There is some seriously nasty briefing against Harriet Harman in today's Mail On Sunday amid accusations she is being "disloyal" by making known her opposition to measures like the part-privatisation of the Royal Mail. According to the MoS, the PM is considering sacking her and has no time for her whatsoever.
Aside from the ideological debate, it's deeply depressing that the culture of spin and highly pesonal atacks is alive and well almost two years after Gordon Brown vowed to put an end to it . And even more that anyone who raises a sensible voice against what are ( let's face it) deeply unpopular policies is immediately briefed against. If only the Cabinet would stand up against measures like the Welfare Reform Bill, the Heathrow third runway and the Royal Mail fiasco then maybe Labour wouldn't be in the troubles it currently faces. That's not hard left dogma, it's common sense.
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Look, face it, Brown is the biggest leaker, biggest spinner, and biggest egotist in Westminster. The story is that the Brownites only supported Harriet because she isn't as tough as people like Hain and Cruddas. He could push her around and go his own sweet way. She isn't liked by many activists and one old unreconstructed Labourite in my ward calls her That Bloody Woman.
But not a word about 'Harry Harperson's' dangerous notion of retro-active law designed to break a legal contract and confiscate pesonal money. And here was me thinking you cared about human rights!
Harman has just backtracked on compulsory equal pay audits for private companies seeking public contracts. She supposed to be Womens Minister, but instead she is a joke.
She is often rumoured to be against this or that (eg Royal Mail privatisation, city bonuses, etc) but it is all about positioning herself for the post General Election leadership contest.
As for the rest of the Cabinet, do you really think they will stand up to Brown over Heathrow, Workfare or anything else? However after the coming General Election defeat they will all be saying how much the disagreed with the PM. They are all jokes! But the laugh is on us.
And you don't think that Harman was in anyway involved in the personal attacks on Blair (or even used her husband for such purposes) - and do you really think that Harriet is doing no briefing of her own? I wonder where the "this is my time" quote came from?
BTW if you think her off the record opposition to certain government proposals (what happened to collective responsibility) has any ideological basis you clearly don't know very much about Harriet Harman.
Harman, a supposed critic of Fred Goodwin and his £700k pension, today at PMQs said of him getting a knighthood, "I think Sir Fred was nominated for a knighthood because of his services for the Prince's Trust. I understand it was not in recognition of his services to banking."
Whereas he did get it for "services" to banking, and on Gordon Brown's personal recommendation.
Still you've got to have a heart of stone not to laugh out loud.
PMQs led by Mad Hattie was hilarious. But Labour MPs seemed appalled.
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