I don’t agree with everything Gordon Brown does; policy wise I am on the left and I dont, for example, share entirely his belief that economic cut backs should happen now and think to say they are is the fundamentally wrong. I think mistakes have been made in his tenure as Prime Minister and that in many ways he has tried too hard to be something he isnt.
Having said all that I think the recent Conservative attacks on Brown fall straight into the category of ‘playing the man not the ball’. Conservative Home reports;
Mr Cameron will say in a speech later this morning. “The character of his Government - secretive, power-hoarding, controlling - is his character.” Ouch.
Surely this is a joke coming from a Cameron who presumably supports the extension of CCHQ’s control over Conservative candidates blogs and Twitter pages? A joke coming from a Cameron whose control over his own party is despised by its own MP’s? It surely is not a coincidence that this spate of personal attacks on Brown has intensified in direct proportion to the decline in the Conservatives opinion poll ratings.
However, this line will backfire simply because the electorate has a very limited threshold when it comes to what it sees as personal attacks in politics. At PMQ’s it is an accepted part of the knock about and in other contexts it is tolerated to some degree however, the best personal attacks are those that are left unspoken. In 1997 there was very little direct Labour attack on John Major’s character (in contrast to the Conservatives ‘Demon Eyes’ effort) because the public had already made up its mind. Instead Blair focused on promotion of a positive policy program and ‘feel good’ mood; something Cameron seems incapable of doing.
The ‘Demon Eyes’ campaign was decried and almost mocked as the sign of weakness that it actually was and Cameron’s efforts will be seen in the same light. In fact, he will rally Labour support around Brown and generate more sympathy than otherwise have existed. This is the surest sign of any that the Conservative campaign is faltering and it is indeed ‘GameOn’.
Sarah Palin Aims to Bust Up the Republican Party — And the Tea Party Movement
Sarah Palin appears to be running for president of the United States of America. You betcha.
In an interview with Chris Wallace, recorded on the eve of her Saturday night special of a speech to the Tea Party Nation convention in Nashville (and aired yesterday on Fox News Sunday), Palin didn’t quite confirm that speculation, but left the door wide open.
“Why wouldn’t you run for president?” Wallace asked.
“I would,” Palin replied. “I would if I believe that that is the right thing to do for our country and for the Palin family. Certainly, I would do so.”
Palin’s address to the Tea Partiers was standard for her: boilerplate in its arrangement of non sequiturs and cognitive disconnects. She railed against the Obama administration for ostensibly violating the 10th Amendment to the Constitution — the one that guarantees states’ rights — and then offered a health-care “fix” that violates that very amendment (allowing consumers to purchase policies across state lines, which basically intrudes upon the state’s right to regulate the insurance industry within the state). She charged the administration with trampling on the Constitution, while asserting that “foreign terrorists” arrested here aren’t entitled to constitutional rights. (Uh, actually, the Constitution confers those rights on anyone in the U.S. justice system — citizen or not.)
She stoked up the right’s anti-intellectual animus by taking shots at President Obama’s alleged elitism, and went after him for purportedly being soft on terrorism and dictators. All predictable, and a good move if you’re planning to be the opposition candidate to the president’s 2012 bid for re-election.
But during the question-and-answer session that followed with Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips, Palin departed from the chant of her familiar refrain to tacitly reveal her hand — and not just the talking points scribbled on it — for the strategy she may use to clear her path to the presidency. That path-clearing seems to involve the sowing of discord, not just within the Republican Party, but within the Tea Party movment as well, along with a sprinkle of discord dust on the Democratic Party for good measure.
Palin took pre-selected questions from conference attendees that were submitted through the Tea Party Nation Web site, and read by Phillips.
In answer to one question, Palin noted with enthusiasm that many Tea Party activists are not registered Republicans — just like the former first dude of Alaska.
“My husband — he’s not a registered Republican. He’s probably more conservative than I am, ” she told the convention.
Indeed, Todd Palin, for seven years was a member of the secessionist Alaska Independence Party, which is the Alaska chapter of the theocratic Constitution Party founded by Howard Phillips (no relation to Judson Phillips), one of the architects of the religious right.
The Defense Industry Is Pleased with Obama
By · Comments
Laura Flanders, The Nation, Feb 3, 2010
Who says the president is failing to show leadership? In one area at least, there’s no sign of flag or falter. If anything, the administration’s only becoming more forthright. Sad to say, that area is military build-up.
Last year, the White House made a big deal of cutting a weapons program — the F-22 fighter jet — and the cuts conveniently obscured the growth in spending on unmanned aircraft or drones (the weapons that Pakistanis say killed a record 123 civilians in twelve attacks last month; 41 for every alleged Al Qaeda operative.)
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
The Sunday Times/UK, February 7, 2010
Victims trapped in the rubble after a suicide bombing at the opening of a school for girls in the northwestern Pakistani town of Dir last week
Image :1 of 2
Barack Obama has banned the Bush-era term “war on terror” and dithered about sending extra troops to Afghanistan, but across the border in Pakistan, the US president has dramatically stepped up the covert war against Islamic extremists.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Tags: American soldiers, bombing, CIA retaliation, covert war in Pakistan, multiple drone attack, Obama, Pakistan, US drone airstrikes in Pakistan, US troops were in Pakistan
Haiti, Aristide, and Ideology
By · CommentsBy William Blum, Foreign Policy Journal, Feb 7, 2010
It’s a good thing the Haitian government did virtually nothing to help its people following the earthquake; otherwise it would have been condemned as “socialist” by Fox News, Sarah Palin, the teabaggers, and other right-thinking Americans.
The last/only Haitian leader strongly committed to putting the welfare of the Haitian people before that of the domestic and international financial mafia was President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Being of a socialist persuasion, Aristide was, naturally, kept from power by the United States — twice; first by Bill Clinton, then by George W. Bush, the two men appointed by President Obama to head the earthquake relief effort. Naturally.
Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Tags: Aristide kidnaped by US and exiled, Bill Clinton and Aristide, George W. Bush and Aristide, Haiti, United States, William Blum
This entry was posted on February 7, 2010 at 3:51 pm and is filed under Commentary,
Monday 8th February 2010
By · Comments
9.30am Dan Hamilton on CentreRight: The folly of EU protectionism
- Cameron attacks "secretive, power-hoarding and controlling" Brown
- The homophobic, sexist and racist Tory grassroots?
Leon Hadjinikolaou on Platform: Why I, as an immigrant, hate the way Labour has used multiculturalism to undermine the British national culture
- Conservatives will end Councils' veto on new school buildings
- Mark Wallace highlights the massive payoff that Kent's Chief Executive will be receiving
Seats and candidates: Former
policeman George Lee describes a busy week on the campaign trail as
candidate for Holborn and St Pancras – including a visit from David
Cameron and George Osborne
International: Sarah Palin becomes queen of America's anti-government protestors
About ConservativeHome: Another milestone in ConservativeHome's displacement of 'Torygraph' as party's in-house journal
Tories plan to start deep spending cuts in 2011
"David Cameron and George Osborne are drawing up plans to impose real-terms spending cuts that would see Britain's public services slashed by billions of pounds during the next parliament. Senior Tory sources have told the Guardian that the party leadership is determined to press ahead with cuts that go dramatically further than Labour's plans for an overall spending freeze –already likened to a return to the 1970s – from next year." – Guardian
Ireland's suffering offers a glimpse of Britain's future under the Tories – Larry Elliott in The Guardian
Budget ‘pencilled in’ for late March suggests May 6 election – Times
Strong link between opinion polls and bond markets
Cameron sides with Osborne in tactical dispute with Steve Hilton
"Steve Hilton, Mr Cameron's director of strategy, is believed to favour a broad-brush campaign built around the Tories' "year of change" slogan. But the shadow Chancellor George Osborne, who is in charge of the election effort, believes the Hilton "vision approach" is too vague and that the party needs to spell out a small number of concrete pledges so voters know how the "change" would be delivered. Insiders say Mr Cameron has now sided with Mr Osborne against Mr Hilton in an intense internal debate." – Independent
Cameron instructs advisors "to get a grip" after jittery January – Belfast Telegraph
Cameron has abandoned plans to seek a pre-election White House meeting with Barack Obama – FT
Tories say Labour plans to offer one-to-one home care for cancer patients are unaffordable – Express
The Tories yesterday accused Alistair Darling’s special advisers of using neutral civil servants to mount party political attacks – City AM | Yesterday's LeftWatch
Every defendant convicted in a criminal court would have to pay a levy of £200 under plans being put forward by the Conservatives – Times
Could Brighton Pavilion elect Britain's first Green MP? – Jon Harris in The Guardian
> Yesterday's Seats and candidates: The seats which would change hands on Ladbrokes' current projection of a Tory majority of 33
Gordon Brown will be in power for ever if Cleggie gets PR
If Gordon Brown wants electoral reform, he should make constituencies the same size – Philip Johnston in The Telegraph
> Yesterday's LeftWatch: Gordon Brown's electoral reforms would increase Labour's advantage
Bruce Anderson: Labour has no plan for a fourth term
"Lord Mandelson has another difficulty. The other day, a Cabinet minister had lunch with a journalist. "What happens if you win?" enquired the hack. The minister looked astonished. It was clear that this possibility had not occurred to him. Having regained the power of speech, he replied: "There'd be an immediate leadership challenge"." – Bruce Anderson in The Independent
Ukraine braced for conflict as exit polls signal end of Orange Revolution – Times
Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.
It always amuses me immensely to see Conservatives and various right-wingers bemoan the Labour link with the trade unions. They love to peddle the paranoid line that ‘he who pays the piper….’ suggesting a Labour government is in the pockets of the unions. If only some might say; however, such a view is not bourne out by history which has produced numerous bitter clashes between the two sides.
Secondly, this is always to distract to attention from scrutiny of the donations that the Conservative Party receive from the likes of Lord Ashcroft. Liberal Democrats often equate the two but the fact is that they are not the same thing; for one thing, as organisations unions have a degree of accountability for their actions. This is shown by the fact that members can, if they want, disaffiliate their union from the Labour Party. Who holds Lord Ashcroft accountable? He is accountable to nobody but himself.
The structural links between Labour and the unions are at least transparent so people can judge the amount of influence they have for themselves. Who knows what degree of influence Ashcroft receives in return for his money? Nobody because there is no transparency; we do not know what is said behind closed doors and what promises Cameron makes in return for Ashcroft’s largess.
Furthermore, at least we know what the unions are, what their policies are and where the money comes from; the Conservatives continue to do their best to evade inquiry into his precise tax status. All of this points to a larger question; why is it wrong in a representative democracy that *organisations* that maybe diminished but still collectively combine sizeable numbers of people be denied the right to use their resources to pay towards their own representation or support a party they feel advances this?
The answer is, of course, it isn’t; the union link does not disenfranchise anybody in the way the Ashcroft influence does so the Conservative scaremongering simply doesn’t wash.
SNL Takes On Rahm Emanuel’s Apology For ‘Retarded’ Comment (VIDEO)
HuffPo- First Posted: 02- 7-10 09:47 AM | Updated: 02- 7-10 11:21 AM
Played by Andy Samberg, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel offered up an “Even-Tempered Apology” last night on SNL for his use of the word “retarded.” While Samberg’s impression occasionally veered toward his take on Mark Wahlberg, he captured the fiery Emanuel perfectly. Addressing Palin’s call for him to be fired, he screamed:
“You come after me on facebook? What, are your fourteen? Here’s a status update: Grow the f–k up! Poke me again, and I will write s–t on your wall so obsene your computer will cry. Go back to the tundra, you f–king gimmick!”
WATCH:
Closer inspection of a photo of Sarah Palin, during a speech in which she mocked President Obama for his use of a teleprompter, reveals several notes written on her left hand. The words “Energy”, “Tax” and “Lift American Spirits” are clearly visible. There’s also what appears to read as “Budget cuts” with the word Budget crossed out.
>>>MORE PHOTOS & VIDEO HERE<<<
Sunday 7th February 2010
By · CommentsToryDiary: Liam Fox says military force must remain an option in 2010's confrontation with Iran
Gareth Johnson on Platform: Labour's scandalous early release of prisoners demonstrates the need for honesty in sentencing
LeftWatch: Gordon Brown's electoral reforms would INCREASE Labour's advantage
Local government: How Boris could treble River transport
ThinkTankCentral: CSJ proposes that houses with new granny flats should be exempt from Capital Gains Tax
Tories 9% ahead in new ICM poll - The Sunday Telegraph | Yesterday evening's ToryDiary listed five reasons why the Conservatives will get a better majority than projection models suggest
Things may not be going well for Cameron but he is the Houdini of politics, writes John Rentoul in the Independent on Sunday
The Queen's advisers draw up guide to her role in event of hung parliament – The Sunday Times
Cameron will tomorrow spell out his vision for reforming Britain’s “broken political system" – Sunday Express
WATCH: Cameron urges emergency legislation this week to reduce power of whips
New schools may not face normal planning restrictions under Tory proposals – BBC
John Redwood: Tories must cut early and deep
Read his full article.
John Redwood sets out a mission for any government: "Our government
should control our borders, keep us safe, cut the spending and the
debt, and allow savers and job creators to keep good rewards for their
efforts." – Mr Redwood writing in The Sunday Express
Will Hutton says the Tories are inching towards a new economic philosophy – Observer
"The Tories were disoriented by the financial crisis. They resisted measures – bank nationalisation, fiscal stimulus, quantitative easing – that are now generally accepted as having been vital. Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne still haven't got their story straight about the role of government in using public money to cushion the economy when the private sector collapses. They oppose it on principle, it seems, except when it works. And even then they are late converts." – Observer leader
Criminologist Roger Greaf backs Tories on crime statistics
"Mr Graef said: 'We did our own survey of 1,800 schoolchildren aged
14 and 15. One in three had been kicked or hurt. One in four admitted
to kicking or hurting somebody else in a month and that's not recorded
anywhere." – Mail on Sunday
> Friday's ToryDiary: Conservatives will continue to judge crime statistics on police records rather than an opinion survey
Cameron must be Cameron
Tensions inside Team Cameron should not be exaggerated – Matthew d'Ancona in The Sunday Telegraph
Tell us your policies, Mr Cameron – Jimmy Young in The Sunday Express
Six members of shadow cabinet are climate change sceptics, claims ConservativeHome – Observer
Tory candidate Adeela Shafi has her home repossessed over £324,000 debt – Mail on Sunday
Gordon Brown weeps on TV as he talks about death of Jennifer – Mail on Sunday
Brown confessed for the first time yesterday that Tony Blair DID backtrack on a deal for him to take over as PM – News of the World
Brown attacks "scandal" of Ashcroft donations to the Conservatives
"A Conservative spokesman said: "This is a pathetic attempt to distract attention from the fact that three Labour MPs are facing criminal charges for their fraudulent expenses. Donations from Lord Ashcroft's family and companies associated with him average less than 5% of donations received by the Conservative party since the last election."" – The Observer
Harriet Harman described Tory plans for a married couples allowance as the "John Terry tax" - Independent on Sunday
Clegg talks of reluctance to join forces with Labour in event of hung parliament
""I've looked very carefully at my predecessors," he told The Daily Telegraph. "Look at how Ming got led up the garden path. Look at the way Paddy was left at the altar. I've spoken to people. Paddy is vociferous about it. He says, 'Just don't go anywhere near them again. It might have made sense then, but don't [do it].'" He added: "It was a conspiracy of Blair's mendacity and Brown's obduracy."" – Quoted in the Independent on Sunday
'Motorway Man' holds key to general election victory
"Key voters in marginal seats live near motorway networks and are young, childless and in negative equity, say pollsters." – Observer
Please use this thread to highlight other interesting news and commentary and visit PoliticsHome.com for breaking political news and views throughout the day.
