Talk about an opportunity missed!
Sheesh, here we are with a deeply unpopular, unelected Prime Minister leading one of the most distrusted and unpopular Governments in our history, during the worst financial climate in living memory. If anyone, ever, needed a PR boost it’s our Gordy but incredibly, he seems hell bent on serially missing the boat.
Whilst Dubya may have had Karl Rove as Brain-in-Chief, Damian McBride was well known for being “His Masters Voice”, if security had patted him down before he hot footed it out of Downing Street with his tail between his legs they may have found him to be in possession of our Great Leader’s spine as well as his much vaunted “moral compass” as both, seem to have mysteriously deserted him in recent months.
On one issue, that of the shameful treatment of the Gurkhas, (admittedly not just by this particular Government), the Great Clunking Fist has had opportunity after opportunity not only to chime with public opinion but to get ahead of the curve, take command of the situation and do the right thing by these men who, for over 200 years have fought and died alongside British and Commonwealth troops in conflicts from Malaya to the Falklands and continue to do so in Iraq and Afghanistan to this day.
Imagine what a coup it could have been, if only our wise and benevolent leaders had actually seen this coming. Not like they didn’t have adequate warning after all. The court of public opinion, much loved of Harriet Harman, has been foaming at the mouth for months through the red tops and broadsheets, don’t these people read?
On matters of morality it seems that while the British people get it, whether it’s a million marchers against the war in Iraq, snouts in troughs, bent bankers screwing the world up for the rest of us, the 10% tax fiasco, the breaking of the military covenant, the reneging of promises on the Lisbon Treaty, 42 days detention, ID cards, Equitable Life or indeed the issue of the Gurkhas it is increasingly obvious that the current crop of Whitehall occupants simply don’t.
By trying to make the argument against Gurkha parity with other Commonwealth soldiers one of finance over morality the Government has painted itself as a bunch of penny pinching, mealy mouthed accountants rather than the Guardians of the Nation’s morality it should be. Against the trillion pound bail-out of the finance system, the far-fetched £1.4 billion worst case scenario scare tactic figure spouted by various immigration figures pales into comparative insignificance.
Not content though, with over egging the cost pudding, more sinister Nu-Lab tactics seem to be rearing their ugly but unsurprising head. At the recent commons committee meeting, it was suggested that should the Gurkhas become too expensive it may be financially expeditious to cut the Regiment, the sub-text unmistakable. Scandalous.
By way of contrast, the spokespeople for Gurkha Justice have conducted a brilliant campaign in a spirit of dignity and integrity throughout, neatly marrying up the outrage of the general public, the mood in the commons and the support of the entire Fourth Estate to devastating effect, culminating in defeat for the Government and an embarrassing set of U turns and climb downs. Thank Heaven for La Lumley.
Where Gordon Brown’s shame really lies on this, and other matters alluded to above is that he just couldn’t see it coming, his cronies couldn’t see it coming, his whips couldn’t see it coming. Nick Clegg could, David Cameron could, the Press could and bet your bottom dollar Tony Blair could have and would have used them to dig himself out of this hole should he still have been PM, just like he used the death of Princess Di to ingratiate himself with the British people. People’s Princess my arse, oily bastard he may have been but astute enough to have recognised manna from heaven when he saw it.
If you rule by fear, the people around you only provide you with a sanitised version of reality, this is, in my humble opinion, a classic case. Serves him right. Flying Nokia anyone?
Posted by: UK Voter | Monday, May 11, 2009 at 00:00