By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Gordon Brown is a tragic ditherer who can't even make up his mind on which is his favourite biscuit, right?
Wrong.
The famous bickie-question, apprently asked of the PM twelve times in a recent MumsNet webchat and mocked by Murdoch knows how many newspapers and blogs since, was never actually put to the PM, according to MumsNet founder Justine Roberts.
In a new comment on Mumsnet, Roberts clarifies:
"The truth is that Gordon Brown didn't follow the live chat on the screen directly - he answered the questions grouped and fed to him by Mumsnet HQ and his advisers. He didn't avoid the biscuit question because it didn't cross his path...
"We were conscious of not merely focusing on frivolities. Fun as biscuits are, access to the Prime Minister is precious and we would have hated to waste time on Rich Tea Fingers at the expense of miscarriage or school starting age. Plus, of course, we'd rather not be seen as a soft touch."
So, although the question was asked of the PM, Mumsnet themselves never fed it through to him because they thought it wasn't a worthwhile question.
Unfortunately, David Cameron didn't think biscuit-gate was as frivalous as Justine Roberts does. Instead, Cameron chose to accept the story as presented to him and raise it in the middle of PMQs last week half way through a debate about Afghanistan and the economy.
Will Cameron now apologise or retract his own juvenile mockery...?
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He dithers on everything else - who cares - he's useless. Move on.
Didn't see anyone complaining when John Major supposedly tucked his vest into his Y-Fronts. On making up stories I really don't think we need McBride, Draper, Watson and Co being used against us if we pursue this. Engage brains guys.
I'm new to this blog - it's good - but I can tell you this type of thing just ignores the elephant in the room. No one has even mentioned YouGov yesterday: Why?
snip>
EMBARGO: 11.30pm Monday, 26 October 2009
Results of the first YouGov poll in Wales
Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning the results of the first Welsh poll by YouGov - one the UK's leading polling organisations - will be made public in a specially organised breakfast seminar in the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay. The results will be presented and analysed by Wales's leading political analysts, Richard Wyn Jones Director of the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University, and Prof. Roger Scully, Director of Aberystwyth University's Institute of Welsh Politics.
Among the results......
Westminster voting intentions in Wales (change since 2005 general
election)
%
Labour 34 (-9)
Conservative 31 (+10)
Lib-Dems 12 (-2)
Plaid Cymru 15 (+2)
Others 7 (+2)
Q. If a general election were held tomorrow how would you vote?
If the swings implied by this poll are applied uniformly across Wales, the parties would win following number of MPs (change since 2005 in brackets)
Labour 20 (-9)
Conservative 12 (+9)
Lib-Dems 2 (-2)
Plaid Cymru 5 (+2)
Others 1
The predicted results:
* Represent the worst Labour vote share in Wales since 1918 (3.5% worse than in 1983)
* Would equal Tory vote share in 1983
* Would be Plaid's best general election vote share and seat result ever
Richard Wyn Jones said:
"This poll serves to underline that the Conservatives are continuing to make very significant progress in Wales. Having been wiped out completely in 1997, they appear on course for one of their best ever results at the next UK general election. For Labour, on the other hand, this is more dismal news from what was formerly its most staunch of heartland areas."
According to Prof. Roger Scully, "Labour is clearly in very deep trouble in Wales as in the rest of Britain, and the party that is benefiting most from that is the Conservatives. And while Plaid Cymru can be moderately pleased by their showing, there are not making the same impact as their sister party, the SNP, is in Scotland."
Perhaps Douglas Alexander and Co should address the problems here instead of peddling the Global Warming stuff - the current bunker mentality of this government will lead to disaster :-(
You didnt respond to my comment below, so please take this as a little reminder.
You mentioned the economy and as there is scant little on LabourList on the economy I thought I would post this here as you go out of your way to praise Mr Brown in your article. As most do I frequent most of the larger blogs and came across this today. What do you objectively think of this from Guido?
With No End to Recession, Labour Attack Strategy Misfires
The coordinated attacks this week on George Osborne were pre-planned to coincide with the end of the recession as predicted by consensus economists. Except that the economy did not oblige. On Friday the ONS reported numbers that shocked Gordon Brown, who has long clung to the belief that a rising economy will save him. His curse prevailed.
Unlike in the rest of the recovering industrialised world, UK GDP fell by a shock 0.4 % last quarter, meaning the economy had now contracted for six successive quarters, the longest recession in British recorded history. Labour’s strategic plan, into which Guido understands Alastair Campbell and Peter Mandelson had input, was to use the reported official end of recession to claim victory in the battle against the crisis. On the back of that they would launch a ferocious attack on George Osborne’s response to the crisis.
There was no recovery reported. Op-eds had already been lined up in friendly papers, “lines to take” established, Bad Al Campbell himself lined up a letter in the FT focusing on Osborne’s shadow chancellor / campaign manager roles. Labour produced publicity material (above) and digital animations to be used in online campaigns. Mark Hanson, a backroom adviser on Labour’s online strategy, had placed a pre-written article on LabourList that he failed to revise to reflect the terrible Q3 GDP figures; “The campaign looks at what the real consequences would have been if George Osborne’s misjudgments had been enacted and led to a deeper, longer and more painful recession.”
That quote looks revealingly silly in the light of the figures showing Britain is suffering the deepest, longest and most painful recession ever recorded. Attack dogs Liam Byrne and Alastair Campbell nimbly recalibrated their attack lines. Instead of attacking Osborne as wrong on the recession, he was they claimed wrong on bailing out the banks (Byrne), wrong on political strategy (Campbell). With Gordon proved wrong on the recession by the numbers, with Britain shown to be worst placed of all the G7 nations, with our economy now smaller than Italy’s economy, the whole “Gordon was right on the recession” line is in tatters. Maybe they will try to resurrect it when the economy does finally bottom. Too late for Gordon, who by some accounts took the released figures very badly. At PMQs he stuck to the “I’m right, you are wrong, wrong, wrong” line even when the numbers showed differently.
With the new German government announcing a massive multi-billion growth package of tax cuts to boost the economy it will no longer be credible to paint the Tories as out of touch and isolated. The Tories have a surprise for Gordon, which Guido will spoil, footage of President Obama time and time again saying in recent months that you have to cut taxes to help people in a recession. With the industrialised world’s two biggest economies – Germany and the United States – now implementing growth orientated policies, Gordon’s big government tax, borrow and spend will look out of kilter and isolated. His last hope of a political recovery strategy is now past its sell by date…
http://www.labourlist.org/topics/Economy/
And I can't see where, in this article, I go out of my way to praise GB. Perhaps in the comments - am I not allowed to praise him every now and then?
I'm not interested in what Guido has to say about "lines". The party can attack the Tories as much or as little as they wish. If I posted something on LabourList about the weakness of Osborne's argument on the day I ATTENDED his speech at Reuters, that's my right, and it's Mark's right to write it. Right. I was there, I support a harder line on bankers' bonuses, I even welcomed Osborne's speech that morning - before I realised quite how little focus it had and how it was just populism.
Nobody is arguing against your right to knock the ill experienced Shadow Chancellor. I have every right to pick you up on naive tribalism that is going to cost Labour its future.
I guess I have touched a nerve that needs a bit of a tickle.
We're not going to agree on this.
I guess we have to disagree and move on. You made the comments in the comments.
RICH Tea - Peter Mandelson
NICE biscuits - Harriet Harmony
Cream CRACKERS - Anthony Wedgwood Benn, the Rt. Hon.
HobNobbing - George Osborne
CUSTARD Cream - Gordon Brown
Scottish SHORTbread - George Galloway
WHOLEMEAL Digestives - John Prescott
Lemon Puffs - Benny Bradshaw
Jammy DODGER - Tony Blair
Any more.......................
I like chocolate Hobnobs - especially dunked.
In a new comment on Mumsnet, Roberts clarifies:
Shouldnt that Miss/Mrs Roberts ? The lack of manners in politics and sport really gets on my tits .
ricki
All other matters; the horrendous state of the economy, 3 million soon to be unemployed, lieing about a referendum on the EU constitution, a horrendously complex benefits system that costs the earth to administer, the ID cards fiasco, Peter Mandelson, all adults having to prove they are not paedophiles, Tony Blair for president; become almost insignificant when compared with the chocolate biscuit affair.
Thanks a lot!
This is not about fairness either, it may not be pretty but GB's only getting hoisted by his own petard, the behind the back briefings (even of army officers), the spin, the deceit (10p tax, gurkhas etc). Not to mention going to Afghanistan in the middle of the Tory conference. He can't have it both ways, he only reserves respect if he shows it - and he hasn't.
No-one will remember this come the election, I take your point though. But don't think this is the "nasty Toreees" syndrome. GB would be all over this if he was in opposition - its just the game politicians play and it fits the "GB the ditherer" narrative.
Do you really seriously believe that? Your comments on the economy are laughable and the polls show that the country think the same way. This site is billed as a grassroots site where grassroots activists can have a Labour orientated chat. I dont think it is anywhere near this. It is a Tory bashing, biased PLP supporting spin vehicle. Sadly this perpetuates the warped New Labour disaster.
The faster we expunge this New Labour disaster and move to a proper Labour party the better.
Well, as Northern Rock appears to be today's banking news (and Biscuitgate was only significant because it was last week's particular incidence of GB's dithering, a few weeks earlier it would have been dithering over the Gurkhas) it is worth pointing out that GB's "pretty quick" to take action was actually a five month period (Sept 2007 - Feb 2008) of confusion and dithering whilst deciding what to do with Northern Rock.
It's true Browns ditthering came to most peoples attention at what will go down in history as Labour's greatest mistake - the election that never was. (second mistake - not getting rid of Brown last summer)
However as anyone with a cursory knowledge of Brown knows he has been a dittherer for decades.
What I find astonishing is that you think that this clarification vindicates Brown. It really doesn't. To make matters worse this "pathetic" matter that should really be consigned to todays fish wrapping is instead being brought up by you. Seriously WTF?
Unfair? Maybe but then someone who has made his career from opportunism even when it damages the very people he pretends to defend (eg the poor) frankly deserves it.
As for the economy for gods sake please just look at what has actually be ACCOMPLISHED. Brown ditthered then made loads of announcements. As usual he went the Brown/Labour way of making loads of announcements/pledges/targets/ policies but what is the end result? Don't you realise that results are all that matter? This is why Labour have it so wrong. They mistake a pledge for action. It really isn't. Results are all that matter.
I know that getting on with the job is pretty boring - no balloons, launches, press conferences etc needed. Just work. Grinding boring work. And Brown has failed in this regard. His economic recovery policies have been woeful. He makes Osborne look competent and he really really isnt.
Chill out, have a biscuit.
This story is endemic of Labour's acceptance of decay in government.
Now, "we" don't want to talk about some of those things, then there's also:
Northern Rock:
http://www.labourlist.org/rock-pool-re-floating-northern-wreck-chris-cook
Education policy:
http://www.labourlist.org/dcsf-strategy-iag-sir-alex-ferguson-ed-balls
MPs Expenses:
http://www.labourlist.org/christopher-kelly-report-expenses-mps-deal-with-it-jessica-asato
Climate Change:
http://www.labourlist.org/top-10-tory-bloggers-all-dismissive-of-man-made-climate-change
and Housing:
http://www.labourlist.org/the-homes-we-need-james-murray
And stop trying to pick holes.
1/ Dither
2/ Dither
3/ Dither
4/ PANIC!!!!!!
5/ Deny
6/ Smear
This is cleverly combining 5 and 6.