A new book by Dr Anthony Seldon, serialised in the Mail on Sunday, reveals more details of the terrible relationship that existed between Brown and Blair:
- "The book claims that Mr Blair protested: "I feel like an abused and bullied wife," after Mr Balls was "astonishingly rude" to him during talks between the camps last year over when he should leave No 10. According to Dr Seldon, out-spoken Mr Balls also turned his fury on Mr Brown when he refused to step up the pressure on Mr Blair to resign. The book claims that when Mr Brown returned to his office after failing to trigger a full scale revolt against Mr Blair in a radio interview, Mr Balls reportedly told him: "You bottled it.""
- "Dr Seldon's book says 40-year-old Mr Balls regarded Mr Blair as a "moron" and egged on Mr Brown to drive him from office."
- "In his book, Dr Seldon shows Mr Blair struggling to govern the country against a backdrop of constant tension and foul-mouthed flashpoints with Mr Brown. Dr Seldon says the main reason Mr Blair was frustrated at not securing a bigger Commons majority in the 2005 election was because it meant he could not sack Mr Brown."
- "Seldon says that when Mr Blair put Alan Milburn in charge of Labour's 2005 election team, Mr Brown shouted: "You've appointed that f****** Milburn! Is it about cooking the manifesto against me?" After another showdown, Mr Blair complained: "All he would say is, 'When are you going to F-off out of here?'""
- "The book also tells how Mr Blair rejected a demand by Mr Brown to ensure no one stood against him in the leadership contest. And when Mr Blair refused to stop Mr Milburn and Mr Byers speaking out, Mr Brown threatened: "If you don't do what I ask, then there'll be big trouble.""
More and more the public are becoming aware of the true nature of Gordon Brown, quite a contrast with Brown's self-promoted image of the sober son of a preacher who just wants to get on with the job.
Posted by: Tony Makara | October 21, 2007 at 09:56 AM
Agree with Tony Makara that many people will now be waking up to the true nature of Brown. But it's particularly damning that so many insiders knew the truth about Brown, but continued to spin the idea he was a decent 'man of the manse'. James Naughtie is a classic example. His book The Rivals goes into graphic detail about Brown's regular rages, his refusal to disclose information to Blair including details of the budget and his moumental sulks. Behaviour that would not (or at least should not) be tolerated in any modern workplace. Yet Naughtie describes all this with admiration rather than censure. I noticed Roy Hattersley on Andrew Marr's Sunday show dismissed the stories because they come from Blairite usual suspects and 'they would say that wouldn't they'. Actually these stories are an open secret to all those close to government. Maybe Brown could get away with this behaviour when the public were focussed on Tony Blair. But now they will want to know what kind of man is leading the country. A man with no vision of his own, no policies of his own, no judgement, no honour, no charisma - just a nasty habit of bullying people into submission. People will soon be asking what exactly this man offers that is of benefit to the country.
Posted by: Oscar Miller | October 21, 2007 at 11:15 AM
I happened to watch his political broadcast a few weeks ago, where he extolled his virtues of being hard working, or having a protestant work ethic or something along those lines. Then i remembered this is the man who wrote things like
“Social and medical benefits are your right, not charity hand-outs, so never be reticent about claiming them.”
“Con your way to asking for a glass of water or sit beside drinkers and they will feed you for nothing.”
Another "infallible" trick is to attend a party with "a carrier bag of empty cans with two half-bricks at the bottom".
This man really has no shame, and seems to believe leeching off others is totally acceptable.
Posted by: Conservative Homer | October 21, 2007 at 01:21 PM
For all his frenzied activity during his coronation Gordon Brown now seems to have shot his load so to speak and has become a spent force. It won't be long before forces within his own party see this and try to force him out. Will Gordon Brown be forever known as the great stop-gap?
Posted by: Tony Makara | October 21, 2007 at 04:03 PM
It's no wonder he didn't want to face a General Election, isn't it?
Posted by: Graham Smith | October 22, 2007 at 02:27 AM
The psychological flaws which people said would prevent Brown from becoming a successful premier have started to come to the surface. Why didn't Blair sack this guy?. Also, why didn't Blair let him run in the Labour leadership contest in 1994? Brown would probably have finished behind Prescott and Blair then would have had no obligation to hand Brown the premiership.
These revelations also confirm that Balls is a brute. He's one of the guys who recently wanted to destroy the Tories for good (rather than give people a good reason for voting Labour difficult though that is) and urged Brown to go to the polls early.
I think we'll be hearing more about these revelations when Cherie Blair's book comes out.
Look at the breach of trust over Basra and the breach of principle over inheritance tax. The public have seen the real Gordon Brown not the holier than thou 'son of the manse'.
Posted by: Richard Woolley | October 22, 2007 at 10:06 AM
I think Brown lacks any sort of courage. He fears defeat, hence his inabilty to decide to run for Parliament in the 1970s, then backing down to allow Blair a free run, his reluctance to challenge Blair and then the Chicken Weekend. I think he will cop out with an excuse of ill health, or family pressure (my son needs constant care type argument) and step down before 2009 and allow a new leader to stand in the election. If he had any guts he would have slapped Balls all around the room for speaking to him in that way.
Posted by: Coke Man Dave | October 22, 2007 at 10:38 AM