Open Revolt against Gordon Brown

Two seconds after the polls closed James Purnell resigns and calls for Gordon Brown to

Stand Aside

James Purnell's letter reads

Dear Gordon

We both love the Labour Party.

I have worked for it for twenty years and you for far longer. We know we owe it everything and it owes us nothing.

I owe it to our Party to say what I believe no matter how hard that may. I now believe your continued leadership makes a Conservative victory more not less likely

That would be disastrous for our country. This moment calls for stronger regulation, an active state, better public services, an open democracy.

It calls for a government that measures itself by how it treats the poorest in society. Those are our values, not David Cameron's.

We therefore owe it to our country to give it a real choice. We need to show that we are prepared to fight to be a credible government and have the courage to offer an alternative future.

I am therefore calling on you to stand aside to give our Party a fighting chance of winning. And as such I am resigning from Government.

The Party was here long before us, and we want it to be here long after we have gone. We must do the right thing by it.

I am not seeking the leadership, nor acting with anyone else. My actions are my own considered view, nothing more.

If the consensus is that you should continue, then I will support the government loyally from the backbenches. But I do believe that this question now needs to be put.

Thank you for giving me the privilege of serving.

Yours

Rt Hon James Purnell MP

This must be the death of Gordon's reign. He should just Go Now before he takes this country into an even deeper abyss.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Pressure on PM as minister quits

Mandy and the Russian Billionaire

A new mystery involving Brown's new poodle Peter Mandelson. According to the Evening Standard.

Peter Mandelson faced new questions today over his relationship with Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. The newly-appointed Business Secretary is at the centre of a row over a potential conflict of interest, the Evening Standard can reveal, after two European companies sought his help following allegations that Deripaska's company cheated them over a $1 billion deal in Moscow.

Mandelson, then European Trade Commissioner, took up their case. To their surprise, the two companies then learned that Mandelson was enjoying lavish hospitality aboard the Queen K, the yacht owned by Deripaska, the man they blamed for defrauding them.

The revelation comes at an awkward time for Mandelson. The Business Secretary, now Lord Mandelson after his ennoblement yesterday, was parachuted into the Government by Gordon Brown at a time of grave crisis. Mandelson had already resigned from the Cabinet twice and this new disclosure yet again raises questions about his judgment. Why, it was asked, did he not declare a personal interest when his role as commissioner clashed with a friendship?

Mandelson dismissed suggestions that he had acted unwisely and, in a long statement to the Standard, defended his right to a private life. Yet the Russian connection raises nagging doubts at a time when the Government is fighting to stabilise the turmoil engulfing Britain's financial sector.

One day after he has been ennobled to be Gordon's new enforcer, he's already in the muck. Now there's a surprise for this man who has already had to resign twice.

H/T James A on Political Betting

Mandelson, the billionaire and a growing mystery | News

Scotland 1 England 0

Well that's the score in Labour leaders the countries have lost so far this year. I say England for Gordon Brown as we are now devolved and, thankfully, he has less and less influence in Scotland now since, the Labour Party was sent into a tail-spin at last years Scottish Elections. For once I am sincerely hoping that England can equalise, and very soon as well.

Wendy was the archtypical over-promoted politician and was really only typical Scottish Labour lobby fodder. She resigned from one ministerial position when it became rather obvious she was ill-equipped for the job.

Her promotion to leader of the Scottish Labour party was another complete farce especially when she managed to muck it up completely by accepting illegal donations and not correctly reporting others. Her punishment for this was very much the tap on the back of the hand.

Now we come to her actual resignation. According to Wendy

My pursuers have sought the prize of political victory with little thought to the standing of the parliament. Some may feel they have achieved a political victory but wiser heads will surely question 'at what price? It is clear that vexatious complaints will continue to dominate the headlines as long as I remain Labour's Scottish Parliamentary Leader. I cannot ask Labour supporters in Scotland for further forbearance.

She later told BBC Scotland that she thought the parliamentary process had been

"cynically abused" by political opponents who had used "investigation as political tactic". Ms Alexander admitted she had made mistakes but said there had also been "politically-motivated" complaints".

Now if she can't accept she has done wrong that's OK. She is, like Gordon Brown, a Son/Daughter of the Manse, who have a strange outlook on the real world, that what they believe is right and what others believe is wrong. This means she can lie about things but still be right just as Gordon can keep coming up with his "Brownies".

Wendy would like us to believe that the SNP have forced her out of her position. In reality much of the leaking and information about her donations and problems has come from inside the Scottish Labour party, the fact that other parties have decided to "help" her out of her position is just not surprising. I suspect, that in reality, Wendy has had a visit from the men in "Grey Kilts" who have quietly suggested that she should resign her position. I suspect she will not be very happy about this and, as such, may resign as an MSP as well at a suitable time.

I for one will not be sorry to her gone, especially as hopefully now I won't have to listen to the wee gobshite anymore!

James Mitchell: Wendy Alexander's resignation ends a leadership which failed to live up to expectations | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

PPS for Andy Burnham calls for Resignation

No, not for Andy Burnham but for a Tory PPC who made a "racist and xenophobic" jibe.

Mary Creagh (PPS (Rt Hon Andy Burnham, Secretary of State), Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Wakefield, Labour) had this to say during a debate on European Affairs.

The right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) is no longer in his place. We talked a lot about cojones when he was ribbing the Liberal Democrats earlier. I wonder whether it is a demonstration of cojones on the part of his leader not to reject Alun Cairns as a Welsh Tory prospective parliamentary candidate for saying that he would not support the Italian football team because they were a bunch of "greasy wops". I wonder why the Conservative party has not expelled someone who expounds such racist and xenophobic views— [ Interruption. ]

Order. Perhaps the hon. Lady could confine her remarks to the European affairs that we are discussing.

Perhaps she needs to think about the sexist and demeaning jibe that her erstwhile Boss made about Shami Chakrabarti and David Davis.

I find something very curious in the man who was, and still is I believe, an exponent of capital punishment having late-night, hand-wringing, heart-melting phone calls with Shami Chakrabarti.

Will she be asking for Andy Burnham to resign next week in Parliament. After all if she can get so hot under the collar about Alun Cairns then she should surely boil at this type of remark against her own sex, never mind the innuendo and effect that this sort of statement has on the husbands and wives of the people it is supposed to be a joke on.

For the EU to be effective, it must...: 18 Jun 2008: House of Commons debates (TheyWorkForYou.com)