And another thing…

Sure he will be embittered. I guess you are quoting John Prescott, who said he had a “tinge of bitterness”. Unfortunately it is a standard New Labour tactic to smear old colleagues with, who are no longer fettered by the “strict and authoritarian” (Gould) Party they once new as just plain Labour.

I worry when you use words like “cushy” to describe Academia. You may as well say that Monks have cushy lives for not being in the roughty tufty religious industry.

Somebody has to do the thinking. Unless you think that running around like a headless chicken (believe me, they do) is the sum total of a politician’s nod to reflection,synthesis and action.

I broadly agree with him apart from one line,
“There have been of course many good and decent day-by-day achievements of this government.”
If there has then they now count for nothing with the mess we are in with our children having to pay it all back.

I think your are right Tom, these polls are just a bit of mid term difficulty, the 4th term is there to be won. LOL

From what I remember of him, Mr Gould was worth listening to but only if one’s critical facilities were turned up to max. He was clearly deluded in his leadership ambitions and is probably much more suited to the relatively comfortable (and, I guess, tiny) pastures of New Zealand’s academia than the rough and tumble of real politics.

In common with most theorists who complain about the wasted opportunities of the Wilson years and the appalling sins of new Labour, he has an overblown sense of Britain’s influence in this wicked world and a woeful lack of understanding of the constraints under which a government, particularly a left of centre one, has to operate or of the compromises it must make to get any of its programme through.

I wonder if he would rather the “many good and decent day-by-day achievements” had never happened?

Tom:

Gould said: “I have watched Labour reject its founding principles, embrace greed and take the UK into war and recession: enough is enough”

So which part of that is untrue?

Founding principles: well it has abolished fox hunting, and given us FOI, and tax credits . But more people are poor than at the start of its power, ID cards, 42 days, and Photographing police.
Conclusion: True.

Embrace greed: Obviously true.

War: True
Recession? Well here I disagree: Depression is more likely. Semantics. True.

Can’t see where he is wrong…

Did Bryan Gould really write this though? Remember when The Evening Standard printed what it described as Gould’s damning verdict on Blair ( before he became P.M. ), and it turned out to have been written by Michael Howard’s son? This new piece certainly has the Son Of Dracula’s style.

PS A better way to expend time than reading Mr Gould’s outpourings on CIF (how are the mighty fallen!) might be to listen to a British politician who does understand the complexities, difficulties, constraints and opportunities offered by the big real imperfect world of international politics. He also knows how to make progress, step by subtle step, and how to deal with setbacks.

Seems a rather better approach than impotent idealistic howling from the sidelines (or commenting on blog posts come to that). Hear (and see) him here (for an hour): http://www.cfr.org/publication/18549

I have to agree with him the welfare reforms are enough for me to leave Labour and I think many will look at bumbling Brown and think roll on elections.

Brian Hughes

Great..so Peter Mandelson is your ideal politician.

Sleazy? Yes .. two resignations over money.. or favours.
Idealistic ? Joke
Was supporter? yes

You are scraping the bottom of the barrel …

@Mad 9:00 “Founding principles: well it has abolished fox hunting,”

Actually fox hunting is continuing almost without exception almost exactly as it always used to, and entirely within the law. Hunts now only use dogs to flush out the foxes when they can be killed either by gun, or a bird of prey.

BTW Ani questioned my earlier post on hunting when I suggested that more foxes would be killed now that hunting has been banned. I spoke to a local game-keeper who said he has shot 120 foxes so far this year, at the request of land-owners. The normal figure for the hunts in our area is around 40 a season.

My in-depth critique of Mr Gould: he could never have made PM with that bald patch.

Dave C. should be grateful the next GE is within 16 months or so, before the overhead cameras of the HoC’s main Chamber do for him too.

(BTW academia? In New Zealand? Jees, that’s taking In Retreat to extremes.)

I known from his/her comments that Madasafish would like the world to be a simpler and less nuanced planet than it is but, being an optimist, I might, in the unlikely event that I’d thought about it, have hoped that even (s)he would not have jumped to quick conclusions as to who my ideal politician might be. Especially as our comment timings suggests that (s)he hadn’t watched the whole lovely hour.

Now I really must get on with something important such as staring out of the window for a while…

One is usuallu embittered by betrayal. Raed the comments, Tom. Many Labour supporters reading along the same lines as Gould.

Your problem? You’re too nice a guy for the Labour Party.

Comment from CiF, Tom, that may speak loudly to you.

My Mum was a Labour MP. She’s not even a party member any more

You might remember my old mum. She got elected in 1997, overturning a 15,000 Tory majority to create a 6000 Labour majority. She left in May 2001 due to realising that Labour was no longer Labour, that the HoC will always be a nasty school playground filled with bullies (I think you call them whips) who have to use physical violence (she never complained after being pushed down a corridor by a certain whip who insisted that she vote with the Govt, despite the vote in question being a free vote) and the erosion started by the death of John Smith and the Grannola summit was unstoppable. She has since left the Labour Party, as has the rest of my family. She was a good constituency MP who was respected by her opponents. The local Torys still say that if she was still there the seat would be much, much harder to fight. They’re looking forward to getting it back now I expect.

ps. Apologies for typos above. Preview option not available on this blogging software, Tom?

@Dave H; ‘Dave C. should be grateful the next GE is within 16 months or so, before the overhead cameras of the HoC’s main Chamber do for him too.’

You’re not the only to have noticed then.

That’s a serious point though, balding men generally are at a disadvantage come elections, how shallow are we voters?

Cameron’s obviously receding – rather rapidly – perhaps that’s why Labour are holding off the next election as long as possible, every advantage counts.

Not that I have a problem with men losing hair or going grey, as I’m doing both, though my wife fails to accept that it’s only happened since I married her

Brian
” Madasafish would like the world to be a simpler and less nuanced planet than it is”

Nope.
I’m just like people to stop spinning, to be honest and to keep promises.

I know in reality that cannot always happen… and I know in politics you have to win elections to do anything -
but

and it is a BIG but -

the degree of lying that goes on is unprecedented.. and as I have seen over 40 years of politics as an adult , you can hardly call me young and naive.

Old and cynical more like..

The current Government reminds me of John Major’s one without any major players, without Major’s simple straightforward manner (yes I know it was a facade with Mrs Egg Currie ) ,without its competence (not that there was much then ) and with even more sleaze.

I do not think asking for basic standards is too much.

You appear to. Well then, vote Labour. You’re ideally suited!

Think what else he could have added, given the space. Why is he saying this now, as it has been obvious for years, but better late than never. There’s hope for you yet, Tom.

Future article on “And another thing…”:

“I’ve seen the light: New Labour really is totally awful” by Tom Harris (Professor of Dr Who studies at the University of Beith).

Simon.
“I spoke to a local game-keeper who said he has shot 120 foxes so far this year…”
.

As we’re not out of February yet, that equates to 60 a month, 2 a day?
That about right?
He’s been a busy little b****** then, hasn’t he?
One can only surmise how he finds the time to cover all that mileage whilst attempting to pull in all his other beneficial good deeds to the benefit of the countryside – ie – if it’s got a pulse and isn’t a pheasant, shoot, strangle or poison it.
.

Sergeant Plodder says read the comments – on CiF?
Check the nom de plumes Sgt.
Same old, same old.
Regulars.

Oh the happy days of 1992! As a student political activist (and to be-honest; Thatcherite footsoldier) I was sharing a flat with a fellow political activist, whom i had met on my course. A CLP toiler, union member and Labour Student climber. He wasn’t a bad person, but was a tad self-serving. He also had horrendous judgement. After the 92 election he threw himself deep into Gould’s election campaign. I can vividly remember him railing against Gould, his arrogance, his delusion of his chances and his misfiring campagin. My chum stayed in the party, but was forever scared by his experiences on this campaign…

Who is this Bryan Gould chap when he’s at home?

What high office did he attain?

@ ani “One can only surmise how he finds the time to cover all that mileage whilst attempting to pull in all his other beneficial good deeds to the benefit of the countryside – ie – if it’s got a pulse and isn’t a pheasant, shoot, strangle or poison it.”

A good friend of mine, a Labour supporter, totally opposed to hunting, crippled with arthritis after many years working as a nurse, keeps a tiny small holding with egg laying chickens. Don’t know how she manages it, I suppose because it gives her a reason to live.

She’s the kindest person you can imagine, yet after a fox dug into her hen houses and slaughtered about 20 of her chickens in the most brutal manner imaginable, she told me she’d have shot the fox herself if she’d had a gun.

Come into the real world, ani. I don’t eat meat on ethical grounds, yet I’m not a fool. I don’t refuse to accept that predatory animals, especially those that attack food sources, must be controlled. What would you do if an escaped bear came running at you and there was a gun to hand? Lie down and die?

Hey, Tom – less of the “cushy life of academia” – some of us have to work bloody hard

Quite a rant from Mr Perfect – I agree he always seemed to have a rather high opinion of himself.

Do you think that he wrote it in green ink?

Tom Said “I’m not sure if the endorsement of an embittered quitter who chose the cushy life of academia over the hard slog of opposition (and subsequent government) is one that the Labour Party, and this Labour government, would have valued.”

Wow, very “thick of it” Tom lol.. You sound like a nasty piece of work. Bryan Gould has a right to do what he wanted to do. This so called Labour Govt is truly a disgrace and has betrayed it’s origins. I’ve never even heard of you before now so hopefully after Labour loose the next election you will crawl back up your own “Yes Man, right wing arse” as Malcolm would say..