UK NEWS

BROWN HIDES AWAY AS POLL DEFEAT LOOMS

LIABILITY: Gordon Brown

Thursday May 22,2008

By Macer Hall, Political Editor

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(11)

GORDON BROWN was accused last night of hiding in his Downing Street “bunker” to avoid Labour’s apparently doomed by-election campaign.

The Prime Minister was mercilessly taunted in the Commons by Tory leader David Cameron for allegedly lacking the courage to make an appearance in Crewe and Nantwich in the run-up to today’s poll.

Labour is braced for an historic drubbing in one of its once rock-solid safe seats. Voters are choosing a successor to veteran Labour backbencher Gwyneth Dunwoody, with the Tories tipped for their first triumph over Labour at a by-election in 40 years.

Mr Cameron has visited the Cheshire constituency four times in recent weeks as the Conservatives poured resources into the battle.

Critics claim Mr Brown has stayed away because many within Labour see him as an electoral liability.

The Prime Minister is braced for fresh calls for his resignation if Labour’s vote goes into meltdown today.

At Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons yesterday, the Tory leader mocked Mr Brown’s failure to appear on the campaign trail. “Why hasn’t he had the courage to go to Crewe and Nantwich?” he said.

Mr Brown defended his non-appearance by claiming it was a convention that Prime Ministers do not intervene in by-elections.

But the Tory leader compared him to his predecessor Tony Blair, who campaigned to “lead from the front” in such polls.

Mr Cameron said: “Instead of leading from the front, hasn’t the Prime Minister just put himself into his bunker?”

The Tories are hopeful of overturning Labour’s 7,780-strong majority in the constituency.

The result is expected to be declared in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman and Environment Secretary Hilary Benn hit the campaign trail yesterday in a last-ditch bid to stop traditional Labour voters switching to the Tories.

For the Conservatives, Shadow Home Secretary David Davis was highlighting law and order issues in the constituency yesterday.

He savaged the campaign headed by Labour candidate Tamsin Dunwoody, who is hoping to succeed her mother Gwyneth as the constituency’s MP.

Labour activists have branded her Conservative rival Edward Timpson a “Tory toff”.

Mr Davis said: “The fact that Labour are not talking about issues displays a sense of defeat.

“People want to talk about money, crime, health and education. Those are the issues which people vote on, not personal attacks.

“I always say the first rule of politics is to focus on what matters to people.”

He added: “I think we are doing well.”

Mr Timpson, speaking in Nantwich town square, said: “It is not about who you are or where you come from, it is about who will work hard for the people of Crewe and Nantwich.

“People are losing faith in Labour and they are beginning to trust the Conservatives.

“They see that there has been a sea change in the Conservative party, that we are setting the agenda and the Government has run out of ideas.”

THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL GODRON.

23.05.08, 4:57am

Well, well, well GoDron according to the Beeb a swing of some 17.6% to the Tories. Now this is not a request from the electorate to raise VAT to this level although the NuLabour spin machine will no doubt interpret it to be that way.
In simple terms it means this is your reward for shafting the electorate with your sneaky taxes over the last eleven or so years.
Now we all know how good your lot are at manipulating figures, eg, Inflation around 2 .5% when in reality it is ten times this figure in effect 25%
So moving the decimal point one figure to the left from 17.6% swing to 1.76% swing is not a good idea.

• Posted by: kojak • Report Comment

TIME TO WAKE UP TO REALITY DICTATOR PRUDENCE U-TURN BROWN. THE PEOPLE OF CREWE AND NANTWICH HAVE SPOKEN

23.05.08, 4:05am

Good morning, unelected Dictator Prudence U-Turn Brown. Got a sore head have we? Lost yet another NuLabour MP have we?

Are you LISTENING Dictator Prudence U-Turn Brown?

1. Where is our REFERENDUM on the EU as you promised?

2. You promised to ABOLISH bin tax proposals. WHY ARE BIN TAX PROPOSALS GOING AHEAD?

3. What about abolishing all those fancy Government QUANGOS that are draining over £200BILLION from the economy this year?

4. What about getting rid of all the "CONSULTANTS" who are a gross drain on the taxpayer?

5. What about the UK paying the SAME as the USA for its PETROL and DIESEL?

6. What about getting the POLICE out of their centrally-heated offices AND BACK ON THE STREET WHERE THEY BELONG?

7. What about cleaning our hospitals, for a change?

8. What about deporting ALL THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN THE UK - which will allow decent British Citizens to have their jobs back?

9. What about restoring authority to law-abiding individuals - NOT PANDERING TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS BRIGADE, whilst the streets are controlled by feral youths?

Dictator Prudence U-Turn Brown, you are a disgrace to humanity - you are a fraud - you have been well-and-truly sussed by the public YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SERVE.

• Posted by: ReubenMohawali • Report Comment

IN TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE????

22.05.08, 6:58pm

So Mr Brown says that there is a convention that says that PM's dont get involved in By elections.
Surely there is another convention that says that PM's should be duly elected by the electorate, or did he miss that bit?
Just goes to show how far removed this man is from the people he is supposed to represent and SERVE! Yes Mr Brown you are a public servant not the new life long President of the Uk. For gods sake have some humility and empathy, isnt that what true socialism is all about, or are you above that too???

• Posted by: Russell42 • Report Comment

BROWN IN A FEW WORDS?

22.05.08, 6:01pm

COWARD ,INCOMPETENT ,SPINELESS ,USELESS ,ARROGANT ,UN-SKILLED ,UN-QUALIFIED , HUMOURLESS ,YELLOW ,USER ,BACKSTABBER ,NARROW MINDED ,COMMUNIST/SOCIALIST FAILURE...

• Posted by: jonG • Report Comment

BECAUSE BROWN'S A COWARD.

22.05.08, 5:57pm

He can't even face the good people of Crewe.

More to the point, he doesn't care. After this (next) predicted drubbing, Browns number is up.

It'll be endgame. No matter, the replacement will not fare any better. They are out totally in 2010. I just fear the damage they can still do between now and then.

People.....this is going to be the LONGEST two years of our lives!

• Posted by: Veltro205 • Report Comment

BROWN..CREWE.

22.05.08, 3:55pm

He knows you know! How many times in the past has he ducked his head below the parapet? You cannot do it these days Gordie, you are the man. And what a man!

• Posted by: fletton • Report Comment