Morning:
14°c
Harman: How do you rate Brown? Marks out of five
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent14.09.09
Harriet Harman was accused of plotting for the Labour leadership today after it emerged she canvassed activists to rate her own and Gordon Brown's performance.
As the Prime Minister struggles with poor poll ratings, the Standard has learned that a team working for the deputy leader took soundings from grassroots party members.
The canvassing, which was conducted by party volunteers, led one Labour MP to claim that Ms Harman was jumping the gun to succeed Mr Brown.
Local party officials, normally the constituency secretary, received Sunday night phone calls from Ms Harman's office asking a series of questions about Labour's performance including:
* “Who do you think is the best person to sell the Labour party?”
* “On a scale of nought to five, how do you rate Harriet Harman?”
* “Out of five, how do you rate Gordon Brown's performance?”
The survey will spark speculation that Ms Harman, who triumphed in the deputy leader race in 2007, is refining a computer database for a future leadership bid.
Local party members are crucial in a leadership race as they have a third of the votes in the electoral college, as do Labour parliamentarians and unions.
One Labour MP whose senior local party officials had a call from Ms Harman's office said: “Harriet Harman would be better off talking to voters, not positioning herself for any vacancy should it occur. Some people are making the assumption that Brown will go before the election and that it's just a matter of timing. Harriet Harman seems to be preparing the ground to run for leader.”
A key aim of any leadership campaign would be to identify supportive local party officials to back the candidate, get actively involved or provide details of Labour members to woo.
The question about rating the performance of Ms Harman, who is also Labour party chairman, would provide her with crucial early intelligence on local officials to target, one insider said. Ms Harman's office rejected the suggestion that there was anything untoward in the calls, insisting that they were a “regular occurrence”.
A spokeswoman said: “This is something that Harriet has been doing for quite a while.
“When she won the deputy leadership campaign, she pledged that she would keep in contact with party activists and she has done that ever since. As part of that commitment, she has a team of volunteer activists who regularly ring around to hear the opinions of grassroot activists.
“It's a very useful and important means to keep Harriet in touch with the party and it's something that is appreciated by party activists.”
Ms Harman's husband Jack Dromey is deputy general secretary of the Unite union. She will get a key chance to influence union leaders when she replaces Gordon Brown at the annual TUC dinner tomorrow night.
A YouGov poll today put the Tories on 41 per cent approval with Labour marooned on 27 per cent.
Ms Harman today declared that major reforms to clean up Parliament would be in place before the next general election. In a speech in her capacity as
Commons Leader, she said MPs who overclaimed on expenses would be forced into a “payback” scheme.
“When social security benefits are overpaid, even where it is simply a mistake, they have to be paid back. The same principle must apply to MPs,” she said.
Ms Harman said expenses had to be sorted out and Parliament strengthened and made more representative. “All this can and will be done so that when it comes to everyone being asked to cast their vote at the next general election, they will be able to have confidence in the system to which they are being asked to elect their representatives,” she said.
Soundings about the leadership will be taken among MPs at Labour's conference in Brighton later this month.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson, who lost the 2007 deputy leadership contest to Ms Harman, yesterday insisted that Mr Brown was the “absolute best leader of our party”.
“We cannot as a team stand in the middle of the pitch deciding who our captain should be while the other team runs rings around us,” he said.
Derek Simpson, leader of the Unite union, has backed Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to succeed Mr Brown if he stopped being leader.
Reader views (57)
Try and get even money on a liebour win, from any bookie in the land, nuf said.
- Ken Winter, bishopauckland ENGLAND
Best person to sell the Labour party: same as the man who should be leading it: Frank Field.
Rating Ms Harman out of 5, I would give her -10. She's an even bigger electoral liability than Gordon Brown.
- Elliot Kane, London, England
To use a hallowed Eurovision song contest phrase, "nil poi!".
- Mark, London
She's all we need. Your worst nightmare.
- Roger, Winchester, England
Why bother with 0-5? A yes or no in the national election ballot box would do the job just as well if not better. That way EVERYONE affected by it gets a say in the matter, not just the party die-hards.
- Rogan, Irving
I have read constitutional law. If the Monarch so much as dared to dissolve Parliament of her own volition, the supremecy of Parliament would have been challenged and either she would have to abdicate or the Monarchy would have to go.
All those reserved powers to which you refer are useless in practice. Each year that goes by the Monarch's power wanes inexorably. You only have to look at the way Blair treated the Queen to see what an irrelevancy he thought she was.
- Captain Black Of The Mysterons, London, England
Well said Phil Jones.The more important issue in our lifetime and we have no choice in the matter,says it all really.Wait until they abolish our national anthem and flags and make us swear alligence to the EU then the population will suddenly realise what all the fuss was about.
- Stephen, London
Agree with Phil Jones - any so-called 'Party' which will promise an EU referendum gets my vote. But I'd rather vote for an MP-with-a-mission than any 'Party' hack so where can I go? System is bust, and it will take decades to change it. HMQ could help...
- Steve, London, England
PLease god let her be elected as leader of the Labour party. Please god let it end there.
- James Town, Braintree UK
Gordon Broon - frying pan. Harridan Harperson - fire.
Anyway, I can't think of *any* Labour front-bench politician who I'd vote for, and I suspect the same goes for more than half the electorate. So on they blunder, clinging to power, dead from the neck up, hoping against hope that something will turn up to save them in the next eight months.
- Nigel, London
What on earth makes this rather stupid woman think she could possibly lead the country? Does she not realise that at least half the population is male and we all think she is nuts and has one agenda only, her own self advancement?
- Colin Macpherson, Gramat France
This just shows how out of touch Labour is with the electorate. For Harman, (Milliband, or any other Labour 'notable') to even consider themselves electable is a joke, can they not see they are part of the problem, and, held in total contempt by the general public! For Labour the real problem is, that they allowed their party to be hi-jacked by 'champagne socialists' or 'armchair socialists' people who have nothing in common with the working person, or, the labour movement! By selling their soul to 'New Labou' they have dammed themselves,and, their Party, and, will be walking in the wilderness for many, many, years, if not forever! That is the reward for betraying their ideals, and, selling out/buying in to the biggest conmen this country has ever seen, Blair, Brown, Mandleson, all egoists, unfortunately not one of them, including Harman, an idealist!
- Kevin Sullivan, Roehampton, London.
i will never stop to educate the ignorance that we have different political regime. We don't vote Brown.. We vote our MP'S. We you go against your MP who is doing a good job because you dislike Brown. If the answer is yes.. change the political regime rather than blaming it on Brown
- Alex Lisinge, Putney
Harman must know that her time as PM would be very short-lived, even if she were to oust Brown.
However, the country would be left with yet another ex PM with another gold plated pension plus lifelong security to pay for. Could this be the prize she's really after?
Surely, if Brown is ousted by his party, a general election must take place before yet another unelected prime minister is thrust upon us.
- George, Cambridge UK
Go on Labour - shoot yourself in the foot. Elect the unelectable (rather than not elect the unelectable like you did last time). If you really want to stay in office elect someone that talks sense - about the only person that does amongst you gang of economic illiterates: Frank Field.
- Jimbob, London
“Who do you think is the best person to sell the Labour party?”
“On a scale of 0 to 5, how do you rate Harriet Harman?”
Ha ha Nuff said.
- Bj, London
Brown is doing a damn fine job of making Labour unelectable; Harridan Harperson will put the icing on the cake and consign the party to 12 years on the other side of the House. Here's hoping she gets the job.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
hattie at the helm is too much for a poor boy to contemplate, meerly replacing the captain of the titanic with a stocker third class as the doomed vessal closes on the iceberg. but having said that there is no person in the red brigade that could possibly avert the political disaster that is new labour and none to soon will overwhelm the pathetic death throes and thrust it into untold years of political and moral oblivion.
however don't forget the blue jobs appalling previous administrations and be not fooled that the present false faces will fare any better.for the vast majority of politicos are self serving egotists who really care little for those they proclaim to serve and those that rise to the top of the greasy pole are the most ruthless and determined. little of worth has ever really been solved by such people and more often than not they muddy the water , complicate the issues and postpone the inevitable until they are safely off the premisis,and away before the stuff stains the wall. blair and bush being superb examples.
- M.O'Brien, london.uk
Oh please let it happen. To see Brown suffer the ignominy of being booted out AND Harperson to have that smug grin wiped off her face after an election rout is too much to hope for.
- Rob, London
If Gordon Brown is re-elected, I'm leaving the UK. If Harriet Harperson is elected, I'm NEVER coming back!
- Stuart Robb, London
Darius, London: I can assure you that us women will never ever vote for Harman. We think she is a stupid, idiotic person who is even worse than Brown.
- Lin, London England
Gordon Brown is visibly crumbling and it is not a pretty sight. I he cannot understand that it is time for him to go, then he must be pushed. I do not believe that he is capable of functioning as PM any longer and so, if only for the sake of his health, he must go now.
- Carl, London
If Harriet Harperson becomes Head of the Labour party , the time would have come for the people of this country to rise up , storm westminster, and set up a SENSIBLE form of government for the people of this country.
We Have all been shafted and sold down the river for far to long by mainstream parties , with other agendas in mind, i.e the european gravy train.
It's time to wise up people and watch what is going on around britain at the moment.
MR (MY BLOOD BOILS) PASTRY
- Mr Pastry, london
Whilst we are on the subject of this lousy government, where are we on the subject of politicans' expenses etc? Is there a ful list anywhere of who has repaid what, who has resigned in shame, who has been kicked out and what is going to happen to the hundreds of guilty ones we do not know about yet? It all seems to have been left up in the air. No change there then but surely MPs can't get away with this dishonesty.
- Marina, East Anglia
Alan, London: You may want to do a little constitutional history research yourself; the Monarch does have the power to refuse assent to any bill before Parliament (a power that was used to good effect by her father). She is duty bound and empowered to protect those rights granted to us by Magna Carta and the 1689 Bill of Rights (not the least of which is the primacy of our own sovereignty), which NuLiebour have claimed obsolete.Both have been used recently by MPs squirming over disclosure of their expenses, thus proving beyond reasonable doubt that they are very much alive.
Back to Harridan Harpy; bring it on, she will only hasten the demise of this stinking Britain-hating government.
I have just watched Lord Mandlieson, Archenemy of truth and Democracy, preaching the virtues of NuLiebour's "success" and talking about the values of "social democracy" in a speech at the LSE.
There is nothing democratic about this individual. He was not elected (in fact he was signally rejected by the electorate), not acountable and his position in Britsh public life is wholly offensive and an affront to the democratic process. He typifies the NuLiebour Politburo and the oppressive totalitarian regime that rules them from Brussels.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
It just shows how totally deluded this vain arrogant hypocrite is. Does she really believe that she could follow Maggie as the next female leader of this country?
Think again dear, and then pop off and make the tea.
- Ronnie, Billericay England
Not sure how to break the news to Harman and her supporters,but the truth is she is hated as much as Brown,if not more so.What does this thief think,we the public have forgotten her stealing public funds .
- Dave, london
please , i'm not fussed . either of them as leader for the next election will ensure that we wont have another labour government until you can take day trips to the moon
- Clive, london
A leader of any party should be chosen by his/her qualities, not by gender. Harman has tried to make gender an issue in her favour. She has even said that Labour should always have a man and a woman in each of the two top posts. We need to ask what else she has to give except ambition out of all proportion to her political talents. The answer is obvious.
- Alex, London
Harriet Harman would make a great leader of the Labour party. I would vote for her because I like a good laugh !!. We may then never ,ever have another disastrous NuLabor party elected in the UK again. Come on Hattie you can do it , make my day, declare yourself a candidate.
- Keith Priceless, Luton
Harperson is one of those nausiating feminists that support comprehensive edcation for other people's children, but sent her own to a private school. Her government abolished the assisted places scheme for bright kids from poor families, condemning everyone to a bog-standard comp while she enjoys the priveleges of the private sector like a good socialist.
- Neil, London, London UK
Harperson has always felt she should be leader - she has a huge sense of entitlement - after all, she's the daughter of a Baroness,went to St Paul's (private)school etc.
She sent her own kids to Grammar and Private Schools despite being virulently anti same!
Yet she got away with it - and if you can get away with that kind of hypocrisy, you can get away with anything.
- Liz, London,UK
It won't make any difference who leads either party at the next election.It doesn't matter who wins. On January 1st 2010 the European Constitution comes into force and the UK will cease to be an independent nation. Manual Barrosso will be our head of state.We might as well elect Basil Brush for all Westminster will be worth.
- Andrew, Ely UK
The Queen is a constitutional monarch and has no power to intervene. If she did, it would soon be the end of the monarchy.
- John D, London
Sandy (Ealing): you might want to try reading a book on our constiutional history, and something on constitutional law. It might just help before you make comments about the role of the Monarch in our constitutional settlement. This really isn't some tin-pot African dictatorship.
- Alan, London
Bunker mentality, but the blue troopers are closing in for kill - not a pretty sight.
- Ted, London
The its all 'a mans fault' attitude will not win any male votes at the ballot box - not very clever Hariet was it.
In fact lets be honest - Labour will not be winning many votes full stop. I think its safe to say that the next Government will not be Labour regardless.
- David Pearce, Manchester
The last person that Labour had as a person of stature was Atlee. Since then, Labour has equipped itself with mundane, insensitive apparachiks and will shortly crown Harman as number one, which will continue the downward spiral.
- Bingham Macnamara, lymington, hampshire
It's like watching the crew of the Titanic squabble over who should be the captain as it disappears under the waves.
- Kevin T, Beckenham, Kent
After more than a decade of destruction, can this government seriously think we will re elect it ?
When Brown was the worst chancellor in British history, only a couple of Labour MPs dared criticize his obvious folly.
The brand is damaged beyond short term repair, & needs at least 10 years in opposition. If it emerges as pro British, & seeks to dump the Politically Correct nonsense, & stand up to the corrupt EU it may be able to equal the Lib Dems as a
useful opposition.
Meanwhile the traditional Labour core vote will leach to the nearly respectable BNP,
& the highly interesting Conservative Party
- British Not Racist, Bracknell England
How much more evidence do we need to show that Labour has no hope whatsoever of winning the next election. What a choice - between Gordon who has not got a clue what to do next and is being led by the nose by Mandy and Hatty who is barking mad. We could of course have Postman Pat (current Home Secretary) or the ex car worker (current Defence Secretary) as PM. No wonder we are in the mess we are. No idea, no talent. Mandy is now spouting off about Labour cuts; but I thought that was the remit of Alistair Darling who is about the only person in the cabinet with any integrity. Perhaps Mandy doesn`t like anyone in the government telling how it is. Wonder what Mandy will do with Harriet, I thought he was saving the job of PM for himself.
- B Gare, Norfolk Gorleston
And Queenie just watches! Some Head of State! Useless and wilfully powerless, because to assert any authority would raise the ire of politicians, who just want her there as window dressing and to confer knighthoods and stuff. And she mustn't put the family business at risk. People talk about the politicians being pre-occupied with self interest! We have no written constitution and she has all the power in the world if she has the guts to use it. In fact in the present political climate she will never have a better opportunity, and she would genuinely endear herself to the nation by taking a stand and dissolving the present parliament.
- Sandy, Ealing, London
Harpoison as PM? HA! HA! Never in a million years!
- Judith C, London, England
She probably thinks that she would get more women`s votes if she were leader.
This may well be the case, and could well split the vote so a hung parliament would be more likely.
That would lend insult to injury to our battered country.
We really need a "taxpayers party" (those that work to pay for it all)to bring back fairness to our society, or any trace of social cohesion that is left will be wiped out.
This would not bode well for our future.
- Darius, London UK
If the people of the UK have no confidence in Brown and his goverment. Then surely there must be a case for the crown to step in and ask other parties to form a goverment? replacing Brown with harman would appear to be going from bad, to worse!
- Bill Dolan, New Zealand
I am reasonably confident that no matter who New Labour puts up as its leader come the next Gneral Election, they will lose.
They might as well put up a gorilla as their leader - Opps, wait a minute!
- Captain Black Of The Mysterons, London, England
How bad have things got when Harperson thinks she's a viable alternative to McBroon ?
- Cratchet, HLC, LINCOLNSHIRE.
I think a party should aspire to greatness. They should try and select a great leader, an individual of outstanding talents. Harman lacks too many qualities to be a great leader. I think her greatest failure is self-awareness.
- Alex C, London
There's one issue that would swing Labour's fortunes, as far as I'm concerned. Just one issue. If that party suddenly had a dramatic reversal and promised on a stack of bibles to honour its previous pledge to give the people a referendum on the E.U. Constitution (Lisbon Treaty). This time it would have to be a rock-solid pledge with guarantees. The issue of whether the U.K. continues as a country rather than as part of a bigger country is so important that even someone who massively despises Labour such as myself would consider them. Are you listening, Dave Cameron? Get off the fence and let the British people know where your party stands on the Lisbon Treaty!!! Failing both a reversal by Labour and Dave jumping from the fence, I'll be voting for UKIP!
- Phil Jones, London UK
This is the most corrupt government in the western world and will be kicked out of office at the next election. All those guilty of misappropriation of tax payers' money to buy second homes must never be allowed hold public office again.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
Harperson has less chance of becoming Prime Minister than I have of going to the moon.
GET THESE PARASITE HYPOCRITES OUT OF OFFICE NOW.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR
Is Liebour really that stupid that they'll let a quarter-wit succeed a half-wit?
- David, soton
Yet more rubbish from Batty Hatty - which nutter will ever employ this creature again?
- David, soton
That's it 'luv, do as much damage as you can before you're booted out.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Here's another MP waking up to the fact that they will be out of a job come the next election. She's suddenly decided she'd better try and save her skin. Some hopes !!!
- John.W, east kent
That's just what's needed: yet more ill considered and rushed legislation from a bunch of loons that will find themselves unemployed after the next election so won't have to live with the resulting mess. And who is behind it? None other than the Harperson, the epitome of a Clown in Chief.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
This from a woman whose party is corrupt to its very core. They've done nothing about this - except for stuffing their snouts ever deeper into the trough of their tax-payer funded expense accounts and now they expect us to believe they've had a Road to Damascus conversion.
Call an election so that we can put them out of our misery.
- Thomas, London
