Looks like the knives are out at last.

[Grumpmeister]

Anyone want to start giving odds that this is just the first one.

Gordon Brown's leadership has left Labour "down in the dumps", a peer from his own party has said.

Lord Desai told the Evening Standard newspaper that the prime minister had appeared "indecisive" and "weak" and was "a worrier".

He also said: "Gordon Brown was put on earth to remind people how good Tony Blair was."

Lord Desai added that Foreign Secretary David Miliband would be the best successor to Mr Brown as Labour leader.

Describing the prime minister's position, he said: "It is a bit like William Hague who is a far better shadow foreign secretary than he was a leader of the Conservative party."

'Miscalculation'

Lord Desai, a professor of economics at the London School of Economics, is not known to have spoken out against the Labour leadership before

In his interview, he criticised Mr Brown's decision, while chancellor, to abolish the 10p starting rate of income tax - which opponents say will hit low-earners - calling it a "miscalculation".

Lord Desai said the 1 May elections for councils in England and Wales and the London Assembly and mayoralty were "going to be bad" for Labour.

He added: "If Labour loses in London there will be a real climate of fear... it would be absolutely traumatic for the party. At that point, backbenchers would look at the situation and say, 'How is all this going to work out for me?'. There would be real panic stations."

Whereas Tony Blair had been a "completely confident leader", Mr Brown was a "worrier".

Mr Brown's leadership style was "like porridge, or maybe haggis. It is not very persuasive if you don't already agree with him."

Lord Desai said Mr Miliband would be the best choice as next Labour leader and called Schools Secretary Ed Balls, a close ally of Mr Brown, a "repetition" of the prime minister.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Alistair Darling said the government had to "sharpen ourselves up" and deliver a "clear message of what we are about".

But Health Secretary Alan Johnson called Mr Brown "a serious man for serious times".

[Barman]

Anyone want to start giving odds that this is just the first one.

Gordon Brown's leadership has left Labour "down in the dumps", a peer from his own party has said.

Lord Desai told the Evening Standard newspaper that the prime minister had appeared "indecisive" and "weak" and was "a worrier".

He also said: "Gordon Brown was put on earth to remind people how good Tony Blair was."

Lord Desai added that Foreign Secretary David Miliband would be the best successor to Mr Brown as Labour leader.

Describing the prime minister's position, he said: "It is a bit like William Hague who is a far better shadow foreign secretary than he was a leader of the Conservative party."

'Miscalculation'

Lord Desai, a professor of economics at the London School of Economics, is not known to have spoken out against the Labour leadership before

In his interview, he criticised Mr Brown's decision, while chancellor, to abolish the 10p starting rate of income tax - which opponents say will hit low-earners - calling it a "miscalculation".

Lord Desai said the 1 May elections for councils in England and Wales and the London Assembly and mayoralty were "going to be bad" for Labour.

He added: "If Labour loses in London there will be a real climate of fear... it would be absolutely traumatic for the party. At that point, backbenchers would look at the situation and say, 'How is all this going to work out for me?'. There would be real panic stations."

Whereas Tony Blair had been a "completely confident leader", Mr Brown was a "worrier".

Mr Brown's leadership style was "like porridge, or maybe haggis. It is not very persuasive if you don't already agree with him."

Lord Desai said Mr Miliband would be the best choice as next Labour leader and called Schools Secretary Ed Balls, a close ally of Mr Brown, a "repetition" of the prime minister.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Alistair Darling said the government had to "sharpen ourselves up" and deliver a "clear message of what we are about".

But Health Secretary Alan Johnson called Mr Brown "a serious man for serious times".

[Grumpmeister]

He also said: "Gordon Brown was put on earth to remind people how good Tony Blair was."

You were asking what else this lot could bugger up BM, that line alone should give you a clue 

[Nick]

Lord Desai added that Foreign Secretary David Miliband would be the best successor to Mr Brown as Labour leader.

 

[Snoopy]

I hear the sound of lifeboats being prepared for launching, rowlocks being greased, life jackets being checked. They'll soon be heading for the shore to the tune of "It wasn't me ... a big boy called Gordon made us do it"

[Nick]

Quite so. And of course he is out of the country at present. Miliband must have sanctioned that statement (the idiot) so he will be for the high jump

[Barman]

Do you think they’re thinking about dumping him before May 1st to limit the damage or let him take the blame for May 1st then dump him?

[Snoopy]

After ~ it'll take a while but there will be an almighty bloodletting when it happens

[Barman]

So the soon-to-be-ex-president of the United States is meeting the soon-to-be-ex-prime minister of the UK for dinner this evening… 

[Uncle Mort]

So the soon-to-be-ex-president of the United States is meeting the soon-to-be-ex-prime minister of the UK for dinner this evening… 

Let's hope they don't decide to go out with a bang.

[Barman]

So the soon-to-be-ex-president of the United States is meeting the soon-to-be-ex-prime minister of the UK for dinner this evening… 

Let's hope they don't decide to go out with a bang.

[Nick]

I have an air raid shelter

And some cans of food

[Grumpmeister]

Britain is fairly safe, Brown won't do anything independantly as he is too busy brown nosing Bush in Labour fashion. Bush couldnt tell the difference between Iran, Ireland and Icelend so we at least have a two in three chance of not getting coventrated.

Having said that if he does have a rush of blood to the head and decided to flatten ireland he'll probably end up hitting Wales by mistake.

[The Moan Ranger]

Britain is fairly safe, Brown won't do anything independantly as he is too busy brown nosing Bush in Labour fashion. Bush couldnt tell the difference between Iran, Ireland and Icelend so we at least have a two in three chance of not getting coventrated.

Having said that if he does have a rush of blood to the head and decided to flatten ireland he'll probably end up hitting Wales by mistake.

You say that like it's a bad thing   

[Grumpmeister]

That would only count as beautification if they hit swansea.