UK NEWS

NOW LABOUR DONORS TURN AGAINST BROWN

BROWN: Crumbling authority

Wednesday June 25,2008

By Macer Hall and Katy Taylor-Richards

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(14)

WEALTHY Labour donors are refusing to hand any more cash to the party until Gordon Brown quits, it emerged last night.

In a new threat to the Prime Minister’s crumbling authority, backers have made clear their dismay about his calamitous first year in office.

It is understood several millionaire donors have already discussed replacing Mr Brown in a desperate bid to stave off a landslide defeat at the next general election.

Potential replacements include Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

Lord Levy, Tony Blair’s former fund-raising chief, last night confirmed that big donors were turning away from Labour.

The peer said: “If people feel a party is not going to win and they are not in tune with where the party is at, they tend not to want to support it.

“I certainly think that is what is happening with Labour.”

One former Labour donor said yesterday: “I’m not going to give them any more money while Gordon Brown is leader. It’s time for the next generation to take over.”

Another added: “He’s just not up to the job. Being Chancellor played to all his strengths but Prime Minister seems to bring out every weakness.”

The threats add to the air of despondency around Labour as Mr Brown prepares to mark his first anniversary as PM on Friday. One Cabinet minister said: “We’re all doomed. We might as well ring the removal vans to take us out of office.”

Figures from the Electoral Commission show that donations have slumped since Mr Brown succeeded Tony Blair.

Labour’s 10 wealthiest donors have given a total of £20million to the party but only one of them has handed over any money this year. He was private equity boss Nigel Doughty who gave just £14,000 to help relieve Labour’s £24million debt.

The cash slump is also leaving Labour increasingly dependent on the trade unions, raising concerns that Mr Brown could become the prisoner of a new wave of industrial militancy.

And the revolt by party financiers is feeding a growing suspicion that Mr Brown will be forced out office before the next election.

Yesterday one of Labour’s leading thinkers added to the pressure on the PM.

Social scientist Anthony Giddens, whose ideas were crucial to Tony Blair’s vision of New Labour, said: “I do have to confess to feeling not only disappointment at, but angry about, the string of poor decisions that have put Labour in such a weak position.”

LACK OF ANY TALENT IN THE LABOUR PARTY KEEPS HIM WHERE HE IS ?

25.06.08, 8:24pm

I read today that Ed Balls could be a possible and likely replacement, .. But.. Prime Minister Balls !!

Er , i don't think so, Great Britian is already the sick man of Europe, we do not need any more humiliation,

Prime Minister Milliband.

Er , No just as bad .

why not go the whole hog,

Prime Minister Prescott

God Help us ?

But.. you can see the sorry situation they are in,

I also read that 29% of people polled reckon that Bumbling Idiot Brown has done a good job since he has been "getting on with the job" 29% thats an awfull lot of people, i had no idea there were that many Deaf, dumb, and blind people around at the time the poll was carried out !

• Posted by: BratislavaUK • Report Comment

GET OUT BROWN AS LABOURS GOING DOWN

25.06.08, 6:51pm

It really comes to something when investors can dictate who leads the party but we as a nation can only vote a party in and not out.
Labour needs to leave office and dump Gordon Brown on the **** heap.
If the country is to change then we need to take drastic measures and vote in an outsider party, a party that goes against the grain and is willing to stand up and be heard the world over. A party like the UKIP or BNP.

• Posted by: Chomerly • Report Comment

LABOUR DONORS

25.06.08, 6:38pm

So if Gordon Brown quits, then it will all be OK and Britain will go back to being Great.....and the Wealthy Labour donors will continue to donate to this Government. Something is very wrong here. It is the Government who are the problem and Brown is their puppet. The suggestion of Miliband of replacing is hilarious. He was the one who recommeded that Mugabe, who was already dangerous man was given the knighthood in 1994. He obviously make great choices. I do not recall the Tory party ever going through all this, but then it was so long ago. Time for a new government, shame elections have to wait

• Posted by: happyemigrant • Report Comment

DESERTING LABOUR DONORS

25.06.08, 5:16pm

Perhaps the Labour Party will have to declare itself bankrupt, just like it has forced more and more people and companies to do. It should be fun when this bunch of rabble have to put up their OWN money to fight an election when it is called, because even the unions(who are short of funds)are turning their backs on this useless govt. With a bit of luck Great Britain will be more like the old Great Britain when this shower are voted out, they will have to pay their bills and housing costs out of their own money and most certainly will not be top of the list for a job in a real industry with their failings. Let the voters make it a condition of the next govt. to scrap the old boys network of quango's and transfers to the second house so the tax payer does not continue to fund their cosy lives.

• Posted by: Daveyboy • Report Comment

LABOUR PARTY IN DEBT JUST LIKE THE REST OF BRITAIN

25.06.08, 3:47pm

Looks like the tide is turning for this bunch of w*****s. When the high powered rats start to desert the sinking ship things you know things are get bad. I bet the ‘things can only get better’ slogan is now a distant memory even for the most harden Labour supporter.

With any luck Labour will suffer the same fate as the Tories did back in the nineties, close to bankruptcy, losing key supporters, hated by the public and finally crap at everything.

What we are now seeing is the fruits of Browns ‘prudent’ behaviour come back to bite him straight on the arse. Make’s you wonder why he decided to step up to the top platform and try his luck as PM.

We now know how finically crippled Labour is at the moment which is a good sign, however it wouldn’t surprise me if Brown now decided to push for state funding to prop up the party books, now nobody wants to contribute towards their worthless cause.

Wouldn’t you agree its about time PM’S and Minster put their hands in pockets and paid themselves, knowing our luck it would just come out of their outrageous expense perks anyway

• Posted by: kel21 • Report Comment

NOW LABOUR DONORS TURN AGAINST THE EU PUPPET

25.06.08, 2:28pm

The majority of people in Britain and the wider mainland of Europe do not want the Despotic and undemocratic EU. Likewise the people of Britain do not want this lying EU apologist. or his sidekick Miliband to continue in office.

This misbegotten Party has reduced our country to the sad little authoritarian it has become. And the party now should be consigned not to opposition but to history. Every labour government has succeeded in leaving office having inflicted appalling damage on Britain. They even now, rather than accept the will and opinion of the electorate, debate and conspire to gerrymander their way into keeping power. Deplorable. How long I wonder since the tower of London hasd temporary occupants.

A truly nasty party, with truly nasty policies and EU priorities.

There is a man that might be a better PM and has shown he has a measure of honour. Mr Frank Field. A man who is not bought and paid for by the EU Elites. Unbiased thought hmm.

• Posted by: blam • Report Comment