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Brown's fightback gets personal
Joe Murphy, Political Editor23 Sep 2008
Gordon Brown made his fightback personal this afternoon by admitting mistakes but insisting his leadership is needed at a time of economic crisis.
"Let me tell you this is no time for a novice," he declared - a jibe thrown at Tory George Osborne and Cabinet rival David Miliband.
Spelling out his personal credo with unusual passion, the Prime Minister used the words "fairness" and "fair" 40 times in the hour-long address.
Fighting back after weeks of open plotting against his leadership, Mr Brown said he had learned from his errors but was always true to his beliefs.
"I know what I believe. I know who I am. I know what I want to do in this job," he said. "And I know that the way to deal with tough times is to face them down. Stay true to your beliefs."
His dour image was part of his strength, he suggested. "If people say I'm too serious, quite honestly there's a lot to be serious about."
Delegates saw a rare glimpse of the Prime Minister's tender side when he was introduced to the stage by wife Sarah, who spoke of her pride in his leadership and achievements.
Mr Brown kissed her, looking pleased and embarrassed before launching into what was billed widely as a make-or-break speech.
It was festooned with policy announcements, including an eye-catching pledge to abolish NHS prescriptions for all cancer patients, eventually expanding that to free drugs for all five million patients with long-term illnesses.
With promises of extra care schemes for the elderly and free nursery places for two-year-olds, he told the Manchester conference: "This is the future we are fighting for."
Mr Brown appeared to have found the warm tone and passion that had been missing from many of his speeches. Sounding upbeat he denied that there was an "inevitable political cycle" that doomed Labour to lose the next election. But he admitted he had made huge errors, especially the abolition of the 10p tax band that had "really hurt" him.
"Where I have made mistakes I will put my hand up and put them right," he promised. There was no modesty in the music played as he left the stage to a long standing ovation - Jackie Wilson's Higher and Higher.
Mr Brown name-checked every member of the Cabinet - but issued a clear warning to plotters that they were letting the party down.
"The British people would not forgive us if at this time we looked inwards to the affairs of just our party when our duty is to the interests of our country," he said.
Dismissing his own unpopularity with a joke, he said he never came into politics to be liked. And echoing US vice-presidential runner Sarah Palin, he said: "I didn't come to London to join the establishment - but because I wanted and want to change it."
In what will be seen as a sharp attack on Tory leader David Cameron for using his children in media appearances, Mr Brown said: "Some people have been asking why I haven't served my children up for spreads in the papers."
"And my answer is simple - my children aren't props, they're people."
Mr Brown also lashed back at Mr Cameron's claim that a broken society exists, insisting: "I don't believe Britain is broken ... this is a country being lifted up every day by the people who love it."
He left the stage to warm cheers - and shook hands with ministers including Mr Miliband who in turn joined in the applause.
But despite an ovation of almost four minutes, his performance could not remove a shadow from over his continued leadership.
In the sidelines, MPs and ministers said there were still doubts about whether he could avoid a challenge in the coming weeks or months.
But delegates said it was Mr Brown's best conference performance yet - with union leaders and the Left wing particularly enthusiastic.
Cabinet Office minister Ed Miliband called it "the speech of his life". GMB union boss Paul Kenny said he "came across absolutely brilliantly" while Unison's Dave Prentis said the hall "was with him".
Health
In the speech, Mr Brown announced that prescription charges for cancer patients, at £7.10 a time, would be waived from next year with the aim to extend this to all people with long-term conditions.
He promised more help for elderly people so they can stay in their homes longer rather than go into residential care. He also vowed to take on "vested interest" to ensure most GP practices open for longer, including at weekends and evenings.
Every person over 40 will also be able to get a free, universal health check-up from April.
Economy
Mr Brown said he would "make the right decisions to take people through the world downturn fairly".
He and Chancellor Alistair Darling would work to stabilise the turbulent markets and rebuild a new global financial system, he said, calling for more transparency, a return to sound banking and more "responsibility" from the City.
Crucially, he also vowed to remove "conflicts of interest so that bonuses should not be based on short term speculative deals but on hard work, effort and enterprise".
Public Spending
Mr Brown stressed that he had no "magic wand" to increase spending but moved to head off Tory accusations he had had wasted billions with little to show for it.
"Just as families have to make economies to make ends meet, so this Government must and will ensure that we get value for money out of every single pound of your money that is spent. But I say to you that we will invest it wisely, continuing our record investment in schools, Sure Start centres, transport and hospitals," he said.
Reader views (55)
Brown's politics are 40 years out of date and as dead as his old grannie - whose remains I might add would have been strewn all over the platform at the Party Conference had he thought it would have helped him retain POWER which is what the Labour movement is basically all about.
- Robert El-Cid,, Hull, East Yorks.,, 24/09/2008 09:24
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Fairness from the liar on the European referendum????
- C Adams, pont l abbé france., 24/09/2008 07:56
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Wife kisses - clap clap. Hey folks in future it's all free! We'll just take your pay packet each week - except those living on that wonderful minimum wage. What, that's most of us! We take theirs as well then.
- Frederick, London, UK, 24/09/2008 07:34
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"Let me tell you this is no time for a novice,"
Yeah - keep the incompetent lot that are already in place! That'll work.
Not.
- Rogan, DFW TX, 23/09/2008 23:33
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Well Gordon seems to have rattled the enemy given the nature of some of the comments submitted.
Perhaps their scared that Gordon has shown his true self and this may lead to him winning the next election thus preventing tories getting the snouts in the trough.
They say "cometh the hour cometh the man" well back in the 1990's Labour was seen as unelectable and then following the tragic death of John Smith a new guy called Tony Blair came along and not only made Labour electable but went on to win 3 general elections in a row.
Well apart from the "same old tories - who still think maffakin needs to be relieved" things have moved on and now Labour has in Gordon Brown a leader who comes from the "old school" who can talk of the values that ordinary decent working people have and not of giving billions in tax relief to the richest 3% but spreading it out to those who have paid it in!
Can those who complain about tax and government expenditure afford a fully funded private health scheme equal to the NHS which still wants you when you happen to fall ill with a long term condition?
As for those who feel a change of prime minister means a general election have the amneasia tories suffer from given that John Major did not call an election or Alec Douglas Hume because "We dont elect a prime minister we elect a government" its a pity british constitution is not a compulsory subject in education.
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 23/09/2008 22:43
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'Brown's Speech to the Party Faithful'
A good speech? Maybe, a bit like the Curates Egg -- 'Good in Parts'. The response from the floor of the Conference, was quite muted compared with Brown's maiden speech as PM, or the old hype (Smoke, Mirrors and Bulldroppings' during the Blair years as PM. However the real test will be the By-election in Scotland in 6 weeks time. Between now, the end of the Labour Party conference, and the opening of Parliament, there will be plenty of time for Brown and Cabinet to lay out the usual 'Blah!'
More laws will passed, more tinkering around the edges of the NHS, Eduction, Law and Order. More powers will probably be given to Town Hall Jobsworths, Local Council 'Pol Pots' and 'Joe Stalin' wannabees. Council Tax will be allowed to 'rip' to apy for all this. Of course the Government (Brown and Pals) will hold up their hands in mock horror and say that they must 'Cap Councils'. But the reality will be - 'No Action'.
More anti-terrist legislation, thus more erosion of UK Civil Liberties. Whats the betting that Brown sees the 'Writing on the Wall' of History, so the National ID Card system will probably be brought forward for 2009. Maybe all just supostion on my part, but their track record for 'Tinkering' and 'Bludgering' around the edges of policy is well known.
So, I for one won't be expecting anything much different from the usual ...'More of the Same' Blah! Blah! Blah!
- L Oncle Vanya, Chelmsford England, 23/09/2008 22:28
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There have been 3 notable tyrants in Britain since 1066. King John, Oliver Cromwell & Tony Blair. Brown is just a continuation of the same, power crazy and hopeless and he continues to sell us down the river with Utopian economic policies geared only to borrowing even more so as to spend even more which the ignorant of these isles unfortunately believe to be the right thing to do. A bit like a LARGE bottomless credit card, the likes of which got us in this mess in the first place. If Brown were to become 'employable' he wouldn't last the month out. Who could possibly trust this man with finances? Any bloody idiot could have done his job, running an economy based on 'borrowing.' During the Blair/Brown reign of terror, this Country has undergone the biggest social upheavel in history. Britishness has been obscured a bit like ink on paper under water. I cannot think of anything useful which has been produced for the benefit of the 'Honest working person' We are now even encouraged to 'GRASS' on each other, observed by cameras everywhere in the name of Terrorism which this New Labour government has encouraged and I see no difference to the regimes of Eastern Europe during the'Cold War'years. Snoopers looking in our bins and I have just read a woman has been fined for being too close to First Class in a packed train. This Aint the Britishness I came to know! I can't wait to see the back of him and all his cronies. Useless, Useless, Useless!
Gene Topley (Now living Overseas)
- Eugene Topley, Italy, 23/09/2008 22:24
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Sounded like a loser begging for another chance or more like Vicky Pollard wishing things were different. Get some moral fibre you bunch of girli-men and get out of English politics.
- Mike, London, 23/09/2008 21:45
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What part of; "Stop spending and wasting our money, you troll" doesn't he understand?
- Dave, Cornwall, 23/09/2008 21:01
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A waste of time, and typical 'Nu Labour'. Throw a few bribes the way of the population and hope it works
- David, London, England, 23/09/2008 20:39
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Nothing new from Gordon and another Brownie moment: not using his children as props because they are people; well what about Mrs Brown, Gordon, she was used today in a very non-people way.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK, 23/09/2008 19:09
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Brown has made his pact with the Non-Res, Ambrovich type, mega rich, who dont pay anymore tax than your average, suburban, normal person. Yet he is happy to persecute via various Government agencies normal working people. double standards? I think so.....Do Non res have a vote?.... lets have an election and lets kiss our wives in the privacy of our homes, not for a foto op.
- Bondy, london, 23/09/2008 19:09
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I felt absolutely downcast to see the travesty of the elder millionaires or should I say carpetbaggers of the Labour Party gathered together in the front row sharing their rapturous applause of every meaningless sentence uttered by Brown. So many of them have extracted untold wealth from their political meanderings and are obviously hoping for more to come!
- Robert El-Cid,, Hull, East Yorks.,, 23/09/2008 18:51
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He is an honest man and it is evident today in his speech
he has the experience to get us through this hard time.
- Elizabeth Thornton, London and france, 23/09/2008 18:33
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Broon ooooot!
-or-
Broon, get oota toon!
Then again on second thoughts, would I like to have that stupid little boy, who thinks he runs the FO, as PM ?
We want to see the WHOLE lot of them in the rubbish bin.
- Weddigen, London SW6, 23/09/2008 18:21
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He doesn't use his family as 'props' but then gets his wife to introduce him. Lies, lies and more lies.
- Richard Francis, London, 23/09/2008 18:19
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Brown's extensive use of the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan has put me off religion and politics for life. And how can you prostitute your wife so blatantly to buy votes! A shameful performance from a man who knows no shame.
- Sylvia Smith, London, UK, 23/09/2008 18:19
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Wally Brown won't use his kids as props but he shoves his missus on stage - what courage! NOT
- Cecil, Berkshire, 23/09/2008 18:19
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No one is listening Gordon. Heard it all before --just a load of old guff. You and the rest of your band of shysters need to understand, the people want you to go now, we don't want you and we are not going to put up with another unelected(by us) PM . ELECTION NOW : ELECTION NOW
- Brian Hunwicks, Spain and glad to be here, 23/09/2008 18:13
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What's fair about us having an unelected Prime Minister? £700 for a computer voucher? Carphone Warehouse gives them away with broadband packages, why is he not partnering up with someone like that? Just how out of touch is he?
Also, what buffoonery to complain about using family members as props after being introduced on stage by his Missus.
Despite the best attempts of the Labour spin machine, this speech changes nothing - Brown is a hopeless ditherer and needs to be ousted now. His goal should be to best for the country, not to remain in power.
- St, London, 23/09/2008 18:12
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A speech which, as you told us yesterday, was written by at least two other people, so not all that personal, really: can't these people do anything for themselves? And can't we get away from this mawkish and phony business of wheeling out the family to show how 'real' we are? Mrs Brown seems like a nice person, despite being a highly-successful PR manager, but we're not being asked to vote for her. And don't spending policies get announced to Parliament first, or have we completely forgotten how to behave?
- Mdj, Leyton, e10 london, 23/09/2008 17:51
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Lord Denning, Master of the Rolls in one of his rulings said: “If a man, suspicious of the truth, turns a blind eye to it, and refrains from inquiry—so that he should not know it for certain—then he is to be regarded as knowing the truth. This ‘turning a blind eye’ is far more blame¬worthy than mere negligence. Negligence in not knowing the truth is not equivalent to knowledge of it”.
Surely this applies to the so called prime minister as he cannot "fool all the people all the time"
- Peter Donoclift, Alfaz Del Pi - Spain, 23/09/2008 17:31
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So Brown got personal, did he? Let's hope the voters get personal too (when Brown finds the bottle to call a General Election), and kick the whole shooting match of New Labour charlatans, halfwits and chancers out of power.
- Ted, Shetland, 23/09/2008 17:28
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Hmmm. Interesting that out of 21 posts (so far), none are defending Gormless Gordon. Hopefully his and his party's time is up.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland, 23/09/2008 17:26
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Crash Gordon, he takes from the workers and gives to the rich and the lazy good for nothing labour voters.
- Bruce, London, 23/09/2008 17:26
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To everyone: please do NOT vote at all. Voting sustains the system, which is morally bankrupt and spiritually repellant. The system itself has to go, and we can get rid of it by withdrawing our vote and just ignoring them.
- Neil, london uk, Airstrip ONE ., 23/09/2008 17:25
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Computer vouchers for the disadvantaged - what planet is he on? For a start, as i am employed for a company in this sector, these people have no broadband account because they never paid their BT bills, so rely on mobiles. No broadband provider will provide them with a line, no PC will be available because they will be sold down the pub to feed whatever habit they have! The guy is deluded and living in a dream world...
- Gary, wycombe, 23/09/2008 17:25
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While Rome burns, Nero fiddles!
- Paul Freeman, London England, 23/09/2008 17:15
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Fair, fairness, fair, fairness? How fair was it of him to tax our pension funds, whilst leaving his and other public pensions intact...whilst WE have to pay for them?
Treat that as a mistake and do something about the fairness there Gorgon. And yes, I meant Gorgon. Never knew anyone to speak with as many hissing forked tongues.
- Naomi Sajeri, Manchester, 23/09/2008 17:13
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I didn't hear him say anything new or of importance. Just old Gordon rambling on and on and on and on about this and that and this and that. We have heard it all before. The fact is he a worn out, dyed in the wool, tired old man, trying to live in Blair's clothes, living in the past. Tax and spend. Borrow, borrow, borrow. While you the taxpayer pay, pay, pay.
- Albert Hall, Hove England, 23/09/2008 16:57
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This useless Brown has zero experience of a real job.
It's disgusting to hear him spout about business not keeping their books open and honest whilst he fiddles the nation's books to try and hide his own extravagance and monumental incompetence. Just two examples are PFI and the Public Sector pensions deficit.
OUT OUT OUT.
- David, East Grinstead, 23/09/2008 16:53
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If only he had some of his wife's charm. Looked and sounded like a soviet leader of the fifties announcing another 10-year plan for tractor production.
- John, Prestbury, UK, 23/09/2008 16:45
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God help us if he is the best Labour has!
- Jas, Alders UK, 23/09/2008 16:45
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Tax middle England to buy votes in the Labour heart land of the North.
We are all equal except some are more equal than others.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 23/09/2008 16:39
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Michael from London is so right. Couldn't put it any better. Brown Brown Brown - out out out!
- Delphine, Oxford, 23/09/2008 16:36
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Being one of many of thousands of people that lost their job last week, the only way in which people of this country can get any type of revenge on this abomination of a party is to vote Conservative and make our MP's feel as we do, worthless and inadequate. Only if these MP's wonder how they will pay for high prices in fuel, food and morgages will they then being to realise what a terrible state we are in!
- Raminder Bhalla, Northolt, 23/09/2008 16:04
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Apologising for the 10p tax mistake? Brown is making a fool of the people of this country...we still remember it had to take a backbench rebellion to disuade this mad man from proceeding with this unjust policy!!
- Dave, York, 23/09/2008 15:53
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I think the man has amnesia. He's forgotten his favourite buzzword, namely 'prudence'. Where are his sound fiscal credentials today? Each day, he launches his latest idea to give the bone-idle something for nothing. I am sick to death of this tax and spend government. If I ran my household finances like he runs our country's, the bank would be repossessing my house and I would be out on the street. It's way overdue for us to repossess his house - number 10!
- Tim, Bracknell, Berkshire, 23/09/2008 15:47
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Gordon Brown is a muppet - it is time to leave and turn the lights out after the party and let someone else clean up all the mess...if possible. I fear the UK will suffer the consequences of the economic and social mismanagement of Gordon Brown (first as chancellor and now as PM) for many years to come...He is such a damp squib and like the worst party pooper just doesnt know when to go home.
- Krista, Geneva, Switzerland, 23/09/2008 15:45
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Can someone tell me how he is going to pay for all of this?
Do we borrow yet another 150 Billion, after all, it won't come due while New Labour is in power!
- Minnie Ovens, USA, 23/09/2008 15:12
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I am one of the hard working people whose taxes have kept this country functioning while Gordon has fiddled. I support my family without state assistance and I plan to support myself through retirement. So I have done a damn sight more than "pull my weight". Throughout his tenure all he rewarded me with was more taxation. The one not "pulling his weight" is Gordon and his lacklustre government - call a general election. Gordon was not voted to be Prime Minister.
- Dannyp, Egham, 23/09/2008 15:07
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It's just more of the same. Please,please,please go and go quickly. How can he keep coming up with so many ways of spending other peoples money ? Is that how he thinks it will make people vote for him ? He is mistaken he has taxed us for years and will not be forgiven.
- Michael, London, 23/09/2008 14:53
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Brown Stuff is hardly the man to deliver Mark Antony eloquence....
- Tom, St. Albans, 23/09/2008 14:38
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Mr Brown saying people should not take ‘some-thing-for-nothing’, and then ‘nobody in Britain should get to take more out of the system than they are willing to put in’
Mr Brown I hope you are hearing what you are saying particularly as you and your party have been doing that since 1997.
- Ian, Reading, England, 23/09/2008 14:06
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no one wrote that speech for him he found it in the garbarge..what about an english man running the country,he,s hopeless
- Phil, usa, 23/09/2008 13:58
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He personally created the nothing-for-nothing society, so I doubt this will fool anybody but people stupid enough that they are already voting Labour
- Damian, London, 23/09/2008 13:51
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about ten years too late. and surprisingly no actual hard plans to back up the empty rhetoric again.
- Ag, The Village of London, 23/09/2008 13:06
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Nobody in Britain should get to take more out of the system than they are willing to put in.
Well that was NuLabour policy for the last 11 years, why should it stop now.
Who wrote this speach for him. It must had been overheard by an aide in a pub absolutely anywhere in the country, probably comming from the mouth of a very angry person who will never, ever vote labour again.
- Jimbob, Kensington, 23/09/2008 12:57
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Sorry, it doesn't wash. He's had 10 years to watch his predecessor and a year to implement. If it was going to be fixed it would have been fixed 'back then' and not after 11 years of prevaricating! Face it, Gordon, you've had your chance and you've blown it.
- Marianne, S W France, 23/09/2008 12:51
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McBroon's nose grows bigger everyday, just like pinocchio's. Does he really think that the public believes a man who has turned a blind eye to mass illegal immigration for 10 years, short changed hard working families in favour of those unwilling to work, taxed the working and middle classes until they are barely surviving, ruined countless millions of pensioners future financial security, spent billions on the NHS resulting only in longer waiting lists, filthy hospitals infected with MRSA and Cdif and with 30% of the population unable to afford or register with a dentist. Welcome to Browns present and future vision of life in the UK. Vote for Labour at your peril!!.
- Pip, Croydon UK, 23/09/2008 12:47
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Talk about closing the door after the horse has bolted. We already have all the 3rd world benefit scroungers for life.
- Charlie, London, 23/09/2008 12:30
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If you want ultra-socialism, then Brown's your man. Tax, tax, tax, and spend, spend, spend. Distribute the wealth just as much as possible. That's been his credo since he was a young man, and now he's exercising it full out. He is going to pull Labour into the ground -- into a hole so deep it will take a generation to dig itself out. Let them all pat themselves on the back in Manchester and go on endlessly about "Gordon's the man". It all rings false. In the corridors all the talk is how to get rid of Brown. How much longer can the fiasco go on?
- Phil Jones, London UK, 23/09/2008 12:28
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After 11 years of abusing our society, it's a bit rich for Brown to suddenly claim to believe in fairness.
- Ian, London, 23/09/2008 12:23
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The man has verbal diarohea.
- P I Staker, london, 23/09/2008 12:02
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blah, blah, blah, pifall, puff, splurt, snore did someone say something?
- Fly, london, 23/09/2008 11:45
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