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Gordon Brown: What a Star! Cheers Up Speaker Martin
It seems Peter Mandelson dared Gordon to make a little slip of the tongue. To cheer up a fellow Scot under a little pressure. He may have had his doubts. But good job fella!
The little smile flickering across poor Michael Martin's face was surely payback enough? And those Tories waving papers and gurning!! Priceless. Another couple of percentage points off their lead next week will also repay this little kindness. Clip: Play Political.
9 comments:
Genuine question Chris (rather than partisan barb phrased as one) - are you saying you think the gaffe was deliberate and prompted by Mandy?
Had Brown delivered it and then been able to laugh it off with a cheeky self-depracating barb (a la Blair) then that would've been the story and it would've been a stroke of genius.
As it actually unfolded (humourless scowl followed by hours of derisory TV coverage) I can't imagine it's something the dark Prince would've wanted...?
Er, Liam, I am jesting. But this is a slip of the tongue and no great shakes. Hardly features in the red top tabloids today. Probably big on the Tory blogosphere ... but who cares?
Thanks Chris.
Agree it shouldn't be a big issue but doubt that would've been the reaction had Mrs T made a similar slip.
There's an Oscar Wilde quote about trusting people relative to their capacity for humour - on the grand scale of things it hardly matters but I'd sooner have someone at the helm who was able to laugh at themselves and show a little humilty....
Watched the whole of PMQs on BBC Parliament last night. And I saw Brown smiling, grinning even, so it's not like he didn't see the funny side.
There's no point in expecting him to be Blair though, now is there?
PS Saw this being compared to Maggie's "We are a grandmother" and to Blair's "this is no day for sound bites" but really it's not going to stand the test. That Matthew Parris who hates Brown was making mountains out of it however. Saying that Brown actually thought he'd saved the World but didn't mean to say it out loud.
What crap. Talk about wearing you hate upon your sleeve Mr Parris.
Not sure I'd agree that this won't stick Chris.
These gaffes tend to stay in the public memory when they speak to pre-existing prejudices about those who make them (however unjustified those prejudices are)
The Maggie one echoed her obvious regal pretensions and the Blair one his total absorption in the language & techniques of spin - that's why the remarks haunted them. I'm sure in the immediate aftermath of those faux pas supporters were anxious to dismiss the error but their hopes proved as futile as I suspect yours will....
Brown's gaffe
Brown's gaffe ... ???
Is not so lasting IMO. He has already been getting lampooned as a Super Hero by tabs and broads alike. After he saved the banks, the world of banks, and so on.
He did see the funny side. That's clear. He'll shrug it off.
Punters will prefer a man who is perceived as a fixer of problems than whiney Dave and whiney GOO and chaotic Boris and whiney Gove (actually a littely less nause making on Daily Politics yesterday), whiney old schooly Grayling, whiney accident waiting to happen Lansley, whiney where's Fox? etc
They are all horribly whiney. They have no plan. And I think GOO got skewered by Paxman again the other day. Q "How much will you spend" A "Less than them" etc etc
Achtung Englander!Herr Braun's bid for world domination has been scuppered by unser Herrenvolk,in the shape of our great Chancellor describing Braun's economic recovery plan as crass,or mist as we say around here.
Better luck next time Tommy!
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