The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Labour PPC attacks Brown as “worst prime minister we’ve had”

Wouldn’t it have hurt more if he’d just said “worse than Thatcher”?

By George Eaton Published 04 May 2010 11:46

After his astonishing speech to Citizens UK, Gordon Brown might have hoped to attract at least grudging admiration from some of his Labour foes. If so, he didn't factor in one Manish Sood, the party's candidate in North-West Norfolk.

In a last-minute bid for the award for political hyperbole, Sood has described Brown as the "worst prime minister we have had".

He told the Lynn News:

Immigration has gone up which is creating friction within communities. The country is getting bigger and messier. The role of ministers has gone bureaucratic and the action of ministers has gone downhill -- it is corrupt. The loss of social values is the basic problem and this is not what the Labour Party is about.

I believe Gordon Brown has been the worst prime minister we have had in this country. It is a disgrace and he owes an apology to the people and the Queen.

It's probably best not to devote too much time to what Alastair Campbell accurately described on his blog as the "bizarre ramblings of a candidate in an unwinnable seat".

But I'm still perplexed by Sood's insult of choice. Describing Brown as the "worst prime minister" invites us to compare and contrast Brown's record with that of Anthony Eden and that of Neville Chamberlain. Wouldn't it have been more cutting and incendiary just to say "worse than Thatcher"?

Follow the New Statesman team on Facebook.

Special Offer: Get 12 issues of New Statesman magazine for just £12

Tags: Election 2010 Gordon Brown

More from George Eaton

8 comments

Tue, 2010-05-04 17:15 — cameronp

This man clearly is seeking some self-serving publicity for his own ends.
Or, it is a cunning plan to encourage the 'thousands' of Labour voters in this seat to switch to the Lib Dems.
This man is on a par with the loony woman who set up a church to convert gay people back on the straight and narrow.

Tue, 2010-05-04 22:30 — jeremiah

God, even this guy's mother has disowned him!

Manish Sood is the worst Labour candidate in history, well him and Robert Kilroy-Silk..

Tue, 2010-05-04 11:52 — Guy Clapperton (not verified)

Much as I couldn't stick Thatcher, I have to acknowledge her strength as a Party leader and her winning every election during the 1980s."Worse than someone who kept her Party in order until she hung on too long, but kept winning elections" isn't much of a criticism, much though many of her ideals might have made my skin crawl.

Tue, 2010-05-04 11:58 — Terrible But True (not verified)

Shocking.

Who put him with 'that party'?

As in selected as candidate. 600 odd (some very) to find, put up and keep an eye on and then this. Imagine trying to govern 60M.

Whoever tries to foist such folk on the public doesn't deserve to lead.

Oh.

Tue, 2010-05-04 12:38 — Mr Dogger (not verified)

This candidate presumably has a personal axe to grind about something. Or is simply really stupid. What does he hope to achieve: its quite obvious that the media will punce on this like they did with Bigotgate last week.

Poor old Gordie: i do blame you, but i also blame the public who are happy to be blind to their own actions when the economy is 'booming'. We're all going to Hell and get the politicians we deserve.

Tue, 2010-05-04 13:08 — Pub Landlord (not verified)

Maggie is a national hero and a Saint.

As someone famous once said, Gordon is an unelected one-eyed Scotsman.

Bevan, Wilson, Kinnock, Foot, Blair, Brown, can you hear me. You Labour boys are going to take one hell of a beating!

Tue, 2010-05-04 13:25 — Medicine Man (not verified)

Maggie is not a national hero. She was, for instance, a good friend of General Pinochet and they shared similar views on many things. She was, by some distance, the worst PM of the post WW2 years.

Tue, 2010-05-04 13:26 — 9xzulug

pub landlord,speaks utter garbage.he forgets thatcher caused brothers,fathers to fight concening miners,she sold off all our assets for a quick killing ie banks,housing etc.what saved her r/wing bacon was THE FALKLANDS WAR.she played on patriotism.she encourage dog eat dog.she put in place the mess we are in now.blair could'nt turn back the clock of time so he then continued corporate knows best ideology(until the banks collapsed).we paid and deployed the army to find her son in the desert.we had ira still bombing mainland britain whilst she govern,we had race riots while she govern,we had poll tax riots while she govern.do you want me to continue PUB LANDLORD