Gordon Brown

[Barry Scott]

As Juddie and a few others said, this won't damage Brown, it will help him. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it is all a carefully choreographed publicity stunt. The whole letter thing that is, i mean spin doctors are intelligent people and i've read enough marketing shit and buyer psychology crap where they state that typos, spelling mistakes and poor punctuation work to great affect when used correctly...

It's all used to bring that which is considered of high authority, down to the level of the generic reader and stoke their empathy glands. I mean look at it from that perspective, it's pretty much a home run. If it wasn't planed it is the luckiest thing to have happened to Mr Brown in my opinion.

[flammableBen]

Considering how many of Brown's PR stunts have been a bit of a disaster, I think that purposefully taunting a grieving widow, via use of an opposition supporting tabloid, might be a spin doctoring to far. I do love the cynicism though Baz.

As I said earlier, I'm more surprised that it hasn't been made a big deal of that he writes personal notes to the families earlier. There's been lots of angry relatives, and I doubt this particular one was especially bad. Slow news day for the Sun?

[iffy]

As Juddie and a few others said, this won't damage Brown, it will help him. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it is all a carefully choreographed publicity stunt. The whole letter thing that is, i mean spin doctors are intelligent people and i've read enough marketing shit and buyer psychology crap where they state that typos, spelling mistakes and poor punctuation work to great affect when used correctly...

It's all used to bring that which is considered of high authority, down to the level of the generic reader and stoke their empathy glands. I mean look at it from that perspective, it's pretty much a home run. If it wasn't planed it is the luckiest thing to have happened to Mr Brown in my opinion.

I love this. I have this picture of a spin doctor stroking his chin, saying "you know what we need, the PM looking like a spaz in front of a grieving mother. Reverse psychology innit."

[flammableBen]

If Brown's spin doctors are that good then Cameron is fucked. Maybe there is hope after all?

[Barry Scott]

Considering how many of Brown's PR stunts have been a bit of a disaster, I think that purposefully taunting a grieving widow, via use of an opposition supporting tabloid, might be a spin doctoring to far. I do love the cynicism though Baz.

Well you have a few good points. Brown has certainly never had anything clever or intelligent displayed by any PR guru who may be working for him. I just get a bit excited sometimes. And although i'm often very cynical, lets not forget that little is beyond the limits of low to which politicians will go. Also, using an opposition tabloid would be totally what they'd need, it removes any doubt from someone that it's a stunt, because they conclude the feelings on their own, not because an opposing paper told them "isn't it nice".

He could have sent many, many letters of that style, to many, many grieving people all on someone's advice, all in the hope that just one gets printed in an opposing paper. Papers on his side wouldn't print them, so they just have to sit back until someone like the latest person sends it to an opposing paper. Game on.

[iffy]

The number 10 spin doctor room:

Spin Doctor: So the plan is to write letters of condolence, by hand, until one of them gets pissed off and goes to the Sun.
Brown: Won't that be a lot of effort? I've got a shit load of stuff to do. Did you know all the banks are fucked?
Spin Doctor: No, it's genius. You just have to write five hundred, maybe a thousand, hand written letters over the course of two years in order to buy you maybe one or two days of bad publicity.
Brown: I liked doing it. I thought it was low-key and respectful.
Spin Doctor: No. It's revese psychology innit.
Brown: Why don't I just spit in someone's face?

[Barry Scott]

It's not reverse psychology. It doesn't matter what you or anyone else personally thinks of Gordon Brown, the fact is nearly everyone will hold him, in their minds, in a position of power, a position greater than there own and someone to be feared. This makes them untouchable, beyond the realm of regular people. It means you find it difficult to empathise with them and even more difficult to understand and take on board anything they say, because, they are so far removed from regular reality. They're simply just not part of the people, or general population.

By spelling badly and writing badly, it hits a cord with everyday man. A lot of people can't spell, alot of people don't write good. You instantly feel a connection. It brings Brown, a feared man, well above regular man, down to the level of Mr Normal; one of the people. It makes many people see him as like them, because they worked that out on their own, in their own minds from reading something already emotionally charged, the death of one of the people.

Or something like that.

[flammableBen]

Well you have a few good points. Brown has certainly never had anything clever or intelligent displayed by any PR guru who may be working for him. I just get a bit excited sometimes. And although i'm often very cynical, lets not forget that little is beyond the limits of low to which politicians will go. Also, using an opposition tabloid would be totally what they'd need, it removes any doubt from someone that it's a stunt, because they conclude the feelings on their own, not because an opposing paper told them "isn't it nice".

He could have sent many, many letters of that style, to many, many grieving people all on someone's advice, all in the hope that just one gets printed in an opposing paper. Papers on his side wouldn't print them, so they just have to sit back until someone like the latest person sends it to an opposing paper. Game on.

I'm normally a cynical fuck too, but the fact that none of his PR people have highlighted that he hand writes letters to the war dead whilst he's been in charge makes me think that:

A) That like you it was a crazy long game, it would come out eventually and work in his favour.

B) Just a nice thing to do.

C) A combination of the two, maybe doing something nice can be just nice, and worth good PR without getting all cynical about the reasons.

I'm not a big brown fan. Actually that's not completely true. I disagree with his Thatcherite new labour policies as much as I did with Blair, but I think he's a better PM. His problems stem from the fact that he bottled calling an election soon after he got in charge. Fractions in the party betwen Blair-ites, Brown-ites, and Old Labourists, leave him with not enough power to control all of them and he's been left a bit impotent.

He must seriously regret not calling that election, at worst he would have got a hung parliment, but at least he'd have had some actual support to back himself up with.

It seems unlikely that it will happen, but I'd prefer a renewed Gordon, with a real mandate to rule than the tories.

I think that the labour dissatisfaction is nothing compared to the dangers of a David Cameron desperate to get Euro-Sceptics onside. That and (bigger) public spending cuts worry me.

Saying that I'll probably vote lib-dems. It depends on what sort of libdem is running here. They're a party also split, with them it's between social + market libertarianism and just being socially liberal.

Wait and see I guess. There's months to go.

[Bogus Dave]

I want Brown to win. Camerons a smug twat, whereas Browns a loveable oaf.

Everyone loves a loveable oaf.

[The Artist Billy Paynter]

Oi Jacqui James

i iz well sorri for dat letta innit.
just wan2 let u kno ur son woz sick in helmet prison
an woz fiteing for a gud cauze

safe

Gordon Brown

Tb x

[red socks]

Sadly the UK has a large population of working class morons, told what to think and who to vote for by the Sun. Sadly they will vote for an old Etonian personally worth about £40m and his rich pals to run our country for their own benefit.

The Sun = Scum. Good to see them showing their true colours at last.

[dell boy]

I want Brown to win. Camerons a smug twat, whereas Browns a loveable oaf.

Everyone loves a loveable oaf.

Brown is a ****, definitely an oaf, totally out of touch with the general public and close to being one of the most hated PMs of all time.

[Ardiles]

Brown is a ****, definitely an oaf, totally out of touch with the general public and close to being one of the most hated PMs of all time.

I think you're exaggerating there.  There is nothing remarkable about the way the public feels towards Brown.  Just a text book case of the Labour Party having been in for too long and the electorate being ready for a change.  This doesn't even come close to the way sections of the public were baying for Thatcher's removal 20 odd years ago.

[dell boy]

I think you're exaggerating there.  There is nothing remarkable about the way the public feels towards Brown.  Just a text book case of the Labour Party having been in for too long and the electorate being ready for a change.  This doesn't even come close to the way sections of the public were baying for Thatcher's removal 20 odd years ago.

The man is an non-elected baffoon. Total exaggeration on the 'most hated' bit. Maybe I just hate the man, and, I have not once heard a positive or likeable comment ever made about the bloke by the general public.

I loved Maggie Thatcher by the way.

[juddie]

well if Cameron gets in, god help all of us.

This country's f*cked which ever way you look at it. All politicians are cnuts.