Gordon Brown Flashcards
(31 cards)
What banks did he nationalise?
Northern Rock, part nationalised Lloyds, TSB and RSB but dithered over it
What did Lee argue? Year?
Same type of political economy as Thatcherites, unregulated capitalism, 2007
What did Beech argue?
Puzzle for ideas and policies, failed to articulate clear articulate ideological vision, 2009
What did Kettell and Kerr argue
Failed at two things, Westministerism and modernality
Define Westminsterism
The traditions of the political system, strong political leadership and tradition, strong decisive leadership.
Define modernality
By ‘modernality’ we refer to a much more contemporary and emergent discursive constraint on the ability of political leaders in the UK to forge a successful mode of statecraft
How would you compare Brown to Blair
Uncharismatic and dour
What happened in his first year?
Suffered a decline in electoral popularity sharper than any previous PM.
What embarassing u turn did he comit
10p tax rate - party and public were against it.
What did the Conservatives do
Expoilted his leadership, charismatic when he wasn’t, better media presence, strengthened the argument that he was an angry and bossy figure, Cameron youthful and came across more of a statesman.
What could be the deeper reason at play for Brown’s unpopularity?
Public grew tired, bored and disenfranchised of New Labour in govermnment
What did the poll of Jan 2008 say
According to poll data from MORI, by January 2008, a point at which Brown’s rot had set in, the Conservatives held a lead over Labour in 10 of 18 key policy areas, although seven of these were leads of 5 points or less, while the remaining three were in key Conservative areas (‘asylum and immigration’, ‘law and order’, and ‘taxation’), where they might be expected to be ahead.
Brown’s role in the G20
Great success, he was the chair, agreed a package of $5 trillion stimulus for the world economy, led to people saying it was the most successful one in summit history
What did Telegraph columnist say about Brown
Worst post war PM - Dan Hodges
Idea of Brown the saviour
Country, labour party spirit, saved union
What did Coates argue?
Any success that Brown enjoyed covered up a number of signficant problems, productivity was low, working longer hours to match other European countries. Trade imbalance with the EU, lack of investment, private debt increased
What did Lord Desai say about Brown
He was put on earth to remind everyone how good Tony Blair was.
How did Labour do in 2010
Lost 91 seats on 258
What did Wolf say about Brown
That he didn’t see the recession coming, but not many seemed to at all but yet he was made the scapegoat.
What leadership model can you use
Greenstein in The Presidential difference 2001 presented 6 criteria to assess the leadership of US presidents, can be used on PM’s as there are many similarities
Why not use Bulpitt
Presents more criteria which can be used to assess more about the leader
What are the criteria
Political Communicator Political Skills Policy vision Organisational capacity Emotional intelligence Cognitive Skills
Apply them to brown
Brown disliked having to sell himself and his policies as a package to the media, didn’t have a great image and didn’t have a strategy, not considered a great communicto. Monotone as PM and Chancellor but when a rising MP was great at writing speeches with effective soundbites. Brown entered No 10 saying presentation should never substitute policy.
Organisational capacity link to Kettel and kerr Westministeralism
Political skills - steam rolled, big clunking fists. Rawnsley said it was tacitacally foolish and strategically stupid to dither holding an election in 2007.
Intellectual PM - only one with a PHD.
What did Paris argue
That Brown was psychologically unfit for the office of PM in 2007
