A squalid day for democracy: Brown quits but cynically bids to keep Labour in power

Daily Mail ^

[Chet 99]

Gordon Brown declared he would quit yesterday - even as he launched a jaw-dropping bid to keep Labour in office in a 'coalition of the losers'.

Meanwhile the double-dealing Lib Dems were accused of holding Britain to ransom.

In an effort to defy the verdict of the voters, the Prime Minister risked a constitutional crisis by unveiling a cynical plan to woo Nick Clegg and cling to power.

He said he wanted to assemble a coalition government with the backing of the Lib Dems and then stand down in favour of another unelected Labour prime minister in the autumn. Mr Brown torpedoed a power-sharing deal between the Tories and the Lib Dems by announcing that he was ready to change Britain's voting system without consulting the public in a referendum - if Mr Clegg agreed to prop up a failed Labour government.

On another extraordinary day in Westminster, it was revealed that the Lib Dems have been conducting secret talks with Labour at the same time as they have been in formal negotiations with the Conservatives.

Mr Brown, making a statement in Downing Street, said he intended to remain in Number Ten over the summer to form a 'progressive alliance' with the Lib Dems and other smaller parties, including nationalists, MPs from Northern Ireland and the single Green Party MP.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/election/article-1276808/Gordon-Brown-resigns-Brown-quits-cynically-bids-Labour-power.html#ixzz0nZZo1uAF

[SmokingJoe]

O said it before. I'll say it again. Gordon Brown is Algore Jnr. This is but a foretaste of what we are going to get in this country when the Narcissist in Chief gets clobbered in the polls in 2012. For the first time in American history, a defeated president(0bozo), will try to cling to power, using one pretext or the other, even after he'd been defeated at the polls. The Kenyan is too arrogant to accept the fact that he is not wanted. He will getting psychiatric treatment for years, after he's been kicked out of power.

[arthurus]

Cameron and the Tories would, I think, do far better to go into “Opposition” and let Labour and the LibDems have the government. A Tory-LD coalition could not possibly accomplish anything good and the Tories will get tarred with the economic failure brush because they will be in power when the real crash comes. Better to be the opposition and sweep the next election. It has been done more than once before.

[I am Richard Brandon]

"Cameron and the Tories would, I think, do far better to go into “Opposition” and let Labour and the LibDems have the government"

Yes, but they have to put up a good show of trying to be the next government. The electorate would punish them big time if the Tories 'just gave up.' That would be the attitude of a loser & nobody likes losers.

[EternalVigilance]

Bump.