Friday, June 18, 2010

If Labour MP Gordon Brown stood for Holyrood in the 2011 election, how would that change the Scottish political scene?


















Dear All

I had a thought, actually I have several each day but I wanted to throw this one out there for your consideration.

Gordon Brown stands for Holyrood in 2011!

His career at Westminster is over and chances are he will never hold a position of high office in England ever again.

The Holyrood election is a year away and the outcome cannot be judged as an absolute in the race to win. To be sure there are markers which point in certain directions but as they say in football ‘anything can happen in the next 90 minutes’.

Andy Kerr isn’t really cutting the mustard as Finance Spokesman for Labour, they need better than him.

Some Labour MSPs have gone south but so far few Labour MPs have expressed coming north.

It is so unusual that such an event as Brown standing could alter the political balance of what is a tired Scottish political scene.

For the Labour Party such a move would represent a Scottish coup.

Brown could not get a place as Chancellor in a future Labour Government at Westminster but could get a ministerial position in Scotland.

For the Labour Party it also solves a problem because Brown will not get a shadow chancellor spot on what is widely expected as a David Miliband team.

In politics the trick is to be invented, decisive and radical.

The ability to think the unthinkable is what can power a political party to government.

However such ideas have dangers when political parties don’t take the public with them.

The Labour Government found out this at the Westminster election, if you can’t carry the people don’t expect victory.

Labour lost because they thought they had become the 'permanent establishment' that arrogance isn’t just a Labour problem. Pre 1997, the Tories thought they were untouchable, the public reached out and touched.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting article George, it would put the cat among the pidgeons.

Anonymous said...

It would springboard a Labour victory. The SNP would struggle to make impact against such a heavyweight who despite losing commands such authority. Alex Salmond shines against the backdrop of drab oppenents.
It would be a different case against a Brown finance minister. I would like to see this.

regards,

Tony

Anonymous said...

Goodness Tony.

Brown is a terrible communicator. He has no sense of humour, he has no style.

He may or may not be clever intellectually, but he is certainly no tactician.

When he was leader in England they had to get Alistair Campbell and Pete Mandleson in to tell him what to do.


Pete and Ali aren't going to come north to bale him out again. And Iain Gray isn't up to the job... in fact Iain Gray isn't really up to any job.

Alex Salmond would wash the floor with the failure Brown.

Anonymous said...

And how much easier would be Mr Cameron's task of cutting Scotland's budget savagely if that useless c##t were first minister?

I believe fervently that Labour would have won the recent election but for that man. He is as popular as a dose of clap in the south east. A veritable Jonah amongst men.

Still, perhaps he would galvanise opinion to such an extent that Scotland will vote anyone but Gordon en mass and we can be rid of Labour.

Munguin said...

What a come down for Brown to have to accept a lesser position under Iain Gray. That's one reason I don't think it will happen.

The other is that Brown would have to face Salmond at some point. And Alex would tear him apart.

But this is politics and everything is fair in politics. So it may happen just as it may happen that Labour and the Lib Dems form a coalition in Scotland. Illogical maybe but then this is politics after all!

G Laird said...

Dear Munguin

It is true it would be a come down for Brown after Number 10 but leaving that aside, what do you think of it as an election tactic?

It would be unusual but not impossible, he is rumoured to be playing a part in the election anyway. There would be more impact if he was a player.

Anyway just a thought that was rolling around.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Munguin said...

I think he would be effective in the west coast where they didn't think he was that bad anyway. Memories are short and a week is a long time in politics. By the time Holyrood comes around we will have had nine months of the Tories. So the old Cyclops might well be flavour of the month by then electorally.

But it should be a shoe in for Labour anyway so why bother. Can't see Iain Gray wanting to play second fiddle to that disaster area and I can't see Gordon Brown wanting to be anything but centre of attention.

CrazyDaisy said...

George,

Interesting concept, however I doubt ge can take more humiliation. He will not accept a position in Holyrood as he has already demonstrated that it's beneath him and he thinks he's a big fish. Regrettably he is incapable of functioning as a decent honourable human being, I pity his children.

So I can safely bet we won't be seeing much of Gorgon next year in the campaign he is a poisoned chalice and a Jonah.

CD

Anonymous said...

I agree with CD George it is interesting concept, good conversation item. I couldn't rule anything out with Labour, they are tricksters.