but certainly including the idiot who is currently the prime minister) are there for them, not for us.
Wrong. You’re there for us. We pay you.
I’m seriously trying to think of anyone who was worse than Brown, and I can’t. Thatcher was a disaster for my country. She is hated and loathed as such, but I still think that Brown has been worse, taking into consideration the mess he made as Chancellor as well.
There is one point with which I disagree. I don’t think that even if he went now he could muster even a tiny bit of dignity. He’s a laughing stock around the world. Even Obama has made it clear he doesn’t like or respect him. He should just go now, who cares about his dignity? I care about what’s left of the country and every day he has anything to do with it will make it worse!
Thanks TT. He will still be the second longest serving unelected PM of the last 100 years (the dubious honour of being second only to Callaghan).
Thanks also Tris. I too will have increased respect for him if he means it and in fairness I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt although that may only be because he is less untrustworthy than Brown.
Obviously I don't share your loathing for Maggie but I think even her most aggressive opponents would agree she was doing what she thought was right and doing it competently. Brown is doing whatever it takes to get through the day and not even doing it well.
OK well dignity might be a little strong but at least he might salvage a microcosm of respect.
Well TO, I was talking about my country, as opposed to yours. She may be liked there, I don't know. I believe that she thought she was doing the right thing, but I can't say that I think that excuses her. She was so sure that she was always right about everything and was surrounded almost to the last by people who were too afraid of her to tell her otherwise. And she was wrong about so much.
I have never met a Scot old or young who has anything good to say about her, including most Tories.
Maybe I mix in the wrong circles though ..... ;-)
I'm sorry, this old Unionist doesn't understand the distinction. Aren't we both from Britain :P
Brown on the other hand isn't even sure what he's doing, right or wrong, and he's still surrounded by cowards.
You should mix with some of my friends. Would have you singing the Iron Lady's praises in minutes.
Well TO. It is a very different place. Different people, different laws, different economy, different religion, different ways. I have to say I feel every bit as "abroad" in London as I do in Paris.
Of course we are both from Britian, from the British Isles, from the EU, from Europe.... but we are still very different.
But the Scots do hold Thatcher in particular disgust, there's no doubt of it. Ask Malcolm Rifkind and even Lang. They worked hard to make her just a little bit less disagreable to us, and failed.
No TO. Nothing would ever get me singing that woman's praises. Not on pain of death... I'm not a vindictive person, and so now I'm sorry for her; sorry for what she has to go through with her illnesses and the fact that she frequently forgets that her nasty old racist of a husband is dead. That must be the worst thing in the world. Poor woman being told over and over that Denis, no matter how repugnanat we found him, is dead. I imagine she loved him. I feel too for her daughter who has to tell her over and over that daddy won't be coming home. That is painfully sad.
But I'm happy for her that she has millions to cushion her from the worst ravages of old age.
Ah...well, no point in being morbid, but we'll all be in that kind of state one day...so it doesn't do to bear grudges :-)
I would say enough of the population of both "countries" feel they have enough in common. I believe that what Mill called the "sentiment of nationality" still thrives.
Obviously as I have said before I would respect a referendum outcome if it went against that but I would be saddened to see the Union break.
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