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Harriet Harman has given her bleakest assessment of the Government’s plight, admitting that there is dissatisfaction with Labour as the party prepares for a week-long onslaught from an emboldened union movement.
In an interview with The Times, the party’s deputy leader offered little comfort for Gordon Brown, backing the Chancellor’s gloomy assessment of the international economy last week and claiming that hard times were turning people against Labour.
“When people feel that their lives are more of a struggle than they used to be then that expresses itself in dissatisfaction with the Government,” she said.
Union leaders, who are gathering in Brighton this weekend for their annual Congress, warned Mr Brown that he needed to act now to help low-paid workers. Tony Woodley, the general secreatary of Unite, the largest union, told The Times: “If this Prime Minister doesn’t listen and act more than he is doing, then make no mistake about it, it will be the economy that will be his downfall.”
He said that the dire state of the economy called for radical policies and for Labour to throw out neo-liberal economics. Mr Brown had to “do a damn sight more to regain the confidence of the country”, he added. He also repeated union demands for a reversal of many of Margaret Thatcher’s trade union reforms.
The latest economic data showed little prospect of a recovery on the horizon, with the FTSE falling 7 per cent this week, its worst for six years. Unemployment in the United States rose to a five-year high of 6.1 per cent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, although the price of oil slid again below $105 (£60) a barrel.
Mr Brown also faces a growing backlash from his party over his failure to secure a deal with energy companies for direct payments of £50-100 for lower-income households to reduce fuel bills this winter.
MPs will now watch the scale of next week’s energy package to see if it goes over the £1 billion level, regarded by some as a minimum.
The energy proposals are now likely to centre on extra financial help to pay for home efficiency measures targeted at low-income households. Negotiations over the scale of the contribution from energy companies are still going on. Many MPs are withholding judgment until the final package is published, although some were upset that direct payments had been ruled out, saying that that could prove “very serious indeed”.
Fabian Hamilton, Labour MP for Leeds North East, said: “They could lose support from those that look to the Government for the help they need right now. People like me, strong supporters of Gordon Brown and the Government, our support might fade away considerably.”
Geoffrey Robinson, the millionaire Labour MP and one of Mr Brown’s oldest friends, suggested the Government could do more to force energy companies to “pull their finger out”.
Ministers deny that they caved in to the energy companies, with Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, saying that one-off payments could not stop bills rising again next year.
The unions will also renew their demands for secondary strike action and even their calls for nationalising some utility companies.
Embarrassingly for Mr Brown, the debate over a windfall tax on energy companies will be debated on the day he attends.
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Taken a wee bit of time to sink in has it Ms Harman.
Just starting to realise that the voters want rid of New Labour.
Take a little look at what is happening in your leader's backyard in Scotland where the SNP are set to anihilate labour in GB's so called heartland.
Times up!
willie mac, Arden, Scotland
"Do Brown and his disgusting government ever read these
comments, because if they did and they had any honour they would resign tomorrow?" Howard Williams, Solihull.
Of course not! It's much more pleasant for them to live in a delusion of their own making. Reality - no thanks!!
C.B.Ross, Motherwell, Scotland
It is quite possible that the Labour Party, following the next General Election, may never again form a cabinet within our lifetime. This happened to the Liberal Party after the first World War and they are still outside government. We need balanced, reasonable, inclusive administration.
Bruce, St. Martin, France
They still don't get it, do they?
It's ELEVEN YEARS of ruining the country - the results of which are now evident to all - that has turned the voters against 'NuLaber'.
Plain and simple.
Are you listening, Gordon?
Jon Leigh, Southern, France
never has the country been governed with so little imagination, flair or attention to detail. we have minsisters swanning abt making sweeping statements without engaging any part of their all too small brains whilst their minions lose vast tracts of data..and at the top..the chief buffoon McBroon.
zugerman, zurich, switzerland
"The unions will also renew their .. calls for nationalising some utility companies."
With what? All the money Brown squirelled away?
The nation's broke and the utilities are owned by foreign governments. Perhaps the unions are suggesting Brown writes an IOU in return for all the shares.
Mike, Brighton, England
Get rid of Brown and his rubbish government
TVDEN, halesworth,
Is she still hoping to make a bid for leadershhip by this statement?
The poor woperson is as sadly deluded as her party.
Pinkie, London, England
It makes me feel extremely pleased to see this farcical regime coming to the end of it's days, I hope brown stays in for the next General Election because it will end in total disaster and keep them out of government for longer.
David, Epping, England
Harman has legislated for inequality in the workplace and positive discrimination against men who account for 49.9 or population. Ooops
A punatative taxation policy which is followed up by petty bureaucracy interfering in all aspects of life have increased the cost of living causing inflation
steve tea, manchester, cheshire
Does Brown and his disgusting government ever read these
comments, because if they did and they had any honour they would resign tomorrow.
Howard Williams, Solihull,
When we boot Ditherer Brown and his bunch of Clowns out of Government, I hope the public are given the names of the Companies barmy enough to employ them so that sanctions can be put on buying those Company's products.
R J Cook, Welwyn Garden City, England
Sounds like we will be able to rely on the unions to finally topple a Labour government once again.Keep up the good work comrades.
Andy, Bristol, UK
Perhaps they are going to look after ordinary people's mortgage problems the same way they help MPs' mortgage problems. Maybe they will pay our TV licences too?
Did Harriet pay her own TV licence last year? Or the year before that? Or the year before that? Does she know what paying means?
Rob Bryant, Bromley, England
The sheer arrogance of this government will it never end! Blunkett's remarks about people working into their 70's, as a politician with a gold plated pension- he won't have to worry in that regard along with the rest of them.
I have no respect for the current 'political class'.
Annie , York, England
BYE BYE Brown, Bye Bye Blair, Bye Bye New labour and the left we have had enough. The Country is looking Right and all this inept incompetent self serving administration can do is to try and cling to power. We don't want you, go and go now. The only pitty is David Cameron is not Sarah Palin.
Martin, South Lincs,
Simon, Brentwood - you miss the point.
When the economy was healthy it was zaNu Labour's doing.
When things go bad it has nothing to do with them.
After all, Gordon was prudent and quite obviously prepared well for a rainy day ...
John, Belfast, UK
Labour will not only lose the next election it will be humiliated. Brown will be personally humiliated. Government minister's political careers will be finished. What a lovely prospect to look forward to. And I used to be a lifelong Labour voter!!!!
chris, crawley, england
Tax, more tax, sneaky tax, hidden tax. Where to start, hmm, that's right, that'll be tax. The labour government has raped and pillaged this country for it's falied policies. I never thought I'd look forward to the prospect of embracing a tory government.
Robert Mackay, Glasgow, UK
There are 2 points to make here. 1st Gordon Brown does not mind the increase in the cost of energy as it brings in necessary finance. He could drop the VAT to the income it provided prior to the price increases. 2nd May I remind Mr Blunkett, I have paid a lifetimes NI contributions for my pension.
Chris Patrick Moore, Huddersfield, England
It is frightening that no matter how loudly millions of us express profound dissatisfaction with this govt, they are sooo alienated from all forms of normal life that they interpret it through a prism of worry about other, wider issues; we have other concerns but hate this inept, shambolic govt.
chris, London,
'The voters expressed dissatisfaction' .
Good morning Mrs Harman
Tony, heywood, uk
Working 'til you're 70? Fat chance. Over 50s really struggle to find work.
Over 60s are kicked off JSA because the Government knows they're no hopers.
Labour's 'New Deal' was no deal - try to get training as a senior and there was no budget.
James, Essex, UK
Maybe Harperson should be the new Labour leader and then they would lose even more seats at the next general election.
Paul, Coventry,
New Labour stating the obvious again.....................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ian payne, WALSALL,
David Blunkett says that pensioners should continue working until they are too frail to continue as they are now living longer than ever! (Daily Mirror)For a Labour politian his statement was disgraceful!
Voters dissatisfied? That's an understatemnt!
sophie smith, london, uk
And it's taken how long for this little nugget to get through into her brain? Where has she been the last few years (apart from strutting round her constituency in a flak jacket, that is) -- we've been dissatisfied since you morons came into power the first time.
Paul, Milton Keynes, UK
People should be made to keep working until too frail to continue, David Blunkett said yesterday.
The former Cabinet minister claimed now people are living longer than ever, most would have to work into their 70s as the state could not afford to pay for them to retire.
Warning that the idea of an official retiring age would have to go, he added: "Every one of us should aspire to some meaningful activity to the point of our incapacity overtaking us."
sophie smith, london, uk
By happily taking the credit for the economic good times and heaping praise on the Iron Chancellor's head for a decade, New Labour have taught voters that the government is primarily responsible for the state of the economy.
The more they put the blame elsewhere, the more votes they chase away.
Simon, Brentwood, UK
Tax. Immigration.Crime
You name it.
International economy has NOTHING to do with it.
ronnie, bucks, UK