NationStates Jolt Archive

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20070904/tuk-brown-praises-thatcher-swipes-at-cam-45dbed5_2.html

Brown Praises Thatcher, Swipes At Cameron
SkyNews
By Sky News SkyNews - 1 hour 25 minutes ago

Gordon Brown outed himself as a Thatcherite in a move calculated to pile more pressure onto the current Tory leadership.
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Asked at the regular Downing Street news conference what he admired about Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister pointed to the fact that she recognised the need for change, and spoke approvingly of her as a "conviction politician."

But Labour MPs need not have been too alarmed at the Prime Minister's praise for the iron lady - the warm words only paved the way for a swipe at David Cameron.

By comparison with Margaret Thatcher, Gordon Brown said, Cameron was a "prisoner" of factions within his own party.

Referring to the criticisms of former Tory deputy leader Michael Ancram reported today, the Prime Minister suggested Mrs Thatcher would have been able to assert her authority on Tory rebels in a way David Cameron is not.

In what was generally a low-key, if wide-ranging news conference, the Prime Minister also set out priorities for his government including further measures on gun crime following the killing of Rhys Jones.

He continued to keep the assembled journalists guessing about the timing of a general election, refusing to rule out an autumn poll.

But asked by Sky News' Political Editor Adam Boulton whether he would be willing to engage in televised debates with other party leaders in the runup to an election, the Prime Minister seemed very unkeen, although he stopped short of dismissing the idea altogether.

Well not really but it would have been a great prank!

Great insult but I wonder if this will tarnish Gordo...after all he is still a Labour PM and the Thatch one of the UK's most reviled PM's.

Politics...crazy shit man...

Seeing as his Thatcher reference was prompted by a reporter’s question, as opposed to Brown blurting out his love for Maggie, I doubt it’ll do much harm.

After all, we all know Labour and the Tories are joined at the hip.

Seeing as his Thatcher reference was prompted by a reporter’s question, as opposed to Brown blurting out his love for Maggie, I doubt it’ll do much harm.

After all, we all know Labour and the Tories are joined at the hip.

For some reason I had a vivid picture of Michael Portillo come to mind...

/help!

I don't see the socialism...

I don't see the socialism...

True...New Labour and all that...still its root are from the labour movement.

Pretty ironic when you think about it

Thatcher is like Marmite. They're both made up of the dregs of something, you either love them or hate them, too much of either will stop you being able to feel anything, and they're both really salty.

Thatcher is like Marmite. They're both made up of the dregs of something, you either love them or hate them, too much of either will stop you being able to feel anything, and they're both really salty.

Except Americans hate Marmite and love Thatcher.

Thatcher is like Marmite. They're both made up of the dregs of something, you either love them or hate them, too much of either will stop you being able to feel anything, and they're both really salty.

Well said! LOL

Except Americans hate Marmite and love Thatcher.I didn't mean you either loved both or hated both... I just meant that both are divisive substances.

For some reason I had a vivid picture of Michael Portillo come to mind...
You’ve been watching too much This Week. :p

You’ve been watching too much This Week. :p

LOL!!! I admit I used to until I could no longer bear Brillopad...

LOL!!! I admit I used to until I could no longer bear Brillopad...
I suffered the same fate for quite some while.

Now, thankfully, I have no TV, and it’s glorious. No more adverts. No more BBC reporters talking to me like I’m a two year-old. No more Big Brother. No more soaps. No more flicking channels for hours on end, watching nothing.

*sighs happily*

Oh please, Labour has been more Tory-like than the Tories for a decade, who on Earth is surprised now?

I suffered the same fate for quite some while.

Now, thankfully, I have no TV, and it’s glorious. No more adverts. No more BBC reporters talking to me like I’m a two year-old. No more Big Brother. No more soaps. No more flicking channels for hours on end, watching nothing.

*sighs happily*

I'm half way there...I have the TV on for background noise...its not a good habit I will grant you..

It was more of a political swipe really than anything else, I think, although New Labour have been licking her balls ever since they took office.

Seeing as his Thatcher reference was prompted by a reporter’s question, as opposed to Brown blurting out his love for Maggie, I doubt it’ll do much harm.
Maybe...but how many people will just read the headline?

After all, we all know Labour and the Tories are joined at the hip.
Indeed.

There is, in fact, a conspiracy in British politics in which Labour and Tory occupy as much of the central-to-right ground as possible, in order to gather most votes at election time so that any other party is kept out of power.

To those in the know the conspiracy is known as "Operation British Public Stupidity".

To those in the know the conspiracy is known as "Operation British Public Stupidity".

That would be the correct motorcycle ;)

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20070904/tuk-brown-praises-thatcher-swipes-at-cam-45dbed5_2.html



Well not really but it would have been a great prank!

Great insult but I wonder if this will tarnish Gordo...after all he is still a Labour PM and the Thatch one of the UK's most reviled PM's.

Politics...crazy shit man...
Really? I always understood she was very well received, didn't she serve for over ten years?

Really? I always understood she was very well received, didn't she serve for over ten years?The two descriptions are only mutually exclusive if coming from the same individual.

The two descriptions are only mutually exclusive if coming from the same individual.

Actually, I am disgusted by both Marmite and Margaret Thatcher.
But that doesn't answer my question: if no self-respecting Briton supported Thatcher, how did she stay in power for ten years? Coup?

Actually, I am disgusted by both Marmite and Margaret Thatcher.
But that doesn't answer my question: if no self-respecting Briton supported Thatcher, how did she stay in power for ten years? Coup?Gah! *bangs head* Not everyone hated her, but the vast majority did. And no, you do not need a plurality of votes to win a landslide election in British politics. Around 33% is normally enough.

Gah! *bangs head* Not everyone hated her, but the vast majority did. And no, you do not need a plurality of votes to win a landslide election in British politics. Around 33% is normally enough.
She was 16th in "100 Greatest Britons", the second PM (Churchill was first). I'm not trying to defend Thatcher or her politics, but are you sure she was so despised, at least when she was serving?

She was 16th in "100 Greatest Britons", the second PM (Churchill was first). I'm not trying to defend Thatcher or her politics, but are you sure she was so despised, at least when she was serving?

I think the hatred of Thatcher was not just a matter of numbers but ferocity. Those who disliked Major thought of him as just a bit stupid or just a bit of a bad PM, those who disliked Thatcher thought of her as the anti-christ (myself included).

She was 16th in "100 Greatest Britons", the second PM (Churchill was first). I'm not trying to defend Thatcher or her politics, but are you sure she was so despised, at least when she was serving?

Gah! *bangs head* Not everyone hated her, but the vast majority did. And no, you do not need a plurality of votes to win a landslide election in British politics. Around 33% is normally enough.

Wrong. The majority of the North hated her, and quite understandably so; though she was wholly justified in cutting industry adrift, she might have done so by increments. A good deal of the south has an enduring affection for her.

True...New Labour and all that...still its root are from the labour movement.

Pretty ironic when you think about it

I don't get it...must be some British political joke or something...

I don't get it...must be some British political joke or something...

Consider yourself fortunate. Few things depress me as much as what New Labour has done to Britain and British politics; we have them to thank for David Cameron.:(

Really? I always understood she was very well received, didn't she serve for over ten years?

Most reviled. If ran a poll of most reviled British PM she would top it. The ex Rev Smiler would most likely be right behind.

I think the hatred of Thatcher was not just a matter of numbers but ferocity. Those who disliked Major thought of him as just a bit stupid or just a bit of a bad PM, those who disliked Thatcher thought of her as the anti-christ (myself included).

Exactly....that why I used the word reviled. My personal opinion is that the Thatch makes the anti-christ look like a great big cuddly teddy bear.

Wrong. The majority of the North hated her, and quite understandably so; though she was wholly justified in cutting industry adrift, she might have done so by increments. A good deal of the south has an enduring affection for her.

Errr...the sheepshaggers did not exactly like her either...and she was certainly not popular around Dagenham...

I don't get it...must be some British political joke or something...

Yeah....Labour came into being from the labour (socialist) movement...now they make the Tories look like a bunch of pinko liberals...(well Cameron at the very least...)

Consider yourself fortunate. Few things depress me as much as what New Labour has done to Britain and British politics; we have them to thank for David Cameron.:(

Hmmmm....I think you could be right about Cameron...barring one thing....if the Tories had not been so comprehensively trashed (and they had no to blame but themselves) and therefore have a shitload less MP's from which to draw a leader...