Not that one

So, the death of a Labour leader and lifelong politician. And the tributes and rememberences are pouring in.

No-one wants to immediately speak ill of the dead, but many tributes were tempered with a realistic look at the Labour leader's deficiencies.

As the Mirror pointed out

"He wasn't blessed with the imposing stature or suave manner of a natural leader".

Senior Labour figures - carefully unnamed - were quick to admit that:

"..his spell as party leader .. was not a happy one,"

He was always there on the frontline, beside the Labour Prime Minister, fighting - unsucessfully - to prevent the country from sliding into the recession and discontent that a Labour government always eventually brings.

He had some radical ideas for the economy: a big expansionary programme to lift Britain out of recession was his own idea, as was the idea that this had to be paid for by massive increases in borrowing. Not everyone agreed, but he was adamant.

He wasn't always best for his party either - indeed, there were many who believed that he made Labour almost completely unelectable.

Another Labour leader, Lord Kinnock, said - in his traditional windy manner - that..

"..the best that could be said of his leadership is that the outcome could have been even worse, the defeat bigger and the splits deeper."

Despite his burning ambition, he was never actually elected as Prime Minister. As Tony Benn said:

“I know he did not win the election, but the fact that he became leader ... puts him in the top list of figures in the history of the party.”

Yes, we may not have liked Gordon Brown but ... wait ... what? Who? So not...?

Oh shit. The wrong one..

.

6 comments:

Captain Haddock said...

Labour have indeed got a long & distinguished history of electing deficient people as "Leader" .. some of them actually become Prime Minister .. frightening isn't it ?

I expect his Donkey jacket will now become an exhibit in the "Museum of failed Socialism & its Leaders" ..

Uncle Marvo said...

As far as decent men who happen to be politicians go, it's Foot and Benn for me.

The rest seem to be a bunch of lying, manipulative bastards.

I shall blog further later because I am put out of kilter by the interview on R4 yesterday of some Welsh Twat.

wv:Kinnock

Uncle Marvo said...

I have.

http://tiomarvo.blogspot.com/2010/03/stoop.html

Sorry to blag your blog but I was really pissed off last night when I heard that twaddle.

Angry Exile said...

No-one wants to immediately speak ill of the dead...

Oh, I'm game for it. He was a badly dressed fucknuts of the old left who looked like a reject from the Muppet Show. Okay?

On the plus side it was clear what he stood for and he was also no fan of the EU, and even though I loathed the guy's politics for those two points I'd say the Commons would benefit from more like him in it now.

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T.B. said...

I have written a book, its called "The Journey....from whiter than white to the sleaziest, most medacious incompetent Party in British History"

Hope you like it.

TB