Scum-watch: Dumb and dumber sneered at.
TWO failed Cabinet Ministers looked like Dumb and Dumber yesterday as they tried to put a spoke in the wheels of Gordon Brown’s smooth ride to 10 Downing Street.Despite their denials, Alan Milburn and Charles Clarke are clearly hoping their website “debate” about Labour’s future policies will flush out a challenger to the Chancellor as Tony Blair’s successor. But they were right about one thing.
Mr Brown needs to spell out more clearly his plans for Britain when he does take over.
We shouldn't take too much from a single leader, as there hasn't been much in the way of overt support for Brown from the Sun, but this does suggest that Murdoch/Wade no longer think there's an alternative candidate to the Brown express. They bigged up John Reid's appalling speech to last autumn's conference, but the prison crisis has highly devalued his stock. Miliband appears to be rejecting the attempts to force his hand, at least if you believe Tom Watson, and judging by his belief in Milburn's pure motives, I'd suggest you don't.
Milburn 'n' Clarke's venture got a trifling mention in the actual news stakes, having to make do with an un-bylined piece:
LABOUR heavyweights Alan Milburn and Charles Clarke launched a website yesterday in an apparent attempt to get other politicians to challenge Gordon Brown.The ex-Cabinet ministers said the site was intended to promote “debate” about policies.
But it was seen as a bid to unsettle Mr Brown — and to get Blairites to compete with him for the Prime Minister’s job.
So far only lefties Michael Meacher and John McDonnell have said they will also stand.
Not much comfort there either. If even the Sun is accepting Brown's sleepwalk to Labour leadership, and as it continues to mock David Cameron, it looks as if all bets may as well be off.
P.S. Is this banner the most tasteless ever? Even by the Sun's standards this is vomit inducing (the story is even worse, and says something about the levels of bourgeois superficiality we've reached.):
Labels: 2020 Vision, Scum-watch, Sun backs Brown, Sun-watch