Saturday, November 10, 2007

Surge, What Surge?

Labour supporters seem to be in a bit of a state about Gordon Brown. Polly Toynbee tells him to be bold, Jonathan Freedland says he's in a hole. They're upset because the great Scottish grump who was supposed to save the left from the Blair embarrassment has turned out to be more of the same, but worse. Of course, it takes the British left years to work anything out - they're still not happy with the fall of the Soviet Union and they didn't realise Blair was Thatcher, but much worse, until about 2003. What they haven't yet worked out on this occasion is that the Brown competence claim is a myth. They keep saying, well, he's got a few problems but the big thing is that he's competent. There is no evidence for this. There is, however, plenty of evidence for incompetence - gold sales, wasted NHS money, PFIs, tax credits, uncontrollable spending on and by management consultants and, finally, the absurd non-election mess engineering by the Little Sods by whom he is surrounded. And, speaking of the Little Sods, you may remember Yvette Cooper's cheap con trick at the time of the World Cup. What she did was invent a problem and then announce she had solved it. Well, I have a feeling the Sods - probably Ed Balls, Yvette's husband - have been at it again. Yesterday we were watching with interest and anxiety the news of the great East Anglian surge. Our Norfolk place is near the sea and next to a river. Nothing happened, the river was entirely unmoved. Now did Balls dream up the surge to recreate the great days of the summer when Brown stood, rock-fisted and square-jawed, against floods, terrorists, foot and mouth and all bad things? Was this the surge that never was? Of course, Balls being Balls, it backfired horribly as the East coast was largely unaffected. Perhaps Ed thought nobody in London knew or could understand anybody in Great Yarmouth. This is true but it was only necessary to squeeze their clothing to realise it was completely dry.

12 comments:

  1. That tidal wave, surge sounds so proactive, and Norfolk is there any damage. Are you a furlong or two nearer to beachfront. Or was one always able to hurl oneself from ones pit and launch the kayak direct from the bedroom windowsill. In other words, you an' yourn are safe ?.

    ReplyDelete
  2. well, thanks for asking, Vince, but my life - if you can call it that - was never in danger. I was at a high point in London. It's not called Notting Hill for nothing. My information about developments in Norfolk came from a nearby shopowner who kept an eye on the river. Throughout the day it stayed unusually low for this time of year. Glad you reminded me of the kayak. Now I just need an AK47 and a skidoo.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The surge story is a direct descendent of the Great British Gale Syndrome. Ever since the forecasters got it wrong in 1987 they've gone over board ever since in order never to be caught out again. It's why as soon as even a centimetre of snow falls that we get 'severe weather warnings'.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bryan, repeat after me 'I do not live in Notting Hill' (and be duly grateful). That bump in the ground is called Campden Hill. You are still in civilisation, i.e Kensington. And my home laptop is working again, by some miracle (well, it must be, mustn't it?)...

    ReplyDelete
  5. 6.20 am, eh, comrade? Was that you up all night boiling with rage or waking yourself from restless slumber with a mighty roar?

    Anyway you're right. They don't get it. I was talking to some trade unionists about a private equity shark who had ripped apart the AA, sacked their members, made off with millions and who, get this, Brown had punished by appointing him to quangos.

    'What makes you idiot think that he's worse than bloody Blair?' I asked in my best impartial journalist's manner.

    Answer came there none

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nothing is worse than an anti-climax! The inevitable simply did not happen. The only interesting point about the affair was that it proved to be mistaken. Bryan immediately understood the importance of what has not happened. I cannot help but admire him. People are alive through no fault of their own. Clearly there needs to be an explanation for this. Someone must assume, outright, the political, moral and historical responsibility for all that which did not take place. No dead bodies floating ashore. It was the worst of all possible set-backs. Men wept uncontrollably...

    I myself have been haunted by the injustice of this. But what the heck. I am an optimist. There will have to be another surge.....

    ReplyDelete
  7. There was an impressive photo in the Telegraph of a couple of guys having a smoke in an enclosed shelter on the seawall watching these huge waves break right up against it. At any rate, I'm glad to hear all was near-normal in Norfolk. Good luck getting that AK-47. You are probably on a government "watch list" just for mentioning it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. If you're still not sure that Labour is imploding you much watch this clip of Gordon Brown's tribute to Channel 4's Countdown http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mHOAtgMqr5I (thanks to Guido and Danny Finklestein). Watch this ye Guardianistas and despair!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ah, Nick, welcome. I think it was in fact 7.20 am. But glad you agree.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Er, yes--- bring back Tony. (Or something.)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Strange how Blair seems to be Thatcher only in a man's suit & with a happy grin facemask. Brown i guess is Blair/Thatcher with a sour scowl facemask. Pity that John Smith bloke committed suicide while climbing a Scottish mountain, actually i can't remember, didn't some crazed loner shoot him? Or was he the one who slashed his wrists? Whatever, that's how it goes.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Down here in Orstralia we look set to elect a labour leader, Kevin Rudd, who's more right-wing than the Tory version.

    The left seems to be under some misapprehension he'll change his mind about pretty much everything as soon as he's elected.

    It doesn't look likely. Never trust a man with a hair-cut like that and who eats his ear-wax.

    ReplyDelete