What!?!
Even if he loses, he will stay on?
The likelihood of a hung parliament has prompted Whitehall to draw up contingency plans that would give Gordon Brown extra time to form a viable administration if there is no clear winner at the general election.
They’ve been bigging this one up for a while now. I recall something similar in the lead up to 1997 and look what happened then. There’s a bit of me that suspects that people are not telling the truth when questioned by pollsters. I wouldn’t.
Anyway, that’s not what really makes the eyes pop – after all, planning for such an eventuality does make some sense and allowing time to form a workable government isn’t particualry contentious. But this:
Senior Whitehall sources stressed tonight that Brown could remain prime minister and try to create a working majority even if the Tories were to win most seats.
I’m sorry? Run that by me again?
Senior Whitehall sources stressed tonight that Brown could remain prime minister and try to create a working majority even if the Tories were to win most seats.
Yup, that’s what I thought it said. So he loses the election and the Tories have no overall majority, but the most seats, so are, therefore, the winners and Brown stays at No 10? Really?
Oh, but it gets better…
It also emerged today that it is possible that the chancellor, Alistair Darling, could even remain in his post – in charge of policy on sterling – pending the formation of the government, even in the event that he has lost his parliamentary seat.
Oh, come on now… Someone’s taking the piss. I’ve slept a whole day and it’s April 1st. I know that Brown doesn’t much like the inconvenience of elections, preferring appointment, but someone who no longer holds a seat in parliament remains ensconced in No 11?
That scenario would arise because Brown would remain as prime minister, and therefore responsible for all ministerial appointments, until it were clear that he was unable to secure a majority for his Queen’s speech.
Not good enough. If they have lost, they have lost. Pack up and move out. The party with the most seats should then be asked to form a government. All this worrying about the effect on the pound would have a little more credibility if they hadn’t completely screwed the economy when they were in a position to avoid the worst of the recession.
Senior Whitehall sources were keen to stress that it would be Brown’s duty to remain in place until it were clear that a successor exists who was capable of securing a majority for their own speech.
His duty is to fuck off as soon as possible. The successor would be the leader of the party with the most seats – that’s how it works.
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