Blair: Brown Is Next PM

[jefferson_dem]

Blair: Brown Is Next PM
Updated: 11:40, Tuesday February 06, 2007

Tony Blair has acknowledged that Gordon Brown will succeed him as Prime Minister when he steps down.

The admission came as Mr Blair faced questions from the commons liaison committee.

When asked by one of the committee members whether his policy review is intended to bind his successor, Tony Blair says that he and "the Chancellor" have been working on it together.

Mr Blair has said he will leave office in the next few months, but up has always refused to specifically endorse Mr Brown as his successor.

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Mr Brown has the backing of the majority of the Labour party, but some believe he should not be elected unopposed.

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http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1250352,00.html

[Greeby]

1. If they allow Broon a coronation, they can get stuffed nt

[LeftishBrit]

3. Well, unfortunately is there much of an alternative?

Better Broon than John Reid.

[T_i_B]

8. John Reid?

Well one thing I would say to that suggestion is that owing to the continuing shambles at the Home Office John Reid may not be in the best position to challenge Gordon Brown at present.

Or at least I would hope so as I for one can't stand John Reid. Plus, if he isn't in a position to make a decent fist of it then more Labour members may be tempted to vote for someone like John McDonnell instead.

[LeftishBrit]

9. I'm sure you're right; the Home Office mess has put him out of the running

But a few months ago he was a fairly serious candidate, at least in his own eyes, and I'm just so relieved that it won't be him, that Gordon seems a lot better. (For non-UK-ers on the thread: Reid is our extremely right-wing and authoritarian Home Secretary and former Defence Secretary, who would obviously very much like to be the next Labour Party leader, and who at one point attacked the Tory leader Cameron for being too liberal and soft on crime - the equivalent of a Democrat campaigning to the right of a Republican! He's also bloody incompetent, which is fortunately sufficiently obvious as to make him unlikely to achieve his leadership ambitions.)

I don't know that there's a serious alternative at the moment. McDonnell has little chance IMO. At one time, it seemed possible that Meacher would stand on the left-wing side, and he might have gotten more votes because at least people have heard of him. But it seems that no one other than Gordon Brown has the remotest chance at the moment.

[T_i_B]

10. Well, I HOPE it's put him out of the running!

As to McDonnell, I think you are right that he's not going to have too much chance against Brown, but a good showing from him might possibly force Labour to reconsider a few things.

What is noticable though, is that Labour blogs at present don't talk about the leadership contest but the deputy leadership contest. Evidently Gordon Brown is a foregone conclusion so they are all talking about John Cruddas instead.

[Benhurst]

2. "New" Labour, what a joke! It's time for Brown to go,

even though he is yet to arrive.

[roamer65]

4. I am still amazed at how Bliar has taken a once honorable...

party, the Labour party, and absolutely run it into the ground. It's sad.

[Texifornia]

5. First he built it up....

THEN he ran it into the ground.

He is forever stapled to Bush in the annals of history.

Poor sod.

[redqueen]

7. Kinda like Clinton / the DLC did for the Dems, huh?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2718467&mesg_id=2718467

[Jack Rabbit]

6. . . . and the sooner Brown takes over, the better

This afternoon will be late enough.

Tony Blair is the sorriest excuse for a British statesman since Lord Castlereaugh.

[baldguy]

11. Blair Brown?

I didn't know she was even a UK citizen.

[dflprincess]

12. I'll confess, I thought of her first when I read the thread's title

n/t