No Colgate moment

perhaps someone could tell us how much this boost to GB's ego has ...there was nothing done or said that could not have been done over the telephone...perhaps the labour party should pay for these trips rather than the taxpayer..

I'm glad there was no false camerderie at this first get-together.

Such an atmosphere would have been synthetic and lacked credibility.

Let's hope that this time round, the UK does not degenerate into a sycophantic toady.

It's inevitable that we get the usual cliches. Nick has to report this - not to do so would show the very bias he is accused of by people who are upset by him not sharing theirs.

What appalled me is that GB actually KNELT before the Pope the other week.

As a private citizen he can do what he likes, but as PM? Not on my behalf, NOT in my name!

Laid back Obama 1 Sweaty palms Brown 0

Wasn`t worth the trip really was it? May as well had a conference phone call instead. Could it not have waited until April? If a member of the royal Family had made such a trip, the press would have been up in arms about waste, carbon foot print etc. It achieved nothing except get Grodon out of PMQs. Still, we have got Harriet to look forward to - haven`t we Mandy? or has she been pulled?

Didn't Churchill, Stalin and Rosevelt all manage to sit down together grinning like the Three Musketeers?

Nick,

Just compare and contrast Obama's fiscal stimulus plan with the £12Bn VAT wheeze that Gordon Brown came up with.

https://projects.nytimes.com/44th_president/stimulus


I understand that on the trip to the US Brown has indicated tto you lobby journalists that unlike Alistair Darling, he won't be apologising for anything.

Brown has spent our money in the good times and spends more in the bad (on the wrong things). He is a one man liability.

PLEASE - PLEASE - Ask him some pertinent searching questions and don't let him con you with the usual old waffle.

There was definite chemistry...
... of the type that happens when you heat up sulphur in a test-tube. (Do remember to hold your noses).

The devil is always in the detail. We have to look at what a mess the Brown team has made of any detail, or lack of detail, over the banks, business initiatives, mortgage support...need one go on.

Just as well there was no time for detail, Brown dosen't know the detail of any of it.
Labour are the NO NOTHING PARTY.

Well Nick you had your open goal and you didn't take it. You should tried

Mr President the Prime Minister believes that this is no time for a Novice could you please tell us what it is that you lack when compared to him?

Or

Mr President the Prime Minister believes that this economic depression started and is the fault of the USA.
Would you like to apologise to the people of the UK for the mess the USA have caused as no blame can be attached the UK authorities?

This farse can only be seen as a snub to brown.


The Obama team have purposefully stripped away everything that Brown wanted from this visit. All he has to show is the words Special Relationship for how much tax payers money.

Brown is as important as the Boy Scouts to Obama?

The Obama camp are fully aware of how important this was for Brown by his constant use of Obama's name and trying to link his actions.
Also the desperation to be first in the White House.

With this background Obama has not reached out to help he has just let Brown makes a fool of himself sucking up trying to alter public opinion at home. And at the last minute withdrawing the Shoulder to Shoulder press conference.

It has all made Brown look like an attention seeking child.
Not the Churchillian British Prime Minister figure.

Did I miss it or did Gordon Brown remind everyone that this was a Global Financial crises... that started in America?

The picture being used by many news stations, and shown in your blog post above, fully encapsulates the way that "media event" appeared to me.

Gordon Brown was desperate to get out of his chair and sit on Obama's lap.

It was as embarrasing as I had hoped. Numpty Brown at his Mr Bean best!

I find it difficult to be at all interested in this stage-managed photo opportunity. No doubt Obama couldn't wait to get back to work.

One serious point though: those (nice)Democrats have tended to be more in favour of protectionism than those (nasty) Republicans. American jobs for American workers, etc.

Brown correctly, for once, warns the world of the dangerous of economic nationalism. Perhaps Europe would have done better, in the economic sphere, to have had a Republican in the White House. We will see whether Omaba is pulled more towards supporting an open global economy, or towards backing the protectionist instincts of the US Labor unions (I simplify somewhat, of course).

Britain burns whilst Brown postures.

Tri-partite structure failed. 1st Bank bailout failed. Gov't initiatives failed. 2nd Bank bailout fails.

When will Brown apologise for his gross misdeamours and catastrophic failures.

Will someone in the Labour Party please get this man out even if we have to have Harriett!

This country will be reduced to an agrarian economy by May 2010 if this man continues.

It is time for Labout MP's to take action in the name of the people rather than sitting on their hands collecting taxpayers money for no action Sir Fred Goodwin style!

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Dear Nick,

Was this trip really value for money?
All those hours and miles on the plane for just 30 minutes!

Did GB tell PO that it all started in America?

Xxxx
ps,
While the cat's away the mice will play!

Well that's alright then.

Did you manage to ask about Harriet or Balls or Darling?

Can you ask a question this time, or do the whitehouse staff still recognise you from your Bush moment?

Always remember that wonderful American saying -- "there is no such thing as a free lunch".

Nick -- could you ensure that the public are advised of the total cost of this Brown/Labour PR exercise. One has to question whether this should be borne by the taxpayer ?

Out of interest what did they have for lunch ?

Brown had flown all the way across the Atlantic for that big photo-op and press conference but Obama has enough on his plate without having to pose at a podium all statesman-like with a loser.
A hurried half an hour was a snub in anyone's books.
Still it's a picture for the family album but I can't help but notice that the White House didn't even bother to light the fire.

https://theorangepartyblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-will-brown-stick-in-family-album.html

With luck, there should not be too many more such meetings. Brown is yesterdays man. I notice that he hasn't been crowing about his "experience" recently.

The USA have shown the way.

Time for a change!

I see you did get in a question about Darling's apology, but Crash didn't seem to want to answer it directly and gave examples of what he set the FSA up for

Do you think it is in his make up to actually refer to the mistakes?

Do you think that he is the type of person who will go on a witch hunt through the FSA, in much the same way that he has threatened to hunt down Sir Fred's pension?

Sounds like Mynar is being set up to take any bullet.

Carefully watched the question and answer session between the two in The White House. Rather than coping with two questions each as reported earlier both leaders faced numerous questions in a fairly lengthy session. Gordon Brown sat bolt upright looking rather nervous with his shirt and jacket digging into his neck. Obama by contrast looked totally relaxed. Brown stumbled over the phrase 'Special Relationship' mistakenly saying 'Special Nationship' nodding like one of those toy dogs you see in cars and shifting uncomfortably in his seat as Barack Obama spoke. Having aimed a few fawning remarks in the direction of the new President and fielded a few in the opposite direction he proceeded to use the session to repeat the same well rehearsed responses to The Credit Crisis that we have heard so often before.
No apologies in response to Nick Robinson's question about whether he would accept responsibility for the feeble bank regulations in The UK. Merely a 'We have learned lessons - blah blah'.
Barack Obama seemed a little disinterested at times and frequently referred to his counterpart as Mr Prime Minister.

how dull

what was even the point in the media coverage? a half-hour meeting, nothing was said, no questions were asked, what a waste of time

all we found out is Brown wants to leave Britain as often as possible and Obama is wise to keep distance between himself and a deeply unpopular man who'll be gone in a year

If GB had spent longer learning how to tie knots, he would have spent more time with BO at the next meeting, the Boy Scouts Jamboree.

Arkelah!

Something is seriously wrong on the political scene. It seems there is an obsession with the wives of prime ministers and presidents. First, we are faced with the chic First Lady of France, then Mrs Brown, who appears to have undergone a metamorphosis resulting in quite a respectable figure. She in turn is followed by Mrs Obama of the magnificent shoulders which would put Brown to shame, and a dress sense not seen since Jackie O. In all this female glory, where does the one real woman politician get a look in - namely Angela Merkel. Yes, I admit it, I love her!

Quite funny wasn't it?

Gordon looked like a schoolboy out on his first date with someone he'd always had a crush on.

Every kind word no matter how polite sent him into ecstasy.

If we hadn't known better we'd have thought Gordon and not Obama was the novice. Awkward stuttering gushing and grinning.

Extremely uncomfortable to watch.

Tomorrow's speech is something not to look forward to.

Politeness can only be taken so far and congress is in no mood for fools right now.

I am no Gordon Brown fan but I thought he handled himself quite well. Sure there was no substance and the usual soundbites (shared values etc) reared their ugly heads but on the whole I did not find it too cringe-worthy.

Whether it was worth it I am not sure. It is better than snubbing the US.

For those of you who think you cannot achieve much in 30 minutes just imagine how much this gov could have saved if they gave the Sir Fred golden goodbye just 10 minutes of sanity checking!

Just an appallingly expensive farce. I just wish Brown would go now, instead of making this poor country suffer his inanity for another 15 months or so.

Did Brown say "this economic crisis started in America"? Thought not! Did Brown offer to coach the "novice"? Thought not!

Call an election now, so we can get rid of this awful dolt who has not even been elected leader of the Labour Party and who has no right to go grandstanding on the world stage in our name.

nick,
it is good to see the prime minister talking to the president. l hope he will adopt the president obama way of dealing with corporate greed.
has their been any instances in the u.s of senior executives walking away with large pension pots and if so how have they been dealt with?

No Colgate moment?

Still, good to hear that there's still a tube of SR (that's "Special Relationship"), and Gordon is surely riding the Crest of Obama's popularity surge?

Now you've left us all wondering where the yellow went.

(And where's Kiki D with the lyrics to "first thing in the morning and the last thing at night"?)

Don't forget to floss. Oh, you just did.

How about Obama's meeting with the boy scouts?

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Post 9 Portcullisgate.

That is so funny!

I would have paid a lot of money to have seen Nick Robinson ask those questions!

All,

Please do read my posts #244, 248, and 250 on the '"Special Partnership" entry. Please!

Regarding the press confrence. What did we expect? The Bush-Blair moment was rare; in fact it had never happened with any previous presidents and prime ministers before on their first visits, and hopefully, it won't be again in the future. For we know before these posts are displayed what all the British people will think if it appears in the slightest that it did to them and if it happens to a future president and prime minister down the rode.

"All we do is bend over for America," "America didn't give a damn about us during World War II," "America only cares about itself and its interests; no-one elses." Bla bla bla, with no taking into acount whatsoever the views of the particular US president in question!!.

I wonder, has anyone on this blog ever thought anything jenuinly positive about America or the so-called "special relationship?"

Please enlighten me.

#15 so i am a silly and small minded .. doesnt this post contravene the rules?

* Are considered likely to disrupt, provoke, attack or offend others

luckily i am none of those things so will not make a formal complaint..

.....perhaps you would like to justify the expense when the UK is almost bankrupt.... or is the labour party rebuttal department unaware of the crisis due to their collective heads spinning...

What an embarrasment Brown is, a world leader? More like a stooge. This trip has done nothing for the people of the UK and was just an ego trip for Brown. A message for Gordo, we are all laughing at you Mr Brown over your fawning over Obama, even Merkel and Sarkozy must laughing in their soup. You should have taken this trip as an opportunity to say goodbye to Obama as a PM and a member of the G7 because the damage you have done to the economy and this country you'll be kicked out of both.

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Having just heard the news and GB saying that in view of the financial crisis, not 'he' but 'we' have learnt from our mistakes over the last ten years just shows why our PM was given 30 minutes.

'He'was there for the last ten years, 'we' wasn't!

Next 'untainted by the last ten years' foreign leader please.

PS Excellent off the cuff gag about the tennis though; who's writing the scripts? The same joker who's writing large about the 'do nothing' party perhaps?

15. sagamix repled to;

jolo @ 1; perhaps the labour party should pay for these trips rather than the taxpayer

"oh don't be so silly, you small minded little person ..."

I thought jolo had a pretty good idea.
This trip has done absolutely nothing for this country...it was only to bolster Gordon's sagging popularity! And it failed dismally!

Things are improving Nick, you at least went some way towards giving Brown some difficulty even though you didn't ask the full blown questions which previous responses had asked.

Brown looked a total idiot grinning and nodding at every Obama response whereas Obama could hardly bear to look Brown in the eye, and his obvious embarassment was there to see by all.

What a waste of more taxpayers money, which should have been paid for by Labour as it was obviously meant to be Labour party PR to boost Browns poll status, as have been the man's trips around the UK telling everyone his usual ...we are doing real things for real people.....global problems started by the US....I am the only one capable of fixing things....the tories are a do nothing party who want mass unemployment.....blah blah blah.

Was this really a press conference or a compromise arrangement? You forgot to tell us Mr Robinson. Our dear leaders cringing description of the Presidents first fifty days said it all. All in all it came across as an unconvincing attempt by an unelected Prime Minister to convey the idea that he and the President are on exactly the same wavelength for handling the economic Tsunami. The architect of the failed financial UK regulatory model fails to recognise his own part in the unfolding drama and is merely using this rather expensive visit to prepare the ground for further repetition of his do nothing charge at the loyal opposition. This time of course he will note how at one he is with the President and how out of step the opposition seem. Has it really come to this?

Nick, both Obama and Brown seem to think they can spend their way out of this recession. This has hardly has the 'ring of confidence'.

Is that what you meant by 'no Colgate moment'?

Hey Nick, well played as always in picking your questions, by re-iterating the key points from a reporters perspective your highligting the main concerns from a different angle.
If offers the leaders another insight as to what the people are intrested in. I.E. the key points.
To all the comments so far regarding how much this trip cost and how big a carbon foot print is being created, I would like to remind them that much more can be accomplished in meeting and getting to know someone, in opposition to speaking over the telephone.
The look in a person's eye's offers there genuine feelings on a matter. A hand shake shows there confidence, a grimace betrays a white lie or a with holding of information.
If Gordon can enjoy a bit of a holiday while hes at work, good luck to him. If Nick enjoyed breakfast in bed while over there. I wouldn't complain.
Looking at the real problems of our lives, the economy and the factories that are going bust, leaving people unemployed, (Me inclusive), are of far more importance.
If we could get all the world leaders to sit down and look at the problem like graduate students would, resolve would come in no time.
A few beers later and they would be happy to work as a team so everyone could benefit from a united globe.
At least Gordon and Barrack are meeting each other as honest business men/work colleagues, and there are no staged camera shoots.
Its nice to get away from the politicians constantly throwing slander and offering fake smiles and pointless flatterings.
Surely enough complaining and dis-honoring has been done over the last few centuries to sate the advancements of impatient people.
Perhaps its time to stop being paranoid about war and start looking at increasing peoples quality of living.
Twenty five grand a year should be more than sufficient for anyone to live on to provide a decent quality of life.
Indeed most people live on 13k-25k a year. One years retirement of 982,726.77 USD by sir Fred for a year, is simply greed.
Am I the only one that if I were to become so rich that I would use such a majority of it on helping people?
I wonder what Sir Fred spends so much money on that he feels the need to have more.
It is a sad day to see so many Fred's out there. It seems the Samaritans will always give there last to help while Fat Cat Fred looks after the one alone.

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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

#18 "Always remember that wonderful American saying -- "there is no such thing as a free lunch"."

Originally TANSTAAFL (Robert Heinlein) "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."

I realise the political imperatives - for any prime minister - but in future, they should use Skype!

This was a bit of a cringeworthy performance. Brown too anxious to be pally - it had the smell of death about it - for GB that is.

would it be possible to find out what the cost has been of all this running round the world trying to look important when he should be at home concentrating on the problems here.

Oh no, I see
A Spiders web and theres me in the middle...
So I twist and turn,
but here I am in my little bubble

They spun
a
web
for
me......................

Do you think Harriet Harrman will arrange it so Clowns are not allowed back into the country?

Hi Nick,

"However in place of the folksy chumminess of the Bush/Blair era there was more formality, more awkwardness and more use of titles than first names."

Good overall point, but "call me Tony" never really cracked it with his pal Dubya. Who can forgot "Yo, Blair" when he didn't know the mic was still on.

As for Brown, he is desperate to be associated with the 'New Deal' of the 'thirties that, say some, pulled the U.S. out of depression.

Especially as Brown rates himself as a historian, he should know that the New Deal ran almost the entire decade with very little impact.

It was WWII that pulled the U.S. out of depression.

See you in the diner.

God you moderators are no fun.

Hypersensitive on copyrighted material that is all over the web in other places... and its not as if the BBC arent licensed...

Trust me to post something that would be spotted by the only Floyd fan on the moderating team.

Well, you might as well remove 48 as well then.

That one is even more blatant, and everyone will recognise it.


But, that was kind of the whole point though.....

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You are quite right Nick. Why should that nice Evan Davis and his blog get all the standup material. Here goes:

Evan
Don't know if you noticed but my colleague at the beeb Nick Robinson got a day trip with expenses to Washington the other day.

He brought me back a present.

"My colleague went to Washington and all I got was this lousy leader."
(some titters)

Did you see those pictures in the White House. The President, The Prime Minister, ...and the press hiding behind the sofa like kids with a newly single dad who has just brought home a dog of a date.

Dad! Dad! She's four stone overweight!

Dad! Dad! Her skin looks like porridge

Dad! Dad! She's looking at me in a funny sort of way.

Dad! Dad! She looks like a bloke!

After the press had left The President and our Gordon got straight down to business.

Evan (afffecting a cod Scottish accent)

"You know Barack I've always loved the music of Stevie Wonder. You know. There is superstition. The righting's on the wall.

Evan (discovering he can't do an American accent)
"Yip I had heard Gordon. That's why its half an hour tops and no lunch'

Evan (back to cod Scots)
You know Barack, Living in the City as we do, perhaps later we could sign, seal and deliver a global new deal. Just the two of us. Me you and the moonlight....

At which point the President remembered that he had an urgent appointment elsewhere in the White House....with the Boy Scouts of America

I've been Evan Davis. Good night!

Evan Davis' Stand-up on Nick's Blog part two:

Evan

People seem to love my stand-up. Apparently I should take it to the Edinburgh Festival. I love Edinburgh. But it's a bit pricey. Especially the upmarket Merchiston district. But it is no surprise really.

Living within yards of each other you'll find the highly successful millionaire crime writer Ian Rankin.

The hugely successful multi-millionaire lady detective writer Sandy McCall Smith.

And the humungously successful billionaire writer J K Rowling......living ten doors down from Alistair Darling.

Yes the failed radical socialist and late life cheer leader for unfettered free market capitalism Alistair Darling.

In his second home.

According to Ian, he and Alistair like to chill of an evening drinking a nice glass of chardonnay and listening to Coldplay.

I bet Chris Martin's pleased.

Cooler than ever!

How many Alistair Darling's does it take to change a light bulb?

Just the one, but you need a Gordon Brown attachment to tell him when to do it.

How many Alan Johnsons does it take to change a light bulb?

No I don't give a monkey's either.

Did you read that Alan Jonhnson likes to eat spam for breakfast.

Spam for breakfast.

There's generational progress.

And not just any old spam.

Spam fritters.

Deep fried spam fritters.

Hmm The Healthy Option.

And coming to a MacDonald's near you soon!

I've been Evan Davis and now off to listen to the truly cool Lincoln City at anyoldfun.
Good night!

Good Morning.

Well I almost choked on my breakfast this morning watching the programme of the same name. It is reported by the BBC that super gordon actually came close to admitting that he may have had something to do with the problems this country is in! Up until now whenever I have heard him interviewed he standard answer has been that the US is solely to blame.

Can this change be anything to do with the fact that he was in the White House yesterday and is addressing Congress today?

Hope the Senators and Congressman see through him and only give him a minimum of respect and maybe mute their usual clapping to the minimum he deserves.

Roll on April in Watford, when I hope the world stands up to him.

Quick!

Change the locks!

Don't let Gordon back in!

Perhaps the President could refurbish Alcatraz and provide a suite for him there instead, now that he's (almost) admitted his guilt.

Ahhh.. the admission of guilt, well nearly

Didn't Kings and Queens of old meet their envoys at the Ports on their return from overseas?

If we're quick we could get the Queen to Heathrow, with her trusty 'wilkinson sword' and in the immortal words of a certain King Harry, "its off with his head", or "its off to the Tower".

Methinks Gordon is somewhat doomed.

There's a lot of talk about the cost of this trip. I'm no environmentalist but at a time when we are told (often by GB) that we should look at the way we behave to reduce our carbon footprint.

Surely, rather than ever increasing taxes on motorists the government should be looking at the use of technology to reduce their impact. Proper joined up thinking in government would go some way to reducing the environmental crisis that Brown is so keen on talking about and reducing costs.

In all the criticism of Brown and I'm not his greatest fan by any means, I have absolutely no doubt that David Cameron or Nick Clegg would have taken exactly the same opportunity.

Nick, Nick,

While you were in the Whitehouse with Barack and Gordon, did you get the chance to ask him if he still believed all the UK's problems are purely because of the Americans? Did you get the chance to ask Barack what he and the American people are going to do to make up to us for completely destroying our economy and our banking system, like our Prime Minister keeps telling us they have done...??

No?
Thought not.

Mr Robinson,

Credit where credit is due: your report about the meeting aired during the 6 o'clock news was fairly factual.

But maybe you can clarify whether the guy who was desperate to show he is on first name basis with the other guy had his zip open or a tie with a very shiny, almost white backside (the guy squeezing the first name basis into your report wore a white shirt). The zip/tie backside conundurn was not easy to solve from your perspective but the bbc cameraman quite quickly started zooming in on the boyscout buddies. Perhaps your cameraman did not want to embarass GORDON?

Cheeriu

"Humiliated, hopeless, paralysed. Time to go" - I really think Alice Miles has the best analysis of Brown's humiliation yesterday:

https://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/alice_miles/article5841400.ece?Submitted=true

Th abiding memory of the meeting with The Press is Gordon Brown's reply to Nick's question regarding an apology for allowing the banks too much free rein and thereby partly contributing to the Credit crisis in The UK.
His words were later repeated by Ed Milliband on BBC Newsnight in response to the same question by Jeremy Paxman:
'Lessons will be learned. It was a global crisis.' etc. We as opposed to I are the operative words used to distance themselves even further.
Brown's theme tune should be Elton John's 'Sorry seems to be the hardest word'.
The bankers, the regulators and even Alistair Darling have done it. Why can he not just bring himself to do the same. The pity now of course is that if he did the cynical voters would never believe him. They would look upon it as a belated ploy to win votes. In other words it's probably far too late for him to change his spots and it would be a fruitless exercise anyway because as with so many things involving this Government the horse has already bolted.
He really does see the word 'sorry' as a sign of weakness.

Addressing the combined House in Congress should be the stellar highlight of the Prime Minister's political career. But instead it seems to be shaping up for his John Sergeant Mrs T moment now that Alistair Darling has stepped forward as New Labour in declines Geoffry Howe.

If Rupert Murdoch wants an apology you give him one. And fast. If Alice Miles in the Daily Telegraph tells you that your days are numbered then pay attention.

If you lived in Scotland Nick you would probably have picked up on the grapevine why Alistair Darling has now turned on the Prime Minister. But that's the Westminster Village for you. More flies under your radar than you can shake a stick at. Pour Gordon a large one on the plane home. He is going to need it.

Well done, Nick, for trying repeatedly to coax an apology out of Brown. Now we know definitely that he doesn't feel personally responsible for any of the mess.

I can't remember exactly what was said, but at one point Obama said something like...

"There are many things we agree on, at least to my face"

A dig a Brown's 'blame America' ploy, or was he suggesting Brown being two faced about something else?

#60:

To be fair to Nick he did in a roundabout way ask Gordon Brown if he wished to apologise for his part in The UK leg of The crisis (see my previous post).
It would have been extremely rude in the circumstances to question Barack Obama about Brown's assertion that America was to blame in large part for what has happened. Brown would have done a Sir Alex Ferguson and refused to ever speak to him again for embarrassing him in such a manner in front of his new found hero. The BBC would have disciplined him and his career would have been effectively over. We on this blog however can go on posing the hard questions and will continue to do so until we get satisfactory answers.

Has this 3day visit cost us more than Lord Myners give away to Sir Fred?

#63. sicilian29

I agree. GB just cannot bring himself to admit mistakes. I was told you learn from your mistakes. How can he learn if he will not acknowledge his mistakes.

Yesterday I thought GB came across quite well. Maybe I got battle-weary because today his latest twaddle has me rattled again. Now it is partly my fault that the UK economy is in such a state. I am sorry Gordon but my conscience is clear. You were in control. You cannot claim the good times but wash your hands of the bad. Be a man and stand up and say you have erred. You are coming across as a small child being led kicking and screaming into an apology. Grow up.

Total waste of money so far.

However it will be more interesting to see the reaction of both USA houses to his plea for co-operation from a man who blamed all his (and our) woes on the USA.

I can only hope that they will not be so polite as to listen in silence, but question his credibility considering his rhetoric over the last 6 months.

#66:

Well spotted. Hadn't looked at it like that. Perhaps he was in fact jokily impugning that Brown was good at talking behind The USA's back but less courageous in front of the World media with the object of his blame deflection (albeit a new President as oposed to the departing President) in front of him and also behind the cameras in the form of The American viewing public and Press.

Indeed, the G word is out there with full force, again.

The economic problems are GLOBAL.

Yes, the WORLD, told to do so by the US:
-made UK banks sell 125% UK mortgages to UK customers (noticed those Northern not-so-solid-as-a-Rock arrears yesterday?);
-told the FSA to let UK banks become the weakest-capitalised banks in any large country by the end of 2006;
-made Brown run a budget deficit when the economy was growing above trend prior to economic clouds started appearing;
-made UK consumers spend all of their disposable income in 2005/6 when the UK savings rate was zero;
-manipulated the appointments to the monetary policy committee of the Bank of England for it to remain dovish in boom times when consumers where getting addicted to debt;
-forced Brown to pay out billions of benefits wrongly.

Clearly, Brown is not to blame for any of this. He is merely a victim of circumstance, rather than one of the main creators of those circumstances.

Remember Brown's idea of an apology for the 10 pence tax fiasco, which wasn't an apology at all. After weeks of the blatant lie (the line he used "no-one will be worse off" at every interview),even though he had been told a year before that low paid workers would be worse off !
This man is totally deluded and is need of some help from medical experts.

Nice one Econce (above).

The thought of Brown lumbering about at large on a tennis court is just too much to contemplate.

Body Language!

I think all that is needed is a Body Language expert to analyse Brown and Obama.

Obama seems unaware, almost, of Brown, whilst Brown faces O and fawns over him - "please can I be your newest bestest friend - Pleeeeeese?!"

Alice miles has written a fantastic article in The Times today - which captures the irrelevance of Brown's visit to the US and also the paralysis of government.

She seems to have been studying the writings of our very own Robin JD and ends her piece with this phrase:


"We need an election"


Happy reading....................


https://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/alice_miles/article5841400.ece

Maybe the whole world will now see what we have to put up with. Brown is completely out of his depth.

Is there no one out there in the media who can ask Brown "are you responsible in any way for the current financial crisis".

Maybe if you all ask the same question, one after the other, during his press conferences we may get an answer.

Why are you letting him get away with what he has done to this country. Has he threatened to set Mandy on you all.

66. Ha ha. A good caption for a carton of these two sitting together at such an historic moment (not) is:


Speech bubble from O:
" Speak to my hand cos the face ain't listening."

Nick,

Congratulations - I watched you put your question to Gordon Brown in the White House yesterday. Good job.

I wonder what Obama really makes of Gordon Brown - surely he must consider Brown as part of the problem? If I was Obama I'd have been embarrassed to have Brown slavering at my shoulder hoping for the "pixie dust" effect to take effect.

Nick, were you embarrassed for the UK?

Because I was.

Brown was totally out of his depth - and why do his image consultants insist on him wearing this Cheshire cat smile?

As for Obama - he looked totally bored with the whole event; he probably wished he was elsewhere developing more protectionist policies. His body language was an insult to the UK IMHO.

In short, Brown looked like an idiot and Obama looked bored.

A plague on both their houses.

When will the UK have the political leadership it deserves?

Or perhaps it does, having bought into the NuLab spin machine for 12 years.

It's been said on here before:

"Labour are voted in by empty minds and voted out by empty wallets"

#63

'lessons will be learned', is the governments favourite line these days. I don't believe this one any more than the other lines they regularly come up with.

In NR's Today interview this morning he began to get dangerously (for the PM) near to the obvious culpability of our leader, now squirming in the mire. Am I mistaken, or did Mr Brown slither into a trap. He trotted out the same old arguments... global problem... US subprime, nothing to do with me etc. Then, for reasons that fail me, he talked about RBS only buying triple A rated subprime products and ABM Amro being a triple A rated bank when RBS bought it. What that means, of course, is that Sir Fred Goodwin was in precisely the same position as the PM and could use precisely the same arguments to defend himself. But the PM has labelled Sir Fred a failure and has said that failure should not be rewarded. Would not the greatest reward for failure in our history be the re-election of Labour?

# 63 and 83

lessons will be learned

Sort of thing a novice says isn't it?

Or someone out of his depth

Or someone not in charge of events but a victim of them.

Leader "A person who rules, guides or inspires others" Collins

I suppose 1 out of 3 isn't bad, but one should acknowledge that when Labour were voted in it was stated that Blair would run a full term. Maybe 1/2 out of 3?

Nick,

Congratulations - again.

I've just listened to your interview with Gordon Brown here:

https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7922426.stm


As Jeremy Paxman says - Gordon is "smooth at telling us" and somehow slithers away without confronting his own failures.

48/51#

Mods:

So... the posting of Chris Martin's lyrics as a petard to wrap around the PMs' neck like an ever tightening noose and an example of how "art" reflects life ARE permitted.... but those of Roger Waters - which are considerably more obtuse - are not???

Despite them both being on EMI??

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

80. kingloneranger #63

'lessons will be learned', is the governments favourite line these days. I don't believe this one any more than the other lines they regularly come up with.

Transparency and robost used to be the mantra of the Nu Labour- led media. Now I suppose, transparency is the last thing they want in this feeble climate.

Nick

Following on from #83 I would also like to commend your tone of questioning.

It is clear he still does not see that he has any hand in the problems at all. To claim he has been running around for 10 year plus asking for tougher international regulation is yet another red herring.

He did not allude to any lessons HE had learnt or any mistakes HE had made. I wonder why? He obviously genuinely thinks he has done no wrong. Very worrying.

jolo @ 35

so i am a silly and small minded person .. doesn't this post contravene the rules?

yes, I suppose it does - and now (quite rightly) removed - a silly and small minded thing TO SAY I should have said ... I am sure that you yourself are neither of those things - I apologise

I just think that the feeding frenzy on Brown is a bit much sometimes ... this was the UK PM meeting the US President, for heaven's sake!

A Prime Minister who is so obviously in denial.

He'll be blaming us next.

So, Brown is apparently getting closer than ever before to something akin to an apology to the British People, according to Auntie?

Funny that..I 've just seen Skys' Adam Boulton interview with the idiot,and he couldn't get anything of the sort out of him.Following that Sky are blazing the headline that Brown is still insisting on no apology!

And ,of course,the fool can't even repeat his assertation in front of Obama that this all started in America.Does he think that the Americans are oblivious to his offensive accusations?

They must be belly laughing at the fawning, Cheshire Cat antics of this utterly failed individual,safe in the knowledge of all his stab America in the back history.

However,I suspect that they are also wondering how on Earth Britain could end up with such an incompetent PM.

I agreed with Nick's broadcast observation that this time round, the US is hardly desperate for friends and Gordon Brown need not expect to be feted as the star that Blair became.. All the more significant then that President Obama took care to utter the meticulously composed magic words about the continued special relationship. Clearly it was felt appropriate to reach down a hand to help the UK aboard the bandwagon. Clearly that is still de rigeur. Cleary no-one that matters regards the world as living on the edge of meltdown. So much the better.

Gordon has told us that the US will be adopting his methods of dealing with the recession. After all, he's saving the world.

The truth is, that Obama said the US was dealing with the recession in a similar way.

That's not the same way, though, is it.

Fubar can you tell us what Floyd song you were prevented in quoting the lyrics from on, on what appears to be spurious grounds ?

After all I pressume the BBC Pay the PRS an annual subscription to allow and encompass things like bands lyrics being quoted on any of their ouitputl ? No ?

Anyway regardless of the rights and perceived wrongs Im sure there is no harm in giving the song title and we can do the rest !

This 'high profile' visit can be portrayed in whatever way we wish, it is how it looks to the rest of the world that matters and how thta impacts on Britain. us Whether we

Questions we wanted to ask - but were prevented

Prime Minister will you confirm information we hold that suggests you flew here today on 'Uneasy Jet'?

Secondly, will you be denying the rumour that you declined an offer from 'Virgin Transatlantic' to avoid offended President Obama?

President Obama, will you be offering an apology on behalf of the American people for passing off all those 'wooden nickles'?

Secondly for President Obama, the US authorities are investigating UK banks regarding money transfers made on behalf of Sudan and Iran, have these revelations had any affected on the 'special relationship'?

Now final question for both the Prime Minister and President ... (President Obama nods and Gordon Brown smiles unconvincingly) ..

Gentlemen, what alternative plan exists, if any, should this latest refinancing package fail to bring about any significant change?

Thank you and would the last person leaving this broon cupboard switch the light off, please.

I think Obama will look back at this meeting with GB and regret that he hadn't arranged to do something else during his coffee break.

Obama gave his best shot at being cordial but at times gave the impression he was somewhere else.

As for a cartoon caption in a bubble above Obama's head?

"Here today, gone tomorrow!"

They shared their wives? At last, an interesting story!

The really worrying thing about all of this is that it is possible that Gordon Brown actually believes that he bears no personal responsibility at all for our economic plight and that he is purely the victim of circumstances beyond his control. Alistair Darling looked very contrite sitting behind Harriet Harman in PMQ's today. He must be awaiting the return of his infuriated boss with a great deal of trepidation after yesterday's admission that the Government must share responsibility with the other main players for the mess we're in.

Was Barack Obama's body language indicative of total relaxation or complete indifference?

Songs requested by advisors during the Barack Obama/Gordon meeting

Gordon Brown's team requested:

Bing Crosby - 'Frosty the Snow Man'
Frankie Valli - 'Can't take my eyes off of you'
Laurie Andeson - 'O Superman'
Queen - 'Save Me'
Leonard Cohen - 'Waiting for the Miracle'
The Members - 'Off Shore Banking Business'
Strawbs - 'Part of the Union'

Barack Obama's team countered with

The Rutles (George Harrison) - 'All You Need is Cash'
The Police - 'Don't Stand So Close To Me'
Slow Children - 'President Am I'
Gang of Four - 'At Home He's a Tourist'
David Bowie - 'The Man Who Sold the World'
Sparks - 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us'
Jona Lewie - 'Stop the Cavalry'

Apperently they compromised and settled for:

John Lennon - 'Borrowed Time'


:-) Bet you the moderators don't post this one :-(

In this current recession as with the Iraq war, the US administration does not need the UK's guidance or input, it is a 'nice to have from merry ole England'

Gordon Brown however desperately needs to be seen to be having at least some standing in the USA and needs them to pull us out of recession. He is not however a key player in their eyes, just a distraction for the senate to take their minds off recession.

As the stock market begins another downward run.... 5000 became the new 6000.... 4000 became the new 5000.... 3000? Gordon and Alastair need lifelines as the real recessionary effects begin to bite. Sadly a smile from Barrack won't fix it.

I'm in two minds about this. It isn't a Colgate moment, more a custard one. On the one hand, people shouldn't be attacked by others who object to them. Instead of a custard it could have been a hand grenade. A public figure, such as Mandelson is, should not venture out without some sort of protection. Surely, he has enough money to pay for security men, although probably he would prefer the tax payer to foot the bill as usual. On the other hand, I feel sympathy for the woman who threw it, and Prescott's remarks are sick-making. He can talk about crime and punishment. After getting away for wasting work time by having his secretary on his desk, he demands the law to punish the custard thrower. If Prescott had been an ordinary worker, his pay would have been deducted for wasting his empolyer's time, and his wife would have left him for his behaviour. Oh well, as usual one law for them and one for the rest of us.