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NO AMOUNT OF SPIN CAN EVER MAKE LABOUR THE PARTY OF MIDDLE BRITAIN


Jack Straw: Rounded on liberal prison reformers

Tuesday October 28,2008

By Macer Hall

BENEATH his ?getting on with the job? veneer, Gordon Brown has now embarked on his most calculated spin operation yet.

Allies insist the Prime Minister?s response to the world financial crisis has transformed him from a busted flush to a political contender once again. But while the ?serious man for serious times? is portrayed as focusing on the economy virtually round the clock, Labour?s high command is ruthlessly implementing a ?save Gordon? strategy.

Take a look at the recent pronouncements of senior ministers: there is a co-ordinated drive to sound tough on the issues that the Government has repeatedly flunked during 11 years in office.

Jack Straw yesterday rounded on liberal prison reformers. 

The Justice Secretary claimed soppy do-gooders who put the rights of inmates before those of victims drove him ?nuts?. He conveniently forgot his Government?s promotion of early release for thugs, non-custodial punishments and the risible Human Rights Act. 

Suddenly Labour is claiming to be ?tough on crime? all over again, just days after the truth of the violent crime explosion was laid bare.

Mr Straw?s remarks on crime fit into a pattern of behaviour among ministers. Last week newly-promoted Immigration Minister Phil Woolas promised tougher border controls and hinted at capping population at 70 million. He went too far for Home Secretary Jacqui Smith?s liking and was humiliatingly withdrawn from BBC1?s Question Time.

The strategic intention, however, behind the immigration policy fiasco was obvious. Ministers wanted to signal that Labour ? having presided over a record migrant influx ? has turned tough on border controls at last.

A further example illustrates exactly which section of the electorate Labour?s strategy is targeting. 

Earlier this year the Government made a spectacular U-turn by ditching heavy-handed enforcement of metric weights and measures. Skills Secretary John Denham announced that prosecutions of shopkeepers and stallholders selling their wares in pounds and ounces were regarded as ?not in the public interest?. So after years of persecuting so-called ?metric martyrs?, the Government wants to convince us it has surrendered to common sense.

With a small gesture of retreat, ministers hoped to portray themselves as siding with the middle class for once.

Crime, immigration and  petty bureaucracy are issues that have most rankled with Middle Britain under Labour. 

It is no coincidence ministers are engaged in a series of stunts to neutralise their toxicity. Middle-income swing voters in marginal constituencies are crucial if Labour is to avoid meltdown at the next election. So a strategy designed to address those simmering frustrations has been formulated at Number 10 ? and the economic crisis has given Labour an opportunity to deploy its forces in pursuing that goal. 

Brown can play the statesman bestriding the international stage while his Cabinet henchmen make soothing noises about tackling the more prosaic everyday irritations endured by middle-class voters.

Brown himself signalled that a major spin offensive to cosy up to Middle Britain was ready to roll in his Labour conference speech. ?On the side of hard-working families is the only place I?ve ever wanted to be; and from now on it?s the only place I ever will be,? he vowed.

At the time, that claim to be ?on your side? was viewed by critics as the Prime Minister?s most audacious subterfuge yet.

But Brown knows no other way of operating politically. Indeed, his strategy is a return to the classic New Labour approach he helped devise. It is about using the language of the centre ground to implement the policies of the Left.

With Peter Mandelson back at the Cabinet table and Alastair Campbell lurking in the background, it is clear that a concerted drive to spin Labour into contention at the next election is well underway.

Yet their strategy is fraught with dangers. While Brown assumed office claiming to have dispensed with the media manipulation of the Tony Blair era, he has been caught out time and again. The latest confusion over immigration only exposed a typical gap between Labour?s rhetoric and reality. And other attempts at addressing the niggling irritations experienced by many families have been equally unsuccessful.

Earlier this year Downing Street declared an end to punitive taxes on excessive household rubbish, only for the hated scheme to be hastily resurrected to fit in with environmental directives imposed by Brussels.

But Brown?s claim to be ?on the side of hard-working families? is most likely to be exposed as a sham by the continuing growth of taxation. Over the past decade, those same families have been hammered by ever-growing stealth taxes on fuel, pensions, property and inheritance.

Now the Prime Minister intends to hike state spending to ever more stratospheric levels in the hope of reversing the slide into recession. In the immediate term, he plans massively increased Treasury borrowing to pay for grandiose public works schemes totalling up to £100billion. But that debt will have to be repaid, with interest. And that can only mean a fresh onslaught of tax robbery far outstripping anything even Brown has got away with in the past.

He may dream of siding with hard-working families but that is hardly possible while he is rapaciously raiding their incomes, savings and pensions once again.

On the side of Middle Britain? With Brown and his gang as friends, who needs enemies?

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THE ONLY SECTION OF THE POPULAS

28.10.08, 1:14pm

this load of nu-liar parasites are the party of is the freeloading, sponging, never done a days work in their lives, got no intension of working sc*m.
Everybody else, this thieving government hates and treats as a cashpoint machine, even to the point of stealing and thieving their savings and pensions.

(I do NOT mean those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own).

• Posted by: KarlHReport Comment

NO AMOUNT OF SPIN CAN EVER MAKE LABOUR THE PARTY OF MIDDLE BRITAIN

28.10.08, 11:58am

With Bu££$hit Brown in charge of THE MOST DEVIOUS & INCOMPETENT GOVERNMENT IN BRITISH HISTORY, could ANYONE in their right mind ever envisage them winning another Election ?

Methinks NOT.

• Posted by: EmperorMingReport Comment

NO AMOUNT OF SPIN CAN EVER MAKE LABOUR THE PARTY OF MIDDLE BRITAIN

28.10.08, 9:47am

Everything we have read in the recent weeks about Gordon Brown and his "transparancy", "prudence", "best man for the job", blah blah is SPIN!!!! The Sun, The Mirror, The Guardian and, VERY irritatingly, the BBC are all backing the Government and PM.
One would really like to think that the GBP will see through all of this, open their eyes and remember exactly what has happened to this country during Labour's occupancy of number 10.
Sadly, the opposite is true, as recent opinion polls show, and people these days seem to believe exactly what the "media" feed then
VERY VERY SAD.


• Posted by: Cyneek1Report Comment

CAN WE AFFORD LABOUR RIGHT THINKING AND SPENDING??

28.10.08, 8:32am

Mr Brown for 14 yrs has paid our contribution to the EU despite the fact that the EU?s own auditors would not sign off the books for 14 years because 95% of our contribution of £35million a day = £12billions a year = £168 billions paid over 14 years is unaccounted for. Yet nothing is said by the press or parliament or Prudence Brown. Don?t forget his destruction of the pensions of millions & the £100Billion industry. In other words he raided the pensions of millions.
He prevaricated & delayed for six months over Northern Rock. By giving control to three agencies no one had control and first run on a British bank for 140 yrs. He gave NR £100billions in October 2007. Then £50 billions with an open door to £200 to banks in May 2008. He borrowed £2.5 Billions because of the 10 p tax mess plus another £1Billions PA to pay for it. Recently another £500 billions were given to banks. £800 billion in British taxpayers wealth given with no guarantees. YOU WANT THIS MAN TO SAVE YOU??

• Posted by: InsiteReport Comment

AIRCANUKGAL

28.10.08, 7:07am

I always find the expat view very interesting as the old saying "You cant see the wood for the trees" seems to be the order of the day here in Britain.
But if you live overseas and visit only occasionally the changes will be very apparent on each visit.
And of course it is right that you comment.
Your input is valuable unless we are content to take a very tunnel visioned route.

• Posted by: marigoldReport Comment

CHAIRMAN MAO-BROON'S EGO IS 'SPINNING'

28.10.08, 1:01am

The ONLY person in the entire planet to be happy about the global financial crisis is Chairman Broon as HE THINKS it has made him a success in the eyes of Middle Britain and the rest of the world. He is quite wrong, BUT there are always these lame Lefty Loony Labourites that will in their own way think that he;s a fantastic BRAIN and knows best so will vote Labour in again. I can just see it happening with the "usual suspects' being back in the saddle like Alistair Campbell and Mandelson to work the crowds and manipulate the media as they have done so beautifully in the past for the BLIAR brigade. I do think that the Tories are slipping and perhaps shows that they have to try and work harder with the platform of change otherwise the public fall into old ways and cant be bothered to think of a different outcome other than labour in power yet again.Its too bad that the general public cant view the tranformation of the UK from afar like I can and thousands of other ex-pats who have cried buckets watching the steady relentless decline of the mother land and shake our collective heads at the thought that ANYONE could vote Labour EVER AGAIN.When I see and read all the damage that has occured in the once fair,green,courteous,civil and HAPPY place I cant believe it will return to these standards that we all took for granted . To all the bloggers here who may think that we ex-pats have no right to criticise,advise or express an opinion I ask you to accept our views as well meant and said in good faith because its only when you've left and gone to live elsewhere that you can see the entire profile of whats actually happening and it is much more clearly defined from a distance. We have experienced the loss of pride,the loss of freedom,the loss of life and the loss of identity that is so very troubling.The one constant in the UK are the Armed Forces who have managed,how I dont know, under the worst Govt., in ,modern history to retain their superlative guts that is almost unequalled and have made me feel very proud of their conduct.
So I hope and pray that the voters dont descend into apathy and be 'conned' again otherwise it will be really all over this time.No second chances if you dont make the right choice,I am not particularly pro Tory but what other realistic choice is there??

• Posted by: aircanukgalReport Comment

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