Weathering the storm
June 9, 2009
In a closed-door meeting with his 350 members of parliament on Monday night, Brown said he was determined to continue running the country, but that he knew there was room for improvement in his leadership skills.
“I have my strengths and I have my weaknesses,” Brown told the MPs. “I know there are some things I do well, some things not so well.” He added that he had much to learn about a collective way of leading the party and the government.
Brown described the past week, which saw 11 of his ministers resign and his party take a severe battering in both local and EU elections, as one of the toughest of his premiership. But he said the time had come for Labour to reunite behind him.
“You solve the problem not by walking away,” the prime minister said, “but by facing it and doing something about it.” Although witnesses to the meeting say that comment earned Brown cheers of approval, some among the party had been hoping for a different outcome.
Open criticism
Former Home Secretary, Charles Clarke and former Junior Transport Minister, Tom Harris both openly called for Brown to step down. “If we are going to win the next election, if we’re going to secure all of our achievements, then we need to have a new leader,” Harris said.
But support for the call to oust Brown was not enough to stage the coup repeatedly rumoured in the run-up to Monday’s meeting. And in an interview with the BBC afterwards, Harris said he would now stop pushing for a new leader.
Head of Labour’s parliamentary group, Tony Lloyd told Sky News he thought the Prime Minister was now safe from rebels. “I do not believe there will be any challenge to Gordon Brown within our party.”
A short life line
But many commentators in the British press are suggesting that the reprieve secured last night will be short-lived. An editorial in The Times newspaper said “he (Brown) limps on, disrespected by ministers, resented by backbenchers, disliked by the electorate. He is in office but not in power.”
And EU election results, in which Labour scraped together a mere 15.7 percent -- its smallest share of a national vote in 100 years – cement the notion that Brown is anything but a popular leader. The party even lost two of its strongholds in northern England to the far-right British National Party (BNP).
Finance Minister, Alistair Darling told the Guardian newspaper that Labour was to blame for the ascent of the BNP in Europe. “People felt disillusioned with us and didn’t vote for us,” he said. “That’s our fault. We should be able to inspire confidence.”
But right now, they are failing on that score, and failing grandly. Conservative leader, David Cameron is currently way ahead in the polls, and that is a cause for concern far outside the Labour party ranks.
Concern for Europe
Cameron has made it clear that if his party gets into power in the next general election, he will put the Lisbon Treaty of reforms to a referendum, despite the fact that Britain has already ratified it.
At a post-election press conference in Brussels, Graham Watson, head of the Liberals in the EU parliament said he was “very worried” about Cameron’s stance. He said it would be “unbelievable” if one of the countries which had helped draw up the treaty which it subsequently signed and ratified, were to cast doubt over the whole project.
He added that it would be “irresponsible to our European neighbours and partners,” and said he hoped good sense would prevail.
Wilfried Martens, president of the European People’s Party, also expressed concern over the Conservative leader’s plans. “It would be worrying if snap elections were held in the UK with the subject of a referendum in the electoral campaign,” he said.
At the moment, however, it looks unlikely that there will be snap elections. After the double election debacle, the series of resignations and the expenses scandal that has rocked his party lately, Gordon Brown has too many fences to mend before he invites his country to the ballot box.
tkw/AFP/reuters
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar