Good bye Blair. I wish you well in America so you can screw them for loads of money instead of us. (of course he will still get his £600k++  a year tax free from us as an EX PM, which is probably the only reason Brown wants to get the job)

When I saw LB's post this morning I thought: well, that's the result of the type of society we have nurtured for ourselves/had foisted upon us (either option, depending on your point of view). I hadn't seen the Independent article at that point in the day. Thanks cdj for posting the link; as you say, it says it all.

I take and understand your point but am nevertheless pretty much convinced, rightly or wrongly, that Brown has far higher agendas in mind than the mere attraction of a few (or not so few) hundreds of thousands of pounds per year (or is it month, week, day, hour?)...

Best,

Alistair

Indeed. That said, however, whatever such things "should" be, it seems inevitable that Brown will not only take over in the way you describe but also act the new broom by appointing an entire new set of ministers of his personal choice in order (or so he presumably hopes) to assist in seeing through all the "new" old policies wherewith he is about to regale us all; this way, "the government, in particular the cabinet" will do - and be seen to do - precisely what that "just one person" wants (or "wunts", as the now-almost-forgotten John Minor used to say, for reasons best known to himself - perhaps because it was the only personal affectation that he could muster).

The said Brown has done his PR bit already by admitting to various "mistakes", even not quite failing to exclude reference (albeit exceedingly brief) to his advance corporation tax scam that has drained corporate pension schemes of some £60+bn throughout the life of the new old labour "administration"; I've yet to hear the chairmen /CEOs of any major UK companies retorting "OK, so can we have our (pension funds') money back now, please?", but I can already imagine the short shrift that they'll get if and when they do.

All he has to do now, in character, is to order his new Chancellor (to whom he will first have "listened" and from whom he will have "learnt", of course - Brown may be thinner on spin but he knows the value of the PR machine as well as anyone) to abolish the long-standing freedoms from liability to inheritance tax between spouses and from capital gains tax on the sale of one's own home and then impose a wealth tax and then all will be well on the taxation front in that everyone will be paying too much tax, not just some people; ah, well - it'll all help to give the tax avoidance industry plenty more work to keep it thriving...

Best,

Alistair

But that just sounds like a typical politcal leader who is surrounded by sycophants and gets more and more detached from reality . I'm sure he, or Blair were little different to previous party leaders to start with, but the Wilson's and Callaghan's had to take note of fiery backbenchers (what happened to them?), hostile conferences and the trade unions as well as smarming up to the electorate every few years

Then you'd better start thinking about how you propose to prepare and cook it, for however appalling the prospect of Britain turning Brown may be, there would appear to be little if any credible alternative; by this I am not conferring any sense of credibility upon Brown himself - merely reflecting the lack of expressed opinion that will in part become responsible for his moving to the house next door in just a few weeks' time. I do think that thee can be little doubt that Brown has more of a sense of principle and a seriousness of purpose than Blair - but then that's what bothers me. Note also that Mrs Brown has decided largely to banish herself to the family home rather than share the kind of limelight that Chérie the lawyer has not objected to doing. Personally, even the impending Brownout of the nation fails to stretch my imagination to the point at which I can conceive of the for-the-time-being-United Kingdom as a land full of overcharged, overtaxed, 'umbly compliant proletarian presbyterian Puritans, but then perhaps I'm just imaginationally challenged (although, as I am a composer, I rather hope not).

Best,

Alistair

I love your optimism - but to be replaced by who? one almost dares not try to wonder?...

Best,

Alistair