Even if he loses, he will stay on?
The likelihood of a hung parliament has prompted Whitehall to draw up contingency plans that would give Gordon Brown extra time to form a viable administration if there is no clear winner at the general election.
They’ve been bigging this one up for a while now. I recall something similar in the lead up to 1997 and look what happened then. There’s a bit of me that suspects that people are not telling the truth when questioned by pollsters. I wouldn’t.
Anyway, that’s not what really makes the eyes pop – after all, planning for such an eventuality does make some sense and allowing time to form a workable government isn’t particualry contentious. But this:
Senior Whitehall sources stressed tonight that Brown could remain prime minister and try to create a working majority even if the Tories were to win most seats.
I’m sorry? Run that by me again?
Senior Whitehall sources stressed tonight that Brown could remain prime minister and try to create a working majority even if the Tories were to win most seats.
Yup, that’s what I thought it said. So he loses the election and the Tories have no overall majority, but the most seats, so are, therefore, the winners and Brown stays at No 10? Really?
Oh, but it gets better…
It also emerged today that it is possible that the chancellor, Alistair Darling, could even remain in his post – in charge of policy on sterling – pending the formation of the government, even in the event that he has lost his parliamentary seat.
Oh, come on now… Someone’s taking the piss. I’ve slept a whole day and it’s April 1st. I know that Brown doesn’t much like the inconvenience of elections, preferring appointment, but someone who no longer holds a seat in parliament remains ensconced in No 11?
That scenario would arise because Brown would remain as prime minister, and therefore responsible for all ministerial appointments, until it were clear that he was unable to secure a majority for his Queen’s speech.
Not good enough. If they have lost, they have lost. Pack up and move out. The party with the most seats should then be asked to form a government. All this worrying about the effect on the pound would have a little more credibility if they hadn’t completely screwed the economy when they were in a position to avoid the worst of the recession.
Senior Whitehall sources were keen to stress that it would be Brown’s duty to remain in place until it were clear that a successor exists who was capable of securing a majority for their own speech.
His duty is to fuck off as soon as possible. The successor would be the leader of the party with the most seats – that’s how it works.
I seem to recall that Mr. Heath was in this position in 1974, and stayed on a short time trying to arrange a coalition with the liberals. Presumably Mr. Brown is entitled to attempt the same.
Her majesty is bound to appoint whoever commands a majority in parliament, regardless of what mix of parties that majority is composed of.
Best we get used to it because Cameron is f—ing useless.
.-= My last blog ..Most hated vegies =-.
I have long (since he got the job) been of the opinion that they will have to drag Brown out of no.10.
We’ll see.
paulo
I am amazed we have even got this far. I really anticipated a terrible catastrophe, a terrorist attack maybe, and then the use of the Civil Contigencies Act to delay the the election until a time of Brown’s choosing.
This is tame compared to what I feared and only right on the edge on constitutionality rather than right over the line!
“There’s a bit of me that suspects that people are not telling the truth when questioned by pollsters. I wouldn’t.”
Who was it said taxation was about extracting the maximum number of goose feathers with the minimum amount of hissing ? A certain G Brown was a master at that. Stealth taxation.
I agree with you – we geese as hissing stealthily now.
Roll on the GE, if there is one. What odds Brown generating some national emergency which requires cancelling the GE ?
Alan Douglas
I have only vague memories of 1974. I do recall Heath being criticised for trying to cling on when he had clearly lost. The same applies here – if Brown does not get the majority of seats, he has lost and it is the party with the most seats who should be trying to form a coalition.
There’s still time – a terrorist ourtrage perhaps? I did wonder whether swine flu might be the excuse. We are getting very close to the deadline.
As we get closer to that deadline, the likelihood is getting closer to 1.
Brown could stay on even if the Tories did win more seats by negotiating a coalition government with the Lib Dems or the smaller parties like the SNP or DUP. It would look dodgy at best though I have to admit.
The Prime Minister is appointed by Her Maj and remains so until either he resigns or she sacks him. It’s nothing to do with elections. This is how executive government continues even after parliament has been prorogued in preparation for an election and nobody, technically speaking, is an MP at all – including the PM and all the cabinet.
Where the election does matter, is that a minority PM wouldn’t actually be able to do anything, so would be something of a paper tiger; and the “opposition” in such a parliament would be able to get its laws passed, if it so wished.
Broon might still try to hang on even in that situation, though – he’s delusional and practically in another world, after all.