Brown Beggars Belief

Week Fifty: Sunday 9 – Saturday 15 September

What, I wonder, do rank and file Labour supporters make of Gordon Brown's self-confessed love of Margaret Thatcher, his recent meeting with her and his decision to have a portrait of her commissioned and hung in 10 Downing Street?

No matter the denial from socialist supporters, and it must have been acute, when the Labour party became New Labour what they really meant was Conservative. I remember talking to many Labour supporters who tried to articulate and convince, mainly themselves, that this was not the case: Labour was Labour, the party of the people, and always would be.

After the illegal, devastating and deliberate war in Iraq even the most blind among Labour's support began to admit that Tony Blair was Tory Blur, or Tony B(loody)-liar. But they reassured themselves that they'd get him out of power, get a new leader, a Labour man.

Enter Gordon Brown: as 'red' a socialist as you could get, if you looked back over his Labour career. A man of the people, if you believed the pr.

New Labour is a machine, its leader a figurehead, not a policy shaper or decision maker. Gordon Brown is as right wing as Blair. Power, influence, historical immortality for the ego is what drives the Blairs and Browns of this world. Maybe they just never felt loved enough by their parents.

Thatcher, depending on your point of view, was the most vile, unacceptable and damaging leader Britain has ever had. She's the one who boldly told the nation that there was no such thing as society. Britain became a selfish, greed culture: loads of money and everyone for themselves. Me, I think she was more evil than Hitler.

Now New Labour's new leader wants to celebrate, and no doubt emulate, her. Hang her, not her portrait, in number 10; hang Brown alongside her for wounding us all with his admiration for her.

Of course, it will never happen. But be afraid, be very afraid of Broon and his fellow carpetbaggers.