Watching A Wounded Dog Die

Beleaguered Brown's sparse news conferences should come with a government health warning. The struggling Supreme Leader was on the ropes with ropey replies to hungry hacks baying for blood.

Opening salvos about that "letter" showed no signs of abating, carried over the usual 24 hour news cycle. No wonder spinners are spooked. A sorry spectacle signalling the dying days of a fag-end government.

Brown's personality once again has become the story, despite New Labour lackeys trying it on with a sympathy card and attacks on the Sun. Whipping up pity does not win votes.

First Mandy then Brown mouthpiece Whelan have been wheeled out to call all the kettles black, pushing the line that Brown is being unfairly 'smeared' by an election mode Sun.

Instead of shutting down a damaging story, Brown floundered without answers which would appease a public firmly on the side of a mum who has lost her soldier son.

The Sun's transcript of Brown's phone call to an angry and distressed Jacqui Janes shows a woman genuinely insulted by the letter and concerned over the lack of equipment for troops. And that makes a mockery of all the political fancy talk of "listening to the people".

The Orange Party said yesterday - the only view that counts is that of a grieving mum. Not the Sun nor a Downing Street dirty ops brigade trying to flood newspaper comments pages with the 'line to take'.

The pressure at Bunkered Brown's news conference - the only one in four months - was relentless. Afghanistan and mixed messages over 'mission' creep showed up the woeful lack of a compelling case for war and the presence of troops in the Afghan killing fields.

Is Kelly being stitched up over MPs' expenses? A vulnerable UK AAA credit rating? Unchecked immigration? Water off a duck's back. Buried deep was a question on a Downing Street petition calling for Brown's resignation. Buried somewhere was a significant policy announcement over the NHS.

A Party which cannot get a policy message across is doomed to failure. Shallow, insincere Blair could play the crowds, deal with a hostile press and capture a public mood.

The party game of will the Party dump Brown raised its predictable head, with Miliband’s apparent decision not to be seen as a rat deserting a sinking ship for Brussels.

Some have intimated Miliband made the decision over the EU foreign minister job all on his lonesome for the sake of his family. What rot. He'd jump at the job given half a chance. Both PMs call the shots here. For whatever reason decided in smoke-free rooms, Bananaboy is tied to Pussycat Peter's apron strings and at the PMs' beck and call.

Does that mean Mandy will finally cast off Brown like an old boot and make his move with a Miliband? And is Boney Blair still in with a chance as president of the EUSSR?

Whether it's the 'letter', Afghanistan, the economy or another fine mess, these are all messes of Liability Brown's own making. A man convinced of his own rectitude, bent on screwing up the country before the new lot get their feet under the table.

As Oborne pleaded: You may be doomed Mr Brown but stop dragging us down too:

"Gordon Brown's only motivation in office now seems to be to try to guarantee that Britain is ungovernable if Cameron wins power. Not only is this tactic reckless and shameful, it means that the British people will pay a devastatingly high price for the last six months of Brown's profligate government."

Watching a wounded dog die is not a pretty sight. Someone must put him and the country out of their misery. The questions remain: who, what, where, when, how? Or maybe why bother, when the old dog of a New Labour project has reached the end of its life.

Mid picture: Sun front page

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Mandy And Millie Show A Ratings Flop

The over-hyped Mandy and Millie Show has turned into another ratings flop for Team Brown. Voters tuned in, turned on and turned off.

The game of Party political personality posturing was exposed as a pathetic ploy to capture the news. But it seems there's little else left in Downing Street's sad old spinning world.

Fresh from gracing Her Maj with his lordy presence, Mandy The Unelected found time in Da Bizy schedule to pen a few words of support for the other Supreme Leader for Labourgraph readers, while banana-boy Miliband let it be known to Guardianistas he's available for offers, if battered Brown ever finally gives up the ghost.

It's a sad state of affairs when suffering voters have to put up with petty political bickering from an odd couple in a fag-end government propped up by peers. Voters gave them the boot in the Euro elections. But will they give up? Will they heck.

The Telegraph interview with Peter The All Powerful and the Guardian with the UK's absent foreign secretary Milibland have so much in common anyone could be forgiven for thinking it was all part of a dastardly plot.

Both managed to capture the news agenda for a short while until the electorate dozed off. Both figured high in the BBC political stakes. And both had absolutely nothing fresh to say on domestic or foreign policy. And who accused the Tories of reducing political debate to personality not policy?

Letting his new found glory go to his head, Mandy shocked the nations with the revelation that there will be another attempt to topple Brown from a “small group who keep coming back”. But the newly anointed prime-minister-in-all-but-name insisted he would not "lose any sleep" over it. Weasel words from someone safely tucked up in his ermine-lined pyjamas.

Meanwhile the boy who would be king has been sending shock waves around Westminster admitting he nearly quit the cabinet.

Well knock me down with an over-ripe banana. All rather strange coming from a foreign secretary who one might be forgiven for thinking, perhaps, he should mention a few foreign policy thingys.

Either put up or shut up. Perhaps when he's found some moral backbone, he will consider having a proper grown up go.

What next? Some strange Brown bear stuff in the woods?

Just what is the point all this palaver? Clearly both believe voters are interested in all the clap-trap.

Both are pushing the new mantra that the economy might come out of recession far sooner than some dull economist expected. The only weapon left in the depleted armoury of spin. A hollow strategy to rebuild Brown's battered reputation and try to give the rotting brand some new found street cred.

At a stroke it shows them up. Totally out of touch with the real world and real people who are worried sick about rising unemployment and making ends meet.

As James Forsyth points out over at the Spectator, apart from this line on the economy, there is little domestic policy message in either interview.

The Tory 'cuts' v New Labour 'invest' line didn't work after all that Brown sauce was exposed as a lie.

So it's left to the only hope left, the economy. Bring it on, dragged screaming from the depths of recession depression to cheer everyone up as Things Can Only Get Better with New Labour.

And all that hard on the high heels of Tears for Blears bleating on about how she was sorry for everything. Everything that is expect her expenses fiddle. Hazel: you now realise what everyone in Salford already knew. Your'e a sham.

The Orange Party made the point earlier that the Zzz-Team is sending voters to sleep. Now there's next week's Brown mini-me manifesto to look forward to.

All timed for the two up and coming by-elections in Norwich North and Glasgow North-East and a few nasty shocks in store at September's leaving Party.

Can the Labour Party ever wake up from its self-serving self inflicted insomnia? Waiting in the left-wings is an idea for a radial new manifesto from the Campaign Group.

Among the policies are: the restoration of trade union rights, more council houses, an end to public service privatisation, scrapping the Heathrow third runway, freezing and then abolishing student fees, scrapping Trident and ID cards and electoral reform.

For those in Brown Town, these are called policies.

Issues and a change of political direction that need to be debated and addressed. Policies from a true Labour manifesto which puts the frighteners up the bunch of saddos clinging on to their cushy jobs in a discredited New Labour brand with nothing better to do with their time than prop up themselves and bunkered Brown, boring the pants off voters with long-winded newspaper articles.

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Zzzz-Team Sends Voters To Sleep

Bullet-ridden Brown is wearing Mandy's crown. The Zzzz-Team has begun a fantasy fight-back sending voters to sleep. Dreaming up anything to cling to power, Brand Brown has a smug grin until the next time.

A mighty mandate for government change was delivered in the Euro election wipe-out but after beating off a limp challenge from lily-livered MPs, vengeful voters have to put up with the clap-trap for a little longer.

Bruised, beleaguered, battered and broken, it's not all bad news in the Bunker. Beaming Brown lives to fight another day in a fag-end government of the living dead, propped up by a self-serving bunch of yes-men henchmen.

The Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) was Brown-beaten into submission in a carefully stage managed show of sweetness and light for the Dear Leader. Paul Waugh over at the Standard has a blow by blow account of the gory details.

Some put their heads above the parapet. Few wanted to be cut lose from their cushy jobs as lowly ministers and pay roll MPs. In the end greed, self-serving interest and blackmail won the day.

Few had the guts to stand up to the bully boys. Team Brown played the final blackmail card: stick with me or lose your cushy seats. But there's no reason for the Dear Leader to look so smug.

New Labour MPs must be kicking themselves. Todays poll for the Independent shows starkly what many including the Orange Party were saying all along. With Johnson at the helm, the Party stood a fighting chance of beating off the inevitable Tory landslide saving some dignity and some seats with a well-hung parliament.

Now if this squalid spectacle is allowed to run its dozy course, bully-boy Brown is well and truly stuffed and MPs will only have themselves to blame. They blew it and now they and the country have to live with it.

And things can only get worse. Listeners had to put up with the mind-numbing garbage of banana-boy Miliband gabbling away on the Today programme. Spewing out the Party spinning line made for excruciating listening.

To cap it all, even the smoke and mirrors economic recovery miracle was wheeled out as an example of what New Labour can do. And all that from the boy who would be king. No wonder the Party would rather just curl up and die.

The only bit of reverse ferret policy to come out of the whole sorry mess is that it seems Mandy's back-door plan to sell-off Royal Mail may disappear up its own fudge in a move to keep the backbenchers sweet.

Lessons have been learnt. Next time there will have to an organised, cabinet-level coup led by someone the Party takes seriously, instead of fannying around going off half-cock.

Have another go they will. New Labour will do what it always does in time of trouble - tear itself apart.

A couple of bloody noses in bye bye election defeats, more of the ruthless smearing tactics of the Downing Street reservoir dogs and here we go again. Brown will be breaking out into a sweat and the knives will be out perhaps at September's Party conference.

For now it's Carry On Regardless Up Their Convenience as broken Brown and his cabinet cronies dream up anything just to cling on to power for power's sake.

But what has become clear is that the fate of the struggling Supreme Leader won't be decided by voters, parliament or the PLP. Power lies in the grubby little paws of an unelected and unaccountable First Secretary of State rewarded with a whopping bunch of ministerial underlings for saving battered Brown's skin.

Mandy is lovin' it. He's got what he's always wanted. All the powerful pleasure of being prime minister without responsibility. No Party spin line, no speech, no strategy, no policy, nothing will come out of Number 10 unless it has the blessing of the blessed lord Mandy.

When Mandy decided to move against Brown he will. The power behind the throne is wearing the crown. It's third time lucky for Mandelson.

What a sad day for democracy, the Labour Party, the parliamentary process and the country, when the fate of a prime minister is decided on the whim of an unelected First Secretary who's living up to his grand title and putting himself first.

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UK's Own Gitmo Hides Some Dirty Secrets

The shameful cover-up by the foreign secretary who lied to parliament over illegal secret renditions on the tiny crown island of Diego Garcia has been exposed, while the government's disgraceful dirty little secret has been systematically wiped from the official record.

Time and again the New Labour government has scoffed at suggestions the island was used as a Guantanamo (Gitmo) style black-site prison. 

Now two terror suspects who were flown by the CIA to the UK territory and later allegedly tortured have been named and evidence about their treatment has been revealed for the first time, according to the Guardian. 

Meanwhile the islanders who were ruthlessly deported to make way for the US base continue to face an uncertain future. 

As a UK territory, the islanders should have been be protected by the Crown and the island's future up to the will of parliament. Instead a  New Labour government has relentlessly persued a policy of cleansing and deporting the ethnic population, while being complicit with the US in using the island as a base for state abduction and Gitmo-style detention, rendition flights and interrogation. 

After repeated denials by ministers, fresh evidence prepared for the commons foreign affairs committee by Clive Stafford Smith, of the human rights group Reprieve, show two men, referred to by foreign secretary, David Miliband, had been rendered through the island in 2002. 

And the government had systematically destroyed flight logs for the US airbase, according to LibDems foreign affairs spokesman Edward Davy.

The government has an appalling record over the tiny island in the Indian Ocean since leasing it out to the US in the 1970s. Then locals were forced out to live in poverty more than 1,000 miles away in Mauritius, so the island could be turned into a US military base. 

One of the alleged terrorists held at Diego Garcia cited in the Reprieve evidence before he was flown on to Gitmo is the subject of a police investigation into "possible criminal wrongdoing" by the CIA and an MI5 officer.

Stafford Smith said: "It is time for the UK government to come clean about its role in the detention and to reveal who else has been held on and rendered through Diego Garcia, what happened to them there, and where they are now." 

Unlike Cuba's Guantanamo Bay, no-one can drop by Diego Garcia, even with a UK passport. Anyone entering territorial waters will be arrested. The  island, which has a huge airstrip, is full of US military and an army of cheap labour migrant workers to do the dirty work for them.

The government has a shameful record over the use of the island and the treatment of its people. In 2004, Blair exiled the whole population from the Overseas Territory when he issued an Order of Council stopping the islanders from ever going back, using the 'royal prerogative' without recourse to parliament or the crown. 

In June of last year the Orange Party highlighted the plight of the islanders which has been the subject of high court and house of lords appeals to no avail and the disreputable use of the UK/US military base.

Parliament had been repeatedly told no detainees have passed in transit through Diego Garcia or have disembarked there,  despite  long-standing suspicions the CIA operated one of its so-called 'black site' prisons on the island.

Commenting on the latest revelations, Davey, said: "These astonishing allegations fly in the face of the assurances given by the foreign secretary to parliament. The use of British territory for illegal state abduction and detention is unacceptable." 

Government ministers are happy to voice concern over Guantanamo Bay and how it's used to get round international law.  But time and time again the iron fist of government has refused to examine the truth of the allegations at Diego Garcia, while enforcing full-scale deportation of the population. 

The UK government's complicity in torture while burying its head in the sand and leaving the displaced islanders to rot, leaves behind one of the more shameful episodes of a discredited New Labour party and the sham of the  so-called 'liberal' credentials of its ministers. 

Picture: Ariel photograph of Diego Garcia

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Headless Chickens Leave Voters Cold

Ministers are floundering around sending out a staggering array of mixed messages to capture headlines and bewitch voters. But running around like headless chickens leaves voters bothered and bewildered. 

Hardly a day goes by without more spin and confusion. The Orange Party is starting to get a headache. God knows what the public must be thinking. 

A couple of treats over the last few days bring all the spin into sharp focus. 

First up slippery Jack Straw who, having failed to get secret inquests in his anti-terror bill, to rounds of applause from anyone concerned about civil liberties, suddenly pops up with the same cunning plan to allow inquests behind closed doors with the pathetic excuse of “national security”. Everyone knows this is just a way of avoiding coroners' stinging criticism over troop weapons shortages. So why the confusing flannel?

Yesterday's prize went to Mandelson's junior minister, Baroness Vadera with her ludicrous headline grabbing statement that she saw "green shoots of recovery". Hastily retracted, Vadera eats shoots and leaves. It grabbed the headlines but not in the way either she or Mandy intended. 

Today it's the Heathrow runway sham. At a stroke blowing the government's pretence of any green credentials out of the window and forcing backbench Labour MPs, particularly in the marginals, to write their election suicide notes. 

Today also it's Blair-boy Miliband whose suddenly woken up, smelt the coffee and decided the 'war of terror'  wasn't such a good idea after all. Where on earth has he been all these years? Seven years of New Labour foreign policy thrown out of the window. Where was the weasel-worded wonder boy's conscience then?

And if that's not all, the public has to suffer the ridiculous sham of the school league tables, now a totally meaningless yearly farce.

Meanwhile back in Brown's deluded world, he's running around like a headless chicken trying to look busy doing nothing, as the economy crashes around his ears, creating false hopes on the jobs front as every new announcement is swiftly rounded on and exposed as a sham. 

Still to come is Mandy's plan to sell off Royal Mail. He's sticking to his guns but faces a full-scale backbench rebellion, throwing the whole mess into a confusing spotlight. 

So much of the spin has Mandelson's paw prints over them and its starting to get up the nose of backbench MPs. 

Did Brown really know what he was letting himself in for when he allowed Mandelson to flee from the clutches of the EU and run for cover in his government? It seemed like such a good idea at the time and for a while the master of spin did his job, managing to head off any coup against Brown and paint the supreme leader in a good light. 

But, as the Orange Party warned at the time, Mandelson always came with a health warning. Too much spin is bad for the government's health. Tories, LibDems and SNP will be laughing all the way to the ballot box.

UPDATE: Backbench true Labour MP, John McDonnell, has been suspended from the commons for five days. His crime? Running off with the sacred mace and attacking Hoon over the Heathrow runway with the words: "You are a disgrace to democracy." Thank god there are still Labour MPs with the guts to stand up to these morons.

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Battle Lines Drawn Over Afghanistan

The hopeless and unwinnable war in Afghanistan is under fire again, as the government prepares to spin its way out of the Iraq frying-pan and into the Afghanistan fire. It is no coincidence that foreign secretary, David Miliband writes in today's Sunday Times with a weak case for keeping troops in Afghanistan, while new defence secretary, John Hutton, makes a "surprise visit" to Iraq. 

The UN mandate for US-UK led occupation of Iraq runs out at the end of the year. And the timetable for withdrawal has already been agreed by Baghdad and Washington, as part of Bush's legacy. 

The troop numbers game still has to be played out though, as the government here continues to use the Iraq troop numbers as a political tool. Brown's sudden appearance in Iraq during last year's election that never was, with a troop withdrawal announcement that never was, still leaves a bitter taste.

Miliband in the Sunday Times begins with the classic schoolboy device so beloved of spinners to capture an argument. 

"Christina Lamb is an excellent journalist. But...". He then goes on to try to rationalise why UK troops will continue to be sent to the killing fields of the new Vietnam. 

Lamb, a seasoned corespondent, made a powerful case for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan "What a Bloody Hopeless War" in last week's Sunday Times, backed up today by Simon Jenkins, once a lone voice, in what is called today this "mad war" in Afghanistan.

If Miliband had stuck with just praising Lamb as "an excellent journalist" and stopped there, he would have been right and his case for war demolished. 

The Orange Party has made no secret of its distaste for the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, warning back in July, that this was a war that could never be won and was developing into the new Vietnam. 

Fighting a Bush-Blair war on two fronts will go down as one of the most expensive and politically disastrous follies of recent decades and the most outrageous loss of life and human suffering since pompous generals and politicians ordered Tommy over the trenches at the Somme.

Troops will be withdrawn from Iraq, leaving a small historically traditional base, to that tightly controlled timetable, to coincide with when the government feels it will give them the best political advantage. 

Switching troops to Afghanistan will continue to escalate, until ministers stop copying Blair and his "taste for war". 

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Kelly Nails Miliband Colours To Her Mast

The mystery whether transport secretary, Ruth Kelly, jumped ship or was thrown overboard soon after Brown's conference speech, is clearer today, in a frank interview in which she fears a "drift to the Left" and heaped praise on Blair-boy Miliband. The "family reasons" excuse doesn't hold water. 

Kelly told the London Evening Standard: "The danger is very clear. The centre ground was forged for Labour by Blair and Brown in the run-up to 1997. Now there are people who see an opportunity to row back on that."

With a leadership challenge to Brown from the selfish opportunists in the Blairite Progress group, Kelly is in no doubt that heir-to-Blair Miliband is the best man for the job.

"He is one of the great talents the Cabinet - a star of the future, a real asset and a good friend," she said. 

It seems that Blairite challenge is still alive and the Brownites did indeed claim their first scalp as indicted here. Kelly hinted that more may follow in a cabinet reshuffle.

The expected true Labour challenge to the leadership didn't materialise over the summer. Instead it seems the trade unions have wrung some serious concessions out of Brown in return for party funding. 

Top of that list would have been action over the City fat cats who have helped to cause the current financial crisis. But Kelly said it was essential that the goverment remained "pro-aspiration, probusiness and pro-market".

"There are those in the party who want us to raise draconian regulation and restrict City bonuses. I don't agree," she said.

Kelly, who has lent a willing ear to government lobbyists in the Heathrow expansion plan and a number of high profile government lobbies, could be carving herself out a career move in the City. 

"Of course bonuses should not be for irresponsible short-term behaviour. But it's easy to have a knee-jerk reaction and as a party, we have to be very wary. If you go down that road, you can end up drawing the wrong policy conclusions, " she said.

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Brownites Claim First Scalp as Kelly Quits

Brown's iron grip on the cabinet and government tightened today as die-hard Blairite, Ruth Kelly, announced she was to quit the cabinet and stole the thunder of his conference speech. 

Kelly's announcement could not have come at a worst time for Brown as it makes his conference speech very much yesterday's news.

As Brown tries to head off a leadership challenge and assert his authority over a divided government, Blair's Progress group of plotters look to have been out manoeuvred for the time being.

The transport secretary used the code of stepping down "for family reasons" when in reality she joins a number of ministers who are fed up and know the game is up. The only question remaining is did she jump or was she pushed?

Others may follow. Chief whip, Geoff Hoon, is another who could face the chop and sent packing to Brussels to replace one of the New Labour architects and uber-plotter, Peter Mandleson.

However Miliband's clever high profile posturing has probably secured his future in the top echelons of a dying government.

Brown used his speech to the part faithful and unfaithful to give himself breathing space and to reaffirm his Blair credentials but in a Brown sort of way.

At the moment he's sucking up to his banking pals in the US, so that long-awaited cabinet reshuffle will have to wait until his return, perhaps timed to steal the thunder of the Conservative Party conference. 

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Brown's Keynote Hits Bum Note With Voters

Brown may have eased the pain of some of his thick-skinned and selfish band of MPs and ministers, worried about losing their jobs and seats in the next election but his 'keynote' speech to conference will hit a bum note with voters. 

He could have pulled a rabbit out of the hat to persuade people to vote for New Labour in the coming by-elections but there was no big policy here to create a wow factor. 

But then that wasn't the intention. It was to give Brown breathing space, more time and, as such, this was a New Labour speech - all style and no substance.

It was crafted to head off a Blairite leadership challenge and with "this is no time for a novice", sent Blair-boy Miliband back to the classroom and nailed his New Labour Blairite colours to the mast:

"New Labour has always been at its best when we have applied our values to changing times. In the 1990s Tony and I asked you to change policy to meet new challenges."

That will not entice back voters, who are turning away from New Labour in their droves, in Scotland and England, nor will yet another Brown rebranding and relaunch. 

Still this was billed as a Labour Party conference, so there was a sprinkling of the word "fairness" and a few crumbs of comfort, otherwise he'd be done under the Trades Description Act. 

Previous failed policies were spun as good news but only to name check the ministers and try to keep them in line with platitudes, to justify his judgement and mask their incompetence. But with the long-awaited cabinet reshuffle now more likely anytime soon, some of the die-hard Blairites were clearly not impressed.

In this two-faced speech he took a swipe at the media and at politicians who use their families to gain media coverage - and then used his wife to introduce him. 

And just in case the fat cats and business pals were having second thoughts about donating cash to the New Labour coffers, he reassured them:

"We are and will always be a pro-enterprise, pro-business and pro-competition government. And we believe the dynamism of our five million businesses large and small is vital to the success of our country."  

Miliband may have had delegates rolling in the aisles with his Frank Spencer impression but he did come out with one grain of truth by singling out Brown's achievements, complimenting him for his work in International Development and, er, that was it. 

Brown ended as he began, by speaking to the Party faithful and not so faithful, not to the people, with an election rallying call: 

"We will win, not for the sake of our party, together we will win for the future of our country." 

A strange call for something that, officially at least, is still 18 months away.

Brown is a dead man walking and his conference speech will not change that. Yesterday a call was made here for Brown to face 'death with dignity'.

Instead, he has chosen to ignore that advice and will now suffer the dire consequences, taking his beloved New Labour project with him but sadly for English and Scottish politics, also the whole of the Labour Party. 

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