Sabtu, 22 Ogos 2009

Gordon Brown


1. Come June 2010, we might see a new Prime Minister in Britain.

2. Despite his superb handling of the credit crisis, many political observers do not expect Gordon Brown to last beyond the summer of 2010, the last possible window for the general election.


3. Brown, the son of a Scottish priest and a PhD holder in History, holds the record for being the longest serving Chancellor of the Exchequer for almost a decade before being elevated to No 10 Downing Street upon the early retirement of Tony Blair.


4. Brown and Blair came from the centre left wing of the Labour Party and together with Peter Mandelson (now Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary and de-facto Deputy Prime Minister) were credited for defeating the Tories in 1997, after being in power for almost 18 years.


5. The signs on the wall are not in favor of Gordon Brown.

6. His party lost heavily in the local elections held in May this year following on the heels of the disastrous European elections held last year.


7. For record, no incumbent party in recent history has managed to hold its grip in power following the defeat in local council elections.


8. Brown's Labour Party is trailing the Conservatives by a whopping 15 to 20 points according to various opinion polls, almost the same position John Major was in prior to his landslide defeat to Tony Blair in 1997.


9. Perhaps in the footnotes of history, Brown will be remembered for his excellent handling of the credit crisis as well as presiding the longest post WW2 economic boom in Britain.


10. Unfortunately, Gordon Brown will also be remembered as the shortest serving Prime Minister in the last 30 years.

11. This brings to mind the prophecy made by Anthony Seldon (Tony Blair's biographer) that "From the first day they met, Tony is destined to become Prime Minister while Brown as the Labour leader.


12. Renong-renongkan dan selamat beramal