Interesting interview in today’s Daily Telegraph with Mr ‘unsackable’, Alastair Darling.  Take a look here: http://tiny.cc/7CBpf

Darling lifts the lid and provides more information around the recent reshuffle and period of Ministerial resignations.  Gordon Brown did indeed, a week before the reshuffle, offer Darling a choice of Foreign Secretary or Home Secretary…but Darling states that Brown did not ask him to move on from the Chancellorship at any stage.  Bizarre justification that from Darling.  If someone offers you new positions it normally means they want you to move on or preparing you mentally for a change in job.  Shows Gordon Brown is a very weak leader if he offers new roles, especially the Home Office, which is a demotion from the great office of Chancellor of the Exchequer, without stating he intended to move Darling to his face but was leaking it to the national media on a daily basis.  As we would expect, Peter Mandolsen called Darling but credit to Darling he dug in.

I am also sure that David Miliband will this morning be fascinated to read that his job was offered to Alastair Darling.  David must rue the day that his political courage was sucked from his body and must pray that like the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz he can find courage in his soul one day to stand!  So now we know that we have two Cabinet ministers in place that ideally Gordon Brown wanted to move.  How humiliating for both Darling and Miliband to know they are Brown’s second or third choices!  This also shows that by offering Darling the role of Foreign Secretary, he was desperate for Ed Balls to be Chancellor.  (More on this subject in my next blog).

Darling, giving his ‘unsackable’ position is finally growing some balls, (and not Ed Balls!).  Darling has looked uneasy on the front benches as Brown has trotted out some dreadful lies about public spending figures.  Interestingly the Telegraph asserts in its article that:  ‘Mr Darling is clearly not signed up to the “Labour investment v Tory cuts” mantra being spouted by his boss. At all times, he says, the Government must be honest with people about what lies ahead. There is still pain to come — unemployment will rise into next year — and the Government will have to take some difficult decisions about spending’.   The Telegraph assert that : ’Mr Darling is willing to say what Mr Brown will not: that there will be less cash to go around after the next election. He wants, he says, to be honest with the voters. “Both political parties will have to set out their stalls.” The next government will have to take difficult decisions and “you have to have a mandate for that”.  The friction over policy and strategy is obviously rife at the heart of Government.  Credit to Darling for being more attuned to the public and realistic than Gordon Brown.

Darling goes on to admit, which is a departure from Brown again, that he wants to reverse recent tax increases….and this includes the planned rise in the top rate of tax to 50p in the £ above £150,000.  He told the Telegraph:  “Looking into the future I would like to be able to reduce tax. Raising the top rate is something I didn’t want to do.”  Does that imply that the policy was a Brown dictat?  Or just a temporary decision he needed to do for economic reasons….but as TBB has demonstrated, cutting taxes increases tax receipts, raising income tax, decreases tax receipts…as Darling is now seeing for himself!

Darling is starting to move closer to the Tories views on spending.  He agrees that public spending has radically increased in the past 10 years, in fact it hasdoubled in 10 years, hence there is  – there is scope for reductions.  Darling notes that the country is wealthier and the public sector is well padded and therefore some cuts can be made.  Have you heard Brown say this?  This is Darling acting more in line with analyst opinion like the World bank, IMF, IFS, IOD, CBI etc…and his friend Mervyn King at the BOE.

With calls for a complete Spending review pre the election, Darling states that he and the Treasury are carrying out a review of departmental spending covering 50% of Government spending.  Darling states that colleagues cant assume ‘they are getting another penny from me’.  Finally, tougher language from the Chancellor and HM Treasury.  But this is at odds with what his boss has been saying.  It will be fascinating to see if Brown alters his tact next week at PMQ’s!

Well Darling seems liberated.  Knowing he cant be sacked as the spotlight will be back on his boss, he seems more free to act, speak his mind.  I am sure these are character traits that Brown does not like….but then what can he do….he cant sack Darling.  Alastair finally comes of age….and grows balls!

The days of patronising and back patting are coming to an end for Darling from bully Brown!