Role reversal

News 24 is as accurate as ever:
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Hattip: Anorak

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Preparing for Budget Day #1

It’s nearly that day of the year again where we find out how much more we’re going to pay on fags, beer and petrol (beer actually being more expensive than petrol per litre). In the run up to Budget Day on Wednesday, here are some essentials for you.

#1 - Working Lunch have created an essential Gordon Brown kit which can be downloaded here.

Cut out your own Gordon Brown hair, Official box and speech bubble.

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Hanging out with celebrities

According to this morning’s Metro, Brown’s been dining with celebrities such as Kylie Minogue in order to transform his “dour” public image.

If this really was about changing his image, then it would have been reported a month ago (the Kylie meeting took place on 10th February). Or better yet, there would have been TV cameras at the meal.

When Blair wanted to appear down wiv da kids, he invited all the famous rockstars down to No. 10 for a ‘Cool Britannia’ party and made sure it was full of cameras. Brown didn’t do that. These meals were not just about changing Brown’s public image (although having a report that he gets on with Kylie can’t now be a bad thing). Instead they are about positioning him within the elite.

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Husting alone

Although it seems certain that someone will get the 44 signatures needed to stand against Brown for the leadership contest (even if it’s to make Brown’s coronation appear democratic) it’s interesting to find that Brown would have to campaign even if he was the only candidate.  Hustings will certainly be fun.

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Student loan deja vu

The FT is speculating that Gordon will privatise the student loan system in his budget next week. This will have the dual effects of raising some extra cash, which can be ploughed into education, and reducing national debt, thereby making the books look healthy.

This was exactly the policy William Hague was suggesting during the 2001 general election; in fact I think it was a manifesto commitment. Hague believed at the time he could get £1.3 billion from it.

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Would you work for Gordon?

Do you like to be at your desk at 7am?  Are you willing to take phone calls any time, day or night, to discuss current affairs?  Do you mind working weekends, holidays and Christmas day?

If the answer is yes then there may still be room for you in Brown’s kitchen cabinet.  But hurry, although no official announcement has been made, positions are filling quickly.  Although this could be probably apocryphal.

Previous applicants and position holders should not reapply.

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Kinnock: from unelectable to unelected

It looks as if Neil Kinnock will continue his political career as an unelected drain servant of the British people by becoming Leader of the House of Lords under a Brown Government.

Proving for once and for all in 1992 that he could never be elected, here is another post in which there is no possibility of him doing so.

This is a move that will please traditional labour supporters but will Kinnock have the guts to drive through the much needed reform of the House of Lords, assuming, of course, Brown doesn’t quietly drop it.

Hat tip: Iain Dale 

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Gordon Brown’s politics for beginners

For those who want to understand Brown in 3 minutes:

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Taxing times for airlines

This morning on GMTV Gordon attacked the Tories airline tax plans saying:

“I am not going to penalise the holidaymaker and I am not going to penalise people who have got to travel for all sorts of reasons on domestic flights. I don’t think the Conservative proposals are properly costed or thought-out and I think people will be very angry about that.”

It’s interesting to note that Gordon relies heavily on domestic flights- last year he spent nearly £7k on flights. Gordon wouldn’t want that bill to rise…he might have to start getting the train.

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Ten years to remember

Gordon Brown is to face his biggest challenge yet. To celebrate ten years of soft porn, badly acted imported soap operas and sit coms Channel Five, Gordon is going to face a grilling by 10 year olds.

Perhaps they’re making far too much of this 10 year theme- got a man who’s done the same job for 10 years to be grilled by 10 year olds to celebrate 10 years of bad TV.

I suppose it’s not as if they’re going over the top. They could have done 10 years after the Spice Girls, celebrities remembering what it was like to be 10 and what 10 year olds would be like as parents….oh wait, they are…set your videos to record.

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