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'Why rebels will not move me'
John Denham, MP, Universities and Skills Secretary15 Sep 2008
Cabinet members like me are said to be the target of the small but persistent campaign for a leadership election.
By threatening to damage Labour, some hope they will force "the Cabinet to act".
I support Gordon Brown because I believe no one else has such a good understanding of Britain's challenges and the ability to do something about them.
It's been a tough year. We've made some mistakes but it's the extraordinary twists of global economics that have changed people's lives and changed politics.
Talking to my constituents, I hear no great desire for a Tory government. We can win if our explanation of what has gone wrong rings true. But this campaign by a handful of MPs is prepared to destabilise and disrupt the positive Labour message. They seem to think the threat of making Labour unelectable for years will make people like me get rid of Gordon.
Suppose we did. Do they have a candidate? Not as far as any of us can see. Do they have a more convincing explanation of Britain's fundamental problems? Not that I have heard.
Of course we've got to make our case more effectively. I believe that Gordon and the Cabinet will do so. But threats and demands that something must be done, without a clue what to do next, is the politics of despair and destruction.
Reader views (3)
If there is not desire for a Conservative government, why are they 20 points ahead in the polls? When a government discriminates against the people its represents, as Labour does and continues to do, it will be voted out of office. Labour miss that vital message. Thankfully, this bunch will soon be unemployed.
- Anthony, London, 15/09/2008 15:36
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No one else in the Labour party has the ability to understand and do something about the challenges facing Britain except Gordon Brown - and they don't see that as a problem - well that sums it up really doesn't it.
Mr Brown's favourite words seem to be "fairness and "courage"
His followers are a bunch of fools who do not even have the "courage" of their convictions and who cannot see that the "fair" thing to do would be to call a General Election not a leadership challenge.
Of course that would put a stop to their blatent abuse of the public purse wouldn't it?
- Nemesis, scotland, 15/09/2008 14:47
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There is no alternative to Gordon Brown from within the Labour Party? If Brown proves to be as unpalatable to the electorate as the general mood suggests, this lack of a heavyweight successor will automatically mean a prolonged period in opposition for the party.
- Sean Gray, London, 15/09/2008 14:17
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