We've seen an awful lot of the Prime Minister since he took over - an attempted bombing in London? He was in front of the cameras within hours.... flooding across the UK? Brown took to the road with the media in tow.... foot and mouth? his family holiday was cut short....

So what about the Northern Rock? This should be home turf for the man whose reputation was built in his ten years at the Treasury and yet..... no sign of him in public.

A Macavity moment perhaps?

Comments

[The Morning Post 19 Sep 2007 14:08:32]

I wonder if migrant workers earning the minimum wage are drawing family income supplement as well as family allowance for dependants back home in Poland? I thought the underlying principle of a welfare state was that you paid in before you could draw out! Obviously not! No wonder we are the laughing stock of the world.

[Bruce Hulmes / England 19 Sep 2007 11:20:07]

Morning Post.
Labour new the true figures the Polishish government told them what would happen.
The Polish Express a news paper printed in this country for expat Poles, tells them what to claim for, when to claim and not to delay claiming.How can a government allow foreigners to claim for children and dependants who are not even in this country, who is taking the p---.
And how many other foreigners are doing exactly the same how much of our tax is going to India Pakistan and the rest of the basket case countries. That is why we have the highest peace time tax rates in history, to improve the lot of foreigners and immigrants.I was under the impression a government looked after it's people arrrh,,yes this government is looking after its own people.ie the scots and immigrant Labour voters, see how the bits fit.The English and Welsh can go croak.

[Merv. Beszant, Dubai 19 Sep 2007 10:00:24]

Craig,
Whilst accepting that withdrawals didn't help the situation, I would suggest that whereas you refer to your money as an 'investment' many people would refer to their monies as 'life savings', and although I appreciate that either way losing money is unacceptable, I think you would agree that circumstances can have an affect on how people behave.

[The Morning Post 19 Sep 2007 08:32:19]

Bruce

There are too many people re-living the past here, appro the poll tax and black Wednesday, to be bothered too much by what their lot are doing to the UK today! Lets examine just one example. I just read on Sky that Police are struggling to cope with the influx of migrant workers from Eastern Europe numbering some 500.000 at the last count. More efficiently governed EU countries thwarted such numbers and problems by suspending the right of such people to work in their countries for a period of ten years from the date of membership. Tony Blair however (no doubt suported by Gordon) estimated that no more than 13000 would come to the UK to work and thus shunned any action to restrict their numbers! Such idiocy will now cost British taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds in extra policing and translation expenses, associated with the vast numbers who actually came. Yet another New Labour debacle for which UK taxpayers will be paying indefinately!

[Craig 18 Sep 2007 18:40:55]

The morning post just doesn't change. I can sure that Darling is going nowhere. The Govt have dealt with this issue competently and it is the shareholders and the public who should show a little more backbone. I have investments in Northern Rock and I never queued to get my money out. I am ashamed that others did. I was always confident that they would guarantee losses and they did so. Well done Darling!

[Bruce Hulmes / England 18 Sep 2007 14:23:49]

Carol Ann,

If this was happening during a Tory government, would Labour not be enjoying every minute?

I am not a Tory supporter, the sad thing about this is that the Tories, Liberals and the rest of the political toads will be silently hoping that things get worse, the more workers who lose their savings, jobs and homes, the greater the chance of them getting re-elected.

The British people are like our servicemen/women in Iraq and Afghanistan - expendable.

PS We can take it Carol you do not have your life savings in Northern Rock?

[Tom, London 18 Sep 2007 14:08:35]

Does anyone really blame those people queuing outside Northern Rock despite the government's pledge that their money is 100 per cent secure? Didn't they take responsibility for pensions and then renege on this despite being reprimanded by the Ombudsman and the courts? Trust this lot with your finances and your a mug!

[carol-ann Liverpool 18 Sep 2007 13:45:35]

If you had been promoted and a crisis occured in your old department, surely you would want to support the new manager behind the scenes but not overshadow him?
This situation is different from the other crises simply because it IS Gordon's old job.
What a meal the Tories and their supporters - as well as the media - would have made of that!
Don't forget that Gordon and his Ministers are STILL dealing with some of those other crises as well as trying to move their agenda forward and do all the everyday stuff. This is also conference season.
Gordon, in my opinion, is a super man he is not, however, Superman!

[RC, Slough 18 Sep 2007 13:04:12]

To say that Gordon Brown is right to let Alisair Darling deal with the Northern Rock situation ignores the fact that he stuck his face in front of the cameras for the Terrrorist, weather, foot and mouth issues when he has ministers to deal with these issues aswell. Strikes me he is being very selcetive in when he comments!

[The Morning Post 18 Sep 2007 12:29:55]

Whilst Gordon may be keeping a low profile where Northern Rock is concerned, i note from the news here that he is 'keeping an eye on the Madalaine case' and has time to express regret on the Thai aircrash! What with this and controlling the foot and mouth epidemic, no wonder he has no time for the Northern Rock debacle!

[chris, woodbridge 18 Sep 2007 12:03:58]

This is the true economic legacy of Brown after ten years. Any person with any grain of common sense should be able to tell that with its mountain of debt, this country is bascially bankrupt. The chickens are now coming home to roost.

I cant think of one thing that Blair and Brown have not made a mess of. Ten years of lies, deciet and spin. I know who the real nasty party of British politics is and its not the Tories.

[Khalid 18 Sep 2007 12:00:13]

Joey, I would not consider you to be a mischief. Of course I'll come out and play. I was just coming out of the cabinet, afetr telling "Sinead O'Connor-Nothing Compares to You". So, I ownder what time my fast ends?

[Paul, London 18 Sep 2007 11:42:22]

I'd like to know what qualification Alastair Darling (Wasn't he Ex BBC Chairman ?) has to run the Economy other than the fact he is a supporter of the Labour party.

[mike,spain 18 Sep 2007 11:32:55]

It was very revealing the interviews in the queue. Nobody believes a word that the government says. Can you blame them. 10 years of lies and joe public are revealing their true thoughts on the matter. Very revealing indeed.

By my calculations 20-30 days will destroy Northern Rock completely.

It used to be the case that Building Societies lended against their deposits but Brown allowed this reckless lending in the first place.

Poor Alistair, the next fall guy. However as Brown's poodle does he sack him or keep him in the position.

As for the Scarlet Pimpernel
not a word. Alistair must be waiting for the death phrase, "I have the utmost confidence in ....." Poor man his eyebrows will be going grey soon.

The worst is yet to come, wait for the pension funds (ie equity companies) pulling their vast fortunes out.

So much for prudence. Prudence is no where to be seen.

[Philip, Bristol 18 Sep 2007 11:18:50]

Surely no one is surprised. In the words of Paul & John. "Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play"

[Bruce Hulmes / England 18 Sep 2007 10:47:31]

Peter,Fife.
Come on if it was good news you would have a fight on your hands trying to keep this man away from the media.

[E Welshman 18 Sep 2007 10:33:53]

Mr McCavity (David Cameron's PMQs nick-name for Gordon Brown) only paraded himself on TV when he thought that the public perceived that events were outside his control, and he could get some sympathy, and be seen as dragon-slayer (nasties like terrorists, severe weather, foot-and-mouth disease (at the time) etc).

But he is nowhere to be seen now that it has been determined that foot-and-mouth disease was probably sourced in a government laboratory, and his financial mismanagement has gone a long way to exacerbating Northern Rock's problems - there's not very much public sympathy for him there !

He wants us to believe that he is a conviction politician. He is only there for himself, his own public perception. If that is the way he is going to conduct himself in future, he should call a general election when we can elect a person who will be there for all of us.

[Bill, Middle England 18 Sep 2007 10:27:53]

Quite so. More Mccavity moments expected as the fruits of Gordon's economic mistakes appear.

There is no golden inheritance or benign global markets to bail out his successor this time.

Gordon knew he was on "borrowed" time long ago. That's why he was so keen to turf out Tone.

Absolute nonsense that he cannot appear for fear of being branded a control freak.

He can voice his support of the Chancellor, convey his moral support for Northern Rock investors and his confidence in the golden economic framework he's left for Mr Darling....which is why he's so silent, of course!!!

[E. Greenacre 18 Sep 2007 09:58:11]

Well obviously Gordon Brown is not going to appear before the cameras and answer awkward questions about how he has been running the economy during the last 10 years. Adam, and even the BBC journalists, might at last have a few searching questions to ask him, instead of fawning all over him. Leave someone else to do the hard part; taking the flak for your incompetence, while you pretend to be sorting out something you know nothing about, like foot and mouth. That's what gets votes isn't it - or is it?

[liam Northampton 18 Sep 2007 09:20:51]

When the going gets tough,Gordon gets going.........into hiding,as he's done in the past & will do again in the future.

[ken from gloucester 18 Sep 2007 08:22:17]

The other incidents he had to deal with were easy. He just had to stand in front of the cameras do nothing and look good. I and anybody else could do it!

When something really difficult happens he just goes awol. McCavity by name, McCavity by nature.

[Merv. Beszant, Dubai 18 Sep 2007 08:21:11]

Gordon is probably wearing a blonde wig, and dark glasses, and queuing outside a Northern Rock bank with a wheel barrow!

[ROSH, HOUNSLOW 18 Sep 2007 06:40:00]

I see all those people in a line @ northern rock, blaming the governmnet and the bank, i think they take a look a little closer, they are the ones to blame. they are simply uneducated dont understand a thing whats going on, simply listening to rumours, how daft., grow up people, before you bring the whole economy down. any one who leaves northern rock, should refused any service from any other bank, that will teach these silly people a lesson.

[Tapestry 18 Sep 2007 06:34:18]

It looks as if Blair chose the right departure date.

[carol-ann Liverpool 18 Sep 2007 03:48:14]

Joey Jones, you are a little mischief!

Now, if the Prime Minister had come before the cameras to comment, on what is an issue for the Chancellor -Alistair Darling - Gordon would have been accused of control freakery.
Wouldn't that have given solace to all those who, rather insultingly, assumed that Alistair Darling was just a sort of 'titular'head of the Treasury with Gordon still holding the purse strings?

Because Gordon is leaving Alistair Darling to do the job he is appointed to do... and especially because it is Gordon's 'old' job, he quite sensibly let the Chancellor deal with it.

To have appeared before the cameras would have given the impression that:

a)he didn't think Alistair could hack it.

b)the situation was even more serious, thus ensuring that Northern Rock's stock would have crashed completely and possibly caused a massively bad effect on the stock market - not to mention undermining faith in other 'small' banks.

Personally, I think the Chancellor got involved in this situation too early - I believe he did so to show the government were rooting for anxious savers and as part of an attempt to build faith and trust in the new government.

Unfortunately, it seemns, this possibly created the very thing the Treasury were trying to avoid - loss of faith in Northern Rock.

Sadly, the spectre of Black Wednesday still haunts us.

[Ben Jablonski 18 Sep 2007 03:11:14]

He's most likely trying to establish a reputation for Alistair Darling as a solid Chancellor. He's been criticised for micromanaging in the past and if he's seen to be too slow to relenquish his hold on the Treasury it's likely to conflict with what he's said about the importance of cabinet government. I think he's done the right thing by himself and the country.

[The Morning Post 18 Sep 2007 01:17:18]

I believe that Prime Minister Brown will increasingly distance himself from financial matters as the UK ecconomy slowly but surely deteriorates. Hence his low profile during the current Northern Rock crisis. As interest rates rise to arrest growing inflation, bankruptcies will follow, as will home repossessions. One wonders how long it will be before Mr Darling is blamed for the deteriorating UK ecconomy and sacked by the Prime Minister, who has shirked all responsiblility for the last ten years of New Labour mis-government since he became PM. Watch your back Darling!

[Maurice - Northumberland 18 Sep 2007 00:46:24]

New Labour = Labour = predictable financial incompetence, Labour never have and never will be capable of dealing with numbers, financial or otherwise.

I can now say - 'Told Ya So' because I did, over one year ago about low interest rates.

Not forgetting the 30 year debts due to the reckless PFI/PPI.

[carol42 Cambs. 17 Sep 2007 23:22:49]

Why is anyone surprised, Gordon is never around when there is trouble, one of the things I hate about him and why I would never vote for him. No one else has except for his constituents. Too cowardly to take on Blair when John Smith died, too cowardly to challenge him openly and far too cowardly to face the media when the chickens come home to roost thanks to his economic incompetence and squandering the good economy he inherited. Wasting billions on stupid schemes like tax credits, baby bonds etc. Enron style off book accounting and now using tax payers money to guarantee banks who lent so carelessly. I give up!

[Peter, Fife 17 Sep 2007 19:38:44]

If Gordon Brown was fronting up this Northern Rock situation for the Government, would you and your journalistic peers be asking if this was proof that he was a control freak and that Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer was being sidelined, merely in post as some form of Ministerial puppet?

Swings both ways!