Supply and Confidence

I agree Brown doesn't seem very 'Brown-like'. He may throw things, but I didn't think swearing was his thing? And did he get back to No 10 that night? Can't remember?
I'm basing this Brown on the Brown that Andrew Rawnsley portrays in "The End of the Party"- a brooding, bad tempered presence towards the end, possibly sliding into depression and paranoia.
 
I'm basing this Brown on the Brown that Andrew Rawnsley portrays in "The End of the Party"- a brooding, bad tempered presence towards the end, possibly sliding into depression and paranoia.

That's fine, but the swearing still seems a little out of place. Listening to the recording of Bigotgate, it's very hard to imagine him swearing off the cuff like this. My memories of the Rawnsley book indicate Brown swears only in big, set-up lines, eg: 'FUCKING pricks!' rather than 'I'm not going to deal with these fucking pricks'.

Sorry, I'm an actor, I notice these things because I've little else to do with my time! ;)
 
A short but sweet update- the usual length will be that of the first one.




BBC HQ
0115, 9 May
DD: For those who are just tuning in, Britain is just a few hours away from the end of 13 years of Labour rule. Downing Street has just announced that in light of the supply and confidence agreement reached between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, the Government will resign at 8 AM and recommend that Her Majesty call on Mr Cameron to form the next Government.

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JP: What I find most interesting is that despite this historic defeat, Mr Brown has given no indication of wishing to resign the Labour leadership. Perhaps he will wait until the morning or later in the week, but those of us old enough to remember John Major announcing his resignation as leader immediately; it certainly seems out of touch.

FB: I would argue that the precedent would be Jim Callaghan in ’79, though I doubt that Mr Brown wishes to remain leader for the next 18 months. It will certainly be interesting to watch over the next few weeks, we know that for certain.

Conservative HQ, 0500




DC: That settles it then. Is the Cabinet list finalized yet?
GO: Just about, we’re putting the final touches on it before typing and printing. No last-minute modifications I presume?

DC: Of course not. It'll interesting if Brown refuses to leave the leadership. Their system's so Byzantine that nothing short of a full blown revolt will get rid of the old bugger.

GO: (Laughs) God knows how badly they messed it up last time- everyone else was too scared to take the poisoned chalice. I think it's the same dynamic going on now, with this hilarious attempt to defy electoral maths.
DC: I have to say that was quite amusing to watch, but there is a Cabinet to finish making. Let’s get on with that shall we?
GO: Not before some coffee, Dave, I'm parched.

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No 10, 0630
GB:I will say this once, at our final Cabinet meeting where everyone will hear me. If I hear so much as a whisper about leadership questions from one of you before my decision is made, woe unto you. We are going into Opposition and with Cameron at the helm; there will be plenty of decision to attack. Back to the ‘80s again, and you all know the drill.

PM: Gordon, all that’s nice and well, but we did lose because of Southern votes, not because of the North or regions outside England.
GB: You’re forgetting who, Peter, is in charge here. That will be our strategy, and once the junior tosser delivers the Budget Speech you’ll see why I believe this is the best route in the short term.
EM: I’d just like to express my gratitude for having served over these past 3 years, and I hope that we can all work together to be a constructive Opposition. The cuts will be coming, and they won’t be made with a scalpel but with all the subtlety of a machete. That’s our goal, and we should put all other thoughts out of our mind for now.


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BBC HQ, 0750
DD: The Prime Minister’s car has just arrived at the Palace; there we see Mr and Mrs Brown exiting the limo. He will submit his resignation to her Majesty and advise her to call for David Cameron, and in just over an hour we will see the curtain fall on thirteen years of Labour rule.
JP: I just got an email from a senior Tory source who informs me that the Cabinet list has been finalized, with most of the Shadow Cabinet moving directly into their previously shadowed portfolios. One notable exception is Theresa May’s promotion to Home Secretary in place of Chris Grayling, and former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith is slated for the post of Works and Pensions Secretary. A major promotion for IDS- he wasn’t even in the Shadow Cabinet and will now pick up where Frank Fields is leaving off. Plus this is an amazing comeback after the events of 2003...
FB: Sorry to interrupt but Mr Brown has just entered the Palace. His meeting with Her Majesty should take no more than a few minutes.


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No 10, 0945
DD: The Prime Minister has now arrived at No 10 with his wife Samantha, exiting the limo and waving to the crowd. Mr Cameron is the first Tory Prime Minister since John Major left this house 13 years ago this week.
FB: Mr Cameron will speak to the press in a few minutes according to an e-mail I just received from a Tory source.


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Awesome, but what's supply and confidence?

In essence, an agreement by one party to permit another to form a minority government.
It aims to give some stability to the government, without having to go so far as a full-blown coalition.

Therefore, supply-and-confidence partners are not bound to support one another on individual policy debates; they only have to vote with the government on two issues, which give the agreement its name.

Supply refers to bills appropriating money to carry out the function of government, while confidence debates are those where the ability of the government to continue to rule is explicitly called into question.

Possibly a better arrangement for the Lib Dems, in a way, because they can distance themselves from some of the more unpopular decisions made by the government, while still taking credit for anything the Conservatives agreed to do as part of the confidence-and-supply agreement that was in the Lib Dem manifesto.
 
Gordon Brown trying to stay leader of the Labour party is ASB, he would challeged and beaten at the Party Convention most likely by David Milliband.

The rules for Labour leaders are different in opposition, technically he would have to run for re-election every Party Convention, normally this would be just a technicality but in this case he would be soundly beaten and humiliated.
 
He may being trying to pull a Michael Howard so he can keep have some control over his successor (i.e. stopping David Milliband).
 
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