tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3553440626649035970.post7661283551607770128..comments2023-12-10T16:30:24.965+00:00Comments on Max Atkinson's Blog: What do Nigel Farage MEP and Gordon Brown MP have in common?Max Atkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06163447049027217653noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3553440626649035970.post-66802113245931535812013-03-04T18:08:01.786+00:002013-03-04T18:08:01.786+00:00Rather surprised by Roger's suggestion that I ...Rather surprised by Roger's suggestion that I dislike Gordon Brown, because it's not true. But I did notice some Twitter exchanges about his non-attendance, which probably brought him to mind as a topical reference point in this context.<br /><br />However, I do admit to being very unimpressed by Monsieur Farage - and especially his recent bragging about the Eastleigh by-election result, even though he hadn't the bottle to stand for it himself...Max Atkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06163447049027217653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3553440626649035970.post-19921198942506447402013-03-04T13:14:22.881+00:002013-03-04T13:14:22.881+00:00OK we get it that you dislike Gordon Brown.
Firs...OK we get it that you dislike Gordon Brown. <br /><br />Firstly unlike Tony Blair who immediately resigned Sedgefield to take up the role of Middle East Peace Envoy Gordon chose as did other postwar predecessors who was defeated in a general election and resigned as party leader (i.e. Major, Callaghan, Heath, Douglas-Home) to serve out the full term he was elected to. <br /><br />And the convention generally is that former Labour Prime Ministers and leaders do exactly as Brown has been doing and do not put themselves to the fore (former Tory PMs and leaders are another matter altogether).<br /><br />James Callaghan for instance spent another 25 years in the Commons and the Lords after he resigned as leader and I can't remember him saying or doing a single memorable thing in any of them. <br /><br />Much the same applies to Wilson and Attlee (Kinnock of course removed himself to Brussels). <br /><br />And secondly there is all the difference between not turning up to a Parliamentary Committee to which you have had yourself elected (or however they do things in Strasburg) as in Farage's case and returning to being a pure backbencher in Brown's.Rogernoreply@blogger.com