Gordon Brown on Andrew Marr

The Prime Minister is on BBC1, finally giving an airing of what his views are on expenses, Westminster polls and European elections.

Gordon Brown is trying his best to distance himself from the expenses furore by talking about "my presbyterian conscience" and how his Government were just on the cusp of transforming the system before that pesky Telegraph came along.

With sackcloth and ashes, Gordon goes on to say that he doesn't think any other party has so many party suspensions, candidates stepping down and even a sitting Minister has had to stand down. It sounded like a very bizarre boast to me - we have so many people involved in this so we have punished the most.

Pretty reasonable comment from the PM regarding MPs who will stay on and pick up a fat cheque at the next General Election. It is being looked at independently by Sir Christopher Kelly and he will make recommendations before that time comes to pass. Yeah, fair enough.

"I was brought up in a House of integrity and telling the truth" - it's back to that moral compass again.

50 Labour MPs asking for "lifeboats" to the House of Lords and Lavender Lists is denied by the PM and, when pushed for a promise, Gordon Brown categorically states that HE is not interested in entering the House of Lords. Bizarre.

I can promise that within our election manifesto will be changes to the House of Lords. (Wasn't there a similar pledge in the last manifesto?)

Gordon must have said "hold on" about 50 times now, he is clearly floundering. It also sounds like everything Andy Marr is suggesting is something Gordon has been "interested in" or just about to do. Chancellor for 10 years and Prime Minister for 2, what was he waiting for?

AM: (On AV+) "You killed off Ray Jenkins, may he rest in pieces." I don't even want to know what Andy meant with that one.

Onto the poll figures now....

Gordon's explanation - "We have an economic crisis". The case for defence rests on trading with Europe and not shunning them. A good argument, one Labour should have pushed harder in the past few weeks.

Upon being pressed on having a General Election:
"I think what people want is to clean up the system first". An unconvincing argument.

AM - "Would you stand aside for the good of the party?"

GB - "No. I'm dealing with the issues at hand, I'm dealing with the economy every day."

GB - "Things go up and down"

AM - "Mainly down at the moment"


And some D-Day chat and it's all over. Another battling but ultimately fruitless performance from Gordon Brown on Andy Marr and the march toiwards "slaughter" (as Andy Marr put it) continues unabated.