Are Labour mortally wounded?

[vetran]

Conservatives have to hold him off until the economy blows up, that I think is why Cameron is trying to stay ahead in the polls, keep him nervous of calling election. That way Brown can be there when it falls apart.

[AtW]

There is another alternative - he still loses elections and then economy blows up right in hands of Conservatives, though I think this will happen before 2 years until next election.

[wendigo100]

You are probably right Alexei. Brown will (and should) get the blame for pyssing away a golden legacy. And unlike Thatcher he won't have the saving grace of having stripped out the deadwood from the economy - in fact, he has added to it!

[AtW]

He doesn't want to go down in history as being carp at the one job he's always coveted, especially after such a long wait to get it.

Sure, noone does. But if he does (and I think he will), then he will be zipping expensive wine on that final-salary MP pension and reflect on how these schemes did not pay off.

A lot of ordinary people will be less philosophical with their pension gone, house repossessed etc.

IMO we are looking at very turbulent few years ahead and even well shaped economies are going to suffer badly, and it is going to really hurt in economies that were based on speculative bubbles.

[vetran]

He's going downnn!

[wendigo100]

If the economy tanks real bad (as it seems to me it will) then excruciating life won't be just for Brown - he will enjoying his cushy pension guarded by the Special Branch and saying that it is all fault of the Tories

True re the economy and us. But Brown, who already had more money than he could shake a stick at when Labour came to power, has ambition.

He doesn't want to go down in history as being crap at the one job he's always coveted, especially after such a long wait to get it.

[AtW]

The main political problem for Brown is that he was actually never exposed to public politics as he spent most of his time scheming in the Treasury - he is a very good strealth tax Chancellor, but this is not the quality electorate looks at: frankly Blair was much better in PMQs than Brown who is trying to imitate him, but it look pathetic.

[pisces]

Brown needs to go on a politics boot camp somewhere. 10+ years as number 2 wasn't enough for the poor sod.

[AtW]

I have a feeling the next two and a half years are going to be excruciating for Brown!

If the economy tanks real bad (as it seems to me it will) then excruciating life won't be just for Brown - he will enjoying his cushy pension guarded by the Special Branch and saying that it is all fault of the Tories

[wendigo100]

We might be a bit scornful of Cameron, Osborne, Davies, Hague and Fox, but they are now running rings around Brown, Darling, Balls, Miliband, Browne and Smith/Straw.

For the first time in 14 years the proles are starting to think that Tory front bench looks better than Labour's, and with Labour's chickens now coming home to roost it can only get worse for them.

I have a feeling the next two and a half years are going to be excruciating for Brown!