Barry

Anyone see Adam Boulton's response on Sky last night on being asked what would be the legacy of Gordon Brown? A more imbalanced and churlish statement would be difficult to imagine. "He will be very quickly forgotten" was one remark. When even the most bitter and biased newspaper columnists against Labour and Gordon Brown at least allowed themselves to make some considered positive comments, dear old Adam, was objectionable to the end. I find it incredible that he is in that position, unless of course Sky are abandoning all pretence of impartiality. After his tantrum with Alistair and 'snarling routine' with Ben Bradshaw, he needs to reflect -is this really necessary?

bobfarmer

just caught up with this after watching tonight;s affairs unroll. Thought GB's dignity, and your handling of "Boulton the Boor", were the high-points of the whole campaign. Boulton's summary of GB's time in office was truly pathetic.....

Jill Parrish

We had this playing virtually on a loop last night, best laugh of the whole election so far!. Well done for managing to keep your hands in your pockets almost the whole time too...

Judith Haire

Alastair when you went 15 rounds with AB last night it was totally amazing television and full marks for keeping your cool and refraining from decking him. Ofcom received hundreds of complaints about the interview. I rang the Guardian to complain about their mis use of the word "psychotically"
Brilliant Tuesday blog

Caroline

Dear God, what are we coming to when we see a so called political editor completely loses his rag on live TV. Thank goodness we have an alternative; the BBC election coverage has been informative, completely impartial and calm. I know you are none too keen on the BBC Alistair but I for one have enjoyed their coverage of this intriguing election.
Yours,
Caroline James

seonelondon

Well done, Alastair! At last someone has the balls to expose Adam Boulton for what he really is! Kay Burley, Anna Botting, Adam Boulton - the whole lot - a fascist pack of wolves!!

A clear example of how sky news as an establishment is scaremongering: the BBC's business correspondent reporting from the city just argued, showing figures, how the stocks and shares are NOT exactly plummeting because of the supposed political uncertainty. A few seconds later the SKY news reporter reporting on the SAME issues pronounced doomsday in the City because of this unbearable political turmoil. This is SUCH a naked propaganda on SKY's part. SHAMEFUL!

Eileen Reid

Dear Alastair

It was a delight to watch the ease with which you revealed Boulton for what he really is. Watched it live and danced! Please get interviewed by Nick Robinson soon.

Best,

Eileen

paul grace

Alastair, Boulton has lost it. Fact: the Tories have not won a right to govern - well done for standing up with such composure to such a blatant Tory. His bias is truly appalling and I am cancelling my full Sky Sports subscription today. I suspect if more labour/lib dem supporters saw this they would also vote with their feet. Keep on setting the record straight and resist this vile media scrum to prematurely hand over the keys to Cameron. You are providing a much needed voice for the the 53% silent majority who prevented the Tories winning outright power.

olli issakainen

I hope nobody believed a word when the Tories and the Lib Dems claimed for a couple of days that it was all about the economy in the name of the "national interest".
Yesterday evening I watched BBC World for five hours (and saw Nick Robinson´s interview with AC + BBC World´s The Hub interview with AC). Economy was barely mentioned. All talk was about voting reform (and GB).
So, it is all about who is going to have power!
Britain has a progressive majority of 53%. A Con-Lib Dem government would be strong on numbers, but not on ideas. It would be unstable because of differences over policies on Europe, crime, immigration, Trident and early cuts - not to mention PR!
43% of the Lib Dems are left of centre-left. A Lib-Lab government would be strong and stable on policies. As for the numbers, I guess 326 is not needed for a majority. Sinn Fein with five MPs is hardly going to take up its seats. The Speaker (John Bercow?) does not normally vote. But SNP, PC, SDLP and perhaps also Green Party, Alliance Party and Others (1 seat) must come to rescue. (The Tories are still going to get one more seat, I guess later this month.)
There would be a mandate for a reforming rainbow alliance. It would be a fair government. There is still time to stop the coronation of David Cameron. So let´s do it!
The Tories have destructive policies on the economy and public services. It is not - and this time I do really mean it - in the national interest to give them power.

Ps. As for a new Labour leader, I do slightly prefer Ed Miliband to his brother David.

Gavin

Dear Mr. Campbell,

Just wanted to add to the voices congratulating you on your handling of Adam Boulton. His behaviour was truly horrible to watch; such an abrupt descent into boorish and classless antagonism.
It's bad enough having to put up with news anchors that insist on putting across only one position in a positive light, but when they become unreasonably combative about it on live television, it's just far too much.
So thanks again for not only dealing with his outlandish aggresiveness so well, but also for dealing with his biased nonsense and putting out information that was neutral and informative.

I mean really, responding to an interviewer's questions with a perfectly logical and reasonable response should just not get that kind of reaction. From any stable, unbiased individual without vested interests, at any rate.

Cheers,
Gavin.

Ricky Sharma

Alastair,

You totally owned 'Baby Boulton' last night. Kept your cool and argued for what was right. Thank you for exposing Sky News for what it is...saves me from shouting at the TV all the way over here in Dubai!

Keep up the good fight...would love to join it when I return!

Ricky Sharma

Joel

Great performance on Sky, Alastair. Murdoch does not appear to be adapting well to the Twitter/Youtube era (and fortunately doesn't have the privileges of Iran's theocrats). I have to admit, though, that I would prefer a Lib-Con coalition. It would be inherently unviable and unstable, while it would hopefully be unable to implement any of the policies that would ruthlessly scythe at Britain's core. Come the ensuing second election, Clegg would surely be exposed for what he is, while a vote for the Libs may well be dismissed for the foreseable future as a possible vote for the Tories

Obviously, the stability of the economy and the political system has precedence, but it doesn't seem strategically logical to covet the Libs.

Filiz

""At first glance, it seemed a ridiculous thing to say. 1997 was a landslide Labour win. 2001 ditto. 2005 a good Labour majority despite the Iraq war. 2010 - lots of seats lost, second in share of the vote, the Tories winning more seats.""

I like the way you say 'despite the Iraq war'. You lot had changed the boundaries after 97 to make it impossible for you to lose seats that you took your eyes off the ball. Tony Bliar lost more popular votes than Gordon Brown did. Bliar lost 47 seats in 2005

2005 popular vote down from 10,724,953 to 9,562,122

2001 popular vote down from 9,562,122 to 8,604,358

In fact, Bliar lost more of the popular vote than Brown did. So you are only kidding yourself that you won a good election 'despite the Iraq war'. It was all to do with the boundary changes that you managed to hold on to a majority. That is why we need PR, not AV as AV is third past the post. The Lib Dems want PR as do most of the voters. And let's not forget, in 2005 the Murdoch press were backing NuLabour.

mike lewis

Your performance today with Boulton was toe curling.
You should have stayed on the Burnley Bugle, there are too many unelected so called 'celebrity' loudmouths like you spouting utter garbage about this election.
I am a Labour voter, not a tory, but we LOST this election, and we have NO right to try to hang on to power like a bunch of stalinist conspirators.
The people come first, no matter what you and Lord Slither think,Labour will rue the day if it tries to subvert the electoral process like this.

lee markam

Excellent confrontation today with fatty Boulton Alastair, you came over as cool and in command at all times unlike Boulton who looked as if he was going to blow a gasket.
Anyway well done, about time someone put Sky's biased reporting in the spotlight.

fergus o mahony

Looking on from Ireland this afternoon I was astonished by Boulton's Behaviour, he certainly is biased towards the Torys no one has won this race and his attitude towards you this afternoon was completely, unproffesional.
I have contacted sky news to complain and I definately think that they need to look at reprimanding the idiot

fergus

Mrs.Josephine Hyde-Hartley

Having just seen that astonishing video, one wonders how much Mr.Boulton gets paid. I didn't find Mr.Cambell particularly provocative - but isn't it annoying when people react so defensively for no real reason? I reckon it's the sign of a bubble brain - some folk just can't handle what's really staring them in the face.

serge

Interesting broadcast on sky this evening some other place & some other time AC reminds me on late 80's communist 'spin-master apparatchik' well we know where it has all finished now?!

Bar Bar of Oz

The impression is starting to grow that the Brownite thugs are still running the government. What else is to be taken from the comments by Reid and Blunkett?

Gordon should have resigned as Labour leader on Friday, before negotiations started. That at least would have looked honourable. Why didn't he? And what is Ed Balls doing playing a role in the inner sanctum?

Now Labour spokespeople are coming across as smart arse and self serving. I am surprised that Alistair, after all those years with TB, apparently learnt nothing from the Great Persuader. All you are doing is ensuring a real Tory landslide at the next election.

Thomas Rossetti

As someone who never bought into the New Labour project, and someone who disliked Alastair Campbell particularly, I thought the YouTube video reflected pretty badly on Boulton.

It's interesting to note the number of New Labour supporters complaining about Rupert Murdoch on this page. I seem to remember Blair and Campbell were perfectly happy to parade The Sun's support back in the day.

It simply beggars belief for Alastair Campbell to talk about the press being nasty to Gordon Brown. I seem to remember him being responsible for quite a bit of nastiness himself when he was at The Mirror.

Jamie

"Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke."

And god knows what the papers will be drumming up over the next few days to try and ensure Dave Cameron form's a government (which imo will still more than probably happen anyway). The media coverage throughout the election has been utterly contemptuous of the public's intelligence - even Kelvin Mackenzie laughed when you mentioned the Sun's Obama front page last Thursday.
So fair play today Alastair - you pressed a few button's and it wasn't appreciated. More of the same please.

Jon

Well done, you are a master at your art sir. Give Boulton what for!

Dan

Hi Alastair

Don't like seeing people get angry like boulton did earlier, but had to watch it over a couple of times on sky plus just because i honestly couldn't understand why he was getting so upset.

The Telegraph has a "suggest a storey" page and after andrew porter tried to say on sky news (sunday lunch time) that brown should have left no.10 on friday I couldn't resist suggesting that perhaps the paper should run a feature on the british constitution-for porter's sake more than anyone else, or send him on a politics course........or employ a political editor who actually knew something about politics. Any chance you can get him to go into meltdown????? PLEASE????????

Jackie Butts

I have written to Sky News to show my disapproval of Adam Boulton's interview with you in which he displayed partial and totally inappropriate behaviour. He should be removed or at the very least, disciplined.

Alan

Just trying to hold onto power and as usual you are a bully just like Gordon. The sooner we see the back of Gordon and you the better. As soon as you thought that Labour had a chance you rushed to the BBC. Pay note of the comments of John Reid labour will suffer for your involvement.

Dai

Brilliant Alistair.
It'd be nice to see you next having a chat about objectivity with the Chief and Deputy Chief Conservative spokespersons for the BBC - Nick Robinson and Laura Kuenessberg.
Thinking back to when GB got in the car and his infamous 'bigotted' comment, any chance we can now get hold of the recording from when Bolton got off camera and said what a jolly nice chap you really are?
Keep up the good work Mr Campbell, you once again made my day!

James

Well done on the Sky News interview Alastair. I would have found it very hard not to have done a Prescott on Adam Boulton the way he behaved. You kept your cool and made the bloke look like the prat he is. Sky's coverage of the election campaign and aftermath has been scandalously biased and they clearly cant cope with this being pointed out. Keep up the good work chap!

paul

alastair i'm worried about adam boulton. his emotional breakdown seems to have coincided with the seeming collapse of the tory lib dem talks. mmmm i wonder if theres any connection? lol
i bet murdoch workers are petrified at what he'll do if cameron isn't pm

Steve

Well done Alistair, fantastic watching you give Adam Boulton what for on Sky news, he deserved every bit of it the Tory loving pratt.
I would like to have know what Jeremy said when he cut the newsto Gordons speech, or what did Adam Bulton say? Bet he went home and cried the pratt.
Keep up the good work Alistair, lets hope the Lib Dem's see sense and don't join the torie's and there silver spoon fed idiot.

Faz

please please please can your sort Nick Robinson out next

Adam Boulton

Campbell im going to send the east end mafia round to chop yer legs off..........

GillieBC

Just turned over from BBC news coverage to see you and Adam Boulton in 'conversation' this afternoon. The behavior of
Boulton was astonishing. This overweight Tory bigot has no
place on TV news. But,I guess that's exactly why Sky "Tory" news employs him. You did well. He looked a fool.

How about Alastair Darling as the next Labour Leader?

Moira

Bravo Alastair. This was an outrageous display of biased and unprofessional reporting by Boulton. He should be sacked immediately. How you managed to keep your cool and avoid thumping that big red spitting face is quite beyond me! He looked every bit the thug squaring up for a fight. Had he been drinking? I was so disgusted by this childish display I immediately emailed Sky News to complain but I don't suppose it will do any good, they're a law unto themselves! And as for Jeremy whats's-name saying 'you' were being 'provocative'!?! I couldn't believe what I was hearing! How biased was he? If I were you, Alastair, I would demand a public apology and Boulton's head on a platter before I would ever give Sky reporters another interview - EVER! I am so disappointed in them I've switched over to another news channel.
You were by far the better man here. Love your cool!
No chance you could run for leader?

Marie

Just seen John Redwood on Newsnight confirm that he prefers the current first past the post system over AV as it's the "least fair system"!!!!! Got to admire the honesty of the Tories!!!! Well done against Adam Boulton.

Barry Delaney

Well done Alistair ! You articulated your point of view extremely well and calmly too. Unfortunately, Adam Boulton did not cover himself in glory on this one. Losing control in such a high handed way brings Sky News down. He did not seem to appreciate that people might have the audacity to take a cpntrary view !Are they trying to outdo Fox News? It is a fact that the majority of media in this country have produced a biased onslaught onto the Labour Party in general and Gordon Brown in particular. Excellent stuff Alistair -standing up to the school yard bully.

Aaron

Well done for putting Adam Boulton in his place. He was out of control and owes you a massive apology for his behaviour - totally unprofessional for a man in his position.

Tom

Told you Alistair. The money men want power. Things haven't gone to plan at all. They hoped to entice the Lib/Dems with 12 pieces of silver. I think Nick Clegg has been warned by his party that's the way it was looking. Let the Tory's go it alone. They wanted power, let them have it. They spent enough money on trying to get it. They needed a large majority to push their stringent policies through. That is take back the 50% tax rise back to 40% and slam everyone else with a large tax rise, but they failed. Can you see Cameron and Osbourne on the International stage. They are way out of their depth. Go into opposition with all the other parties. Select someone Labour can really unite around and prepare to fight the next election. Sky News have been bought and journalists like Bolton are being hammered by their pay masters that the media strategy didn't work. Not all bought the Cameron sales pitch. Europe and the rest of the world won't either that's the problem. The Liberals are taking a major gamble going with the Tories because if they fail and things get worse their heads will be on the same block. Labour stay out of it. They will soon realise who is to blame for the resession. The Tories can't blame Labour and Gordon Brown, for Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and other countries that are finding themselves skint because of the global banking fiasco.

Paul Locke

Since Friday the Sun and the Dailys Mail, Express and Telegraph have been lambasting the public
for not giving David Cameron a working majority. The fault, apparently, is with us!!

It shows just how deep the abyss of denial is from which the Right has still to climb.

Having deployed their most palatable leader in years, backed by enough cash to fund a moon landing
and a media campaign that would have embarrassed Ceausescu they still couldn't convince enough punters to
back them.

As for this tool Boulton, prior to this evening i hadn't heard of him.

I bet if he was a Labour politician, Quentin Letts would be saying he looks like the Vogon from Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

sophie

That was genius - well done for staying calm - a brilliant expose of how much pressure Rupert's team are under to deliver a Tory win...The more compassionate me is a bit woried about AB's state of mind...he needs to have a rest...

Phil

Great to see you deal with that biased buffoon Boulton so well on sky news. That whole channel is becoming a joke and fat adam should learn to take constructive criticism on one of his 5 chins. It reminded of a champion boxer having to swat away an annoying drunk. Wont be long before Boults goes from discussing the Big Issue to selling it...

Rory

Alastair, bloody brilliant performance today.To say that plonker took the bait would be a understatement. He's still wound up a couple of hours later. Reckon it would do no harm for Labour to get out of Government for a year or two.Let the people have Cameron and Osborne for a while and see how they like it. Labour should get themselves freshened up and go on the attack from opposition. Build a base for a long run in power again. Just an opinion from Ireland. Well done again.

Tricky Dickie

Congratulations Alistair for the best six minutes of TV of the whole election.
I saw your confrontation on election night as well as Ed's and you again today. Good job Boulton isn't elected he would have 3 years of tabloid bear baiting and horrid old hacks writing books about him.
Time the media got a good shake up, they are destroying our politics and turning honourable people in to comic figures without any regard for truth or fairness.
History will remember Blair and Brown, children will study them and read their speeches as A level and degree course work. Boulton will either explode or die of a heart attack unless he adopts a more healthy lifestyle. Boulton will be forgotten quickly leaving nothing more than an empty chair and a half eaten pork pie.

I hope enough people complain about his behaviour especially as it has been more than three times now. Sky should sack him asap. Poor old Jeremy trying to hold it together too.....he is such a nice guy I genuinely felt sorry for him.
The Labour party owe you big time Ali I hope they remember it.

Dominic

Boulton really needs to go home, take a warm bath and chill out. He is still red-faced, almost losing it with Ben Bradshaw as well. His journalism is becoming a tad less balanced than the current Parliament.

John Groves

FANTASTIC WEL DONE Mr B. Faced down the bully and like all bullies Campbell lost control. Can't handle freedom of speech can you bully boy? Revert to your bullying socialist type. You lost, the argument,your self control and most of all the election.

Way to go Adam!

.

Claire

Damn, I missed the Sky News slot, but from what I can gather on here you put Boulton in his place! I think the media in general has been a disgrace throughout this whole election, and then The Sun has bloody Simon Cowell supporting the Tories. Who in their right minds listen to Simon Cowell anyway; I think Sting got that one right!

I think GB was very dignified in his speach today. He has implemented some significant policies to make a fair society, and this must not be forgotten. So he may not have the charisma that Blair had, but he got on with the job that needed to be done and was a tough negotiator. I would rather have someone like this as the PM than a pretty boy. Obviously the majority of the electorate don't believe the hype with Cameron either! I hope GB goes on to great things and continue to make a positive difference to people's lives in one way or another.

Jon

Mark (2010-05-10 22:01:52) is Adam Boulton and I claim my five pounds!

Pedro

Loved your performance on Sky News! Campbell 8 - Boulton 0.

J Scott

Really bizarre interview on Sky today, Alastair! Do you think Adam has had too little sleep in the last few days - or too much coffee? The problem is that he can give out barbed comments but can't take it when it's given back to him. You were of course provocative but he should have been able to deal with it. The exchange is already a twitter phenomenon!

Adam

Hi Alastair.
Good show on Sky News :). Adam Boulton needs to think about his career if he can't handle giving interviews to people who're passionate about the issues at hand.

Keep on fighting!

Adam

Luke

Just wanted to say you were not being 'provocative' in that Sky interview, Adam Boulton was being outrageously badly behaved. Don't know how you managed to stay so calm in the circs.

waymore

Yeah, you never lost control, did you.

Gordon Mackenzie

Superb work that man. Show all Murdochs bullies in their true light.

P.S loving the comparison to Kevin Keegans flipout

JK

Well done for seeing off Boulton. Quite right for pointing out the massive advantage the Tories had in the election - from ashcroft's money and the supine media. The deluge of abuse directed at Brown over the last two years and repeated endless across the internet was a narrative set in place by these Tory boys.

N Reynolds

Well done Alastair, just seen footage on sky news and what a plonker that Boulton is. It showed Adam and Sky news for what they really are, a disgrace.

Steven

Just watched AC v Boulton twice - fantastic! Boulton looked like a loan shark trying to extort money on the doorstep. The Tories (including Sky) are sweating. If they can`t cut the mustard when trying to do a deal with the Libdems, how would they cope in a real international crisis?? Also, notice how Osborne (their campaign mastermind) leaves the doorstep speaking to Hague when each round of talks finishes. If a Lib-Lab deal progresses, watch the blue bloods squirm...

Geoff Fox

Alastair

Loving the appearance on Sky. It truly was Boulton's Kevin Keegan moment and I thought you handled it superbly.

I know it's only May, but that will undoubtedly be the TV moment of 2010 for me.

Well done for saying what most sane people are thinking.

Geoff

Arthur Kennedy

Well done that man!!!

Boulton is a Murdoch lapdog.

Bernie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gkHwU4DRA8

Mark

I've never felt compelled to do this with anyone before, but theres always a first!

You really are an obnoxious piece of work. When are you going to get the message that the public do not want unelected people, such as you, holding power and sway in the government that some of use elected.

It is time for you to go, do it now, and do it before you ruin the Labour Party forever.

Frank O'Neill

Alastair,

I had to come on here and say a heartfelt thank you for putting Adam Boulton in his place. I have watched a great deal of coverage during the campaign and i lost count of the number of times he gave both Labour and Lib Dem spokespeople a hard time , constantly interupting them etc. He did not behave in the same manner to the Conservative Party spokespeople. I cheered out loud when i heard you challenging him. Well done for keeping your composure, you exposed him on live tv for what he is.

Well done

Frank

Biff Bean

Well done Al, Boulton is a total arsehole and once again you showed him up in front of the Skynews faithful.

Cass

I had to stop watching due to being so angry about the tory bias in the media so to you Alastair I say:

thank you
thank you
thank you

You've made my day.

Joe

I take my hat off to you. I'm not a particular fan of you or GB or the Labour party but what I really object to is Sky New/Murdoch empire bias which was ramped up the moment the election was announced. How distinguished journalists can sell their professional soul is beyond me.

Well done!

tom wiley

oh dear alistair...was adam trying to stop you doing your 'brainwashing' the general public again routine?

Appa Basu

Dear Alastair,
The resignation of Gordonn Brown opens up a new approach to the hung parliament. Labour should allow nick clegg to be PM on the ground that since labour will need time to elect a leader. Let him make all the harsh decisions which will make him unpopular. Labour will be forced to support to avoid another election and uncertainity. Labour can take credit for some of the brakes they put in cleggs harsh economic cuts. In one years time when nick clegg is unpopular enough withdraw support and go for election. By this time david cameron will also be unpopular in his party for letting this chance slip.

stokey

Go on son.....great job winding Boulton up, thoroughly enjoyed it. you should do more tv for the party - top effort

ps i'm a mate of Sam Grdner (who's book you reviewed - he says hi!)

Someone Who Knows

You're some piece of work Campbell. Just remember what goes around comes around.

C Smith

Wow! What a showdown - fantastic tv. Boulton's behaviour was shocking, showed his true colours. Thought you handled the situation brillantly. AC for PM.......

Robert Jackson

:-)

:-)

:-)

Nice!

C Kelly

Dear Alistair,
Thank you so much for taking on at least one of the bully boys in the media - the news coverage around this election has been totally biased and the attacks on Gordon Brown nasty in the extreme. I am so glad that you have been able to stand up and say what a lot of people have been thinking..long live democracy - down with brain washing by the tory media! Maybe you can take on Nick (former Conservative party member) Robinson next?

Graham Jones

Just witnessed the demolition of Adam "Billy Bunter" Boulton. COOL!

Kevin Mclaughlin

Alistair I thought you were great at keeping your composure with Adam Boulton he was pathetic, Ive never met you but have always admired you and T Blair, even though I am an SNP supporter. I actualy wrote to sky to complain at his toddler like tory outburst and for good measure forwarded a complaint to the PCC for the biased presenting by an obvious Tory, I am surprised he didn,t spontaneously combust, it would have been funny if it wasn,t so serious, might actualy order your book from the library now ! Well done mate and keep up the good work, you looked very handsome as well.

Mandy

Thank you Alistair, after your top class performance with Bully Boy Boulton can I ask in the public interest that you do the same to Kay Burley, Joey Jones, Glen Oglaza Jon Craig and Niall Patterson, much appreciated. Best T.V in 4 days, Love Yah x

Paddy

Hi,

I though you managed your interaction with Adam Boulton brilliantly. He was very unprofessional and that is unacceptable. Not that it’s worth much but I sent a letter of complaint to Sky.

Must buy your book :-) nice one

Jas

Alastair,
Well done to you for saying what all of us have been thinking for so long. Boulton losing his cool showed him for what he is. Keep pushing him!

Cheers
Jas

Graham Jones

Shit! I missed it this time. Boulton has had it coming to him for a long time, as have all those neo-con scumbags. Can we have a link to watch it please? Let's make it No1 on YouTube.
I'm saddened that Gordon has gone. He has decided to go for the sake of the country and the party, something John Mann will never understand.
We are losing a giant of British politics, but the movement for social justice on the street, are gaining a foot soldier, with the heart of a lion. He has stated before, that he doesn't want to continue in business after leaving office - but if Barack Obama is as smart as I think he is, he will badger Gordon into working for him. However, it came as no surprise when he said that he would probably do charity work, helping the less fortunate in society.
We will miss him when he has gone, and many labour MP's, along with the general public will wonder - when will we see his likes again.

xavier Attwell

alastair your a legend for putting boulton back in his place wish it had been kate burley !!

Jamie

Just to echo the recent comments made here - you were absolutely bloody brilliant during the Boulton "interview". First Kay Burley's breakdown, now Boulton's - Sky News are a total joke. Why aren't Ofcom regulating their output more rigorously?

Mary Bacon

Made a post on the Sky News forum criticising Bolton's behavaiour. It was removed within 15 minutes. Hopw's that for freedom of speech !

natasha

Just caught your exchange with the Boulton fellar - Well done. You were absolutely right to state his bias and challenge him, even if they all live in denial. He and Sky have lost the plot and are now screaming for formal complaints against their biased coverage. Gordon Brown should not have resigned. He is the best PM for the UK for the foreseable future. He is the best finance man to lead us through this financial crisis He has gravitas and intelligence and wisdom. Who else can we really see in the job? And I want to bet that most ordinary people don't care if he isn't wearing an armani suit, has a wonky smile and is not media savvy. Media savvy aint paying no bills in this country. Well done for putting Bolton in his place. He is no longer credible in my eyes and Clegg had better understand that his road to the PM's office is a long, long way off if he gets into power sharing with the likes of the conservatives. There aint no way Cameron or any conservative leadership letting him take over the reins of PM in the forseeable future (under a coalition, cause if Cameron is made PM he'll hold on for life). Clegg has a shorter route (and a better chance to be PM) to 10 downing St with Gordon Brown.
Anyway, keep the media on their toes Mr Campbell.

Bernie

Alistair,

Just had to come on here and say thankyou. For going on there today and saying what we've been wanting someone to say (and do) to 'them' for far too long. You were absolutely brilliant and absolutely spot on in what you said. Robinson and Boulton in particular deserved it.

Thankyou.

Nick Robinson

Have just watched you Adam Boulton completley lose it with you - he came a very poor second. I could not see where he was coming from unless he has a most partial agenda to push! Well done.

Clare Flanagan

Alastair,
My son Hugh and I have just witnessed Adam Boulton's meltdown live on Sky News during your "interview".

We can't decide if Boulton's apparent sleep deprivation or the breakdown of Lib/Con talks led to his tirade.

Well done for emerging with dignity and self respect!!

Boulton represents the worst of the toadying Tory press - in fact he's not even that good.

All the best,
Clare and Hugh

Andrew Jones

Alistair, just seen you put Adam Boulton firmly in his place on sky news, bravo.
Great to see that smug grin wiped off his face for the first time since Friday morning.

rhidian

Alistair i love it when you tell adam "im a torie lover" boulton the truth, because he simply cant take it. just watched him almost assaulting you on sky news, he clearly hadnt got over your truthful comments on election night that sky news has been so biased towards the tories the last 6 months im supprised there hasnt been a picture of cameron rooted in the corner of the screen subliminaly trying to brainwash us. The guy is honestly so used to slagging labour off and saying nothing but negative things about the party i honestly dont think the guy knows he sounds like an attacking torie mp 24/7. good for you for standing toe to toe with him....its always funny watching him get annoyed.

Robert E

Go go go!

alan percy

Could you or someone in the Labour party challenge this view of it being undemocratic for an unelected PM by using the example of Churchill, 'unelected' in 1940. All those Tory supporters attacking a new Labour leader becoming the next PM are effectively saying they would have preferred Neville Chamberlain to stay as PM as he had an elected mandate not Churchill.

Jim Cochrane

This is what we wanted a hung parliament for.... watching Alastair Campbell sparing with Adam Boulton..Thought it was going to come to blows at one point.....Priceless TV....Well done Alastair....How about a rematch.

James S

Alastair, fantastic performance on Sky with Adam Boulton this afternoon. At last someone fought back. The pro-tory coverage and bile against labour has been nothing short of obscene. Wherever your cross fell in the general election no-body should be subjected to the lack of balance offered by skynews...boulton being one of the main offenders..Keep it up please

David F

Just seen you with that broadcaster Adam Boulton... Well Done!! That guy has been getting too big for his boots for far too long now, especially after what he said about the 'kind of people who live' in the areas where the BNP got the European seats.. Hopefully you will have exposed him for what he is.

Mary Bacon

Well Done Sorted bolton out. It is about time we stopped worrying about Government controlling the media. For too long now this disgraceful orgainisation has been manipulating politics by pontificating their opinions, interviewing each other and attemting to create news. The bugging of Gordon Brown was a good example of how this new form of red top TV is focused on manipulating the newsather than reporting on it.

Catherine McLean

Well done, Alastair, for making 'mince meat'of Adam Boulton on Sky News. You exposed his biased views.

jack rose

bravo alastair. what a masterful putdown of that clown adam boulton on sky. about time someone gave him a pasting.

Cromwell

I recommend Harriet Harman for labour leadership. About time we had a female leader....

Cromwell

I said it, Labour changing it's leader again after gaining power would be very damaging. Now Gordon Brown has been forced out again just after an election. This will be very damaging. The media is already banding the drums.

Patrick Hanlon

I agree no deal with the Lib-Dems. I think the party should regroup with a new leader and do not rush, when Cameron was elected to the leader of the tories it gave a big boost to the party, I think we should do the same select someone that is newly elected he/she will not be tared with what has happened in the past.

Pat.

Elaine Mills

Alistair if only you would consider taking over from Gordon Brown, I would without doubt vote for you. You are definitely someone with passion, knowledge, and style and one thing is for sure the media wouldnt know what had hit them, a bit like Adam Boulton off Sky News on Election Night, you were brilliant. I do believe that now is the time to regroup and I am sure GB knows this also, so time will tell as to what will happen,I do sympathise with GB as I believe he has made a great Prime Minister behind the scenes but its just a shame that his true personality doesnt come across in front of the scenes!

kathy

It is all over, the people have spoken although what they said is a bit unclear. But I think it is fair to say that two million votes more gives David Cameron the first shot. So stop whining, accept whatever happens and stop pretending Labour wanted PR all along. If Labour were'nt looking like going out of government none of you would even consider it. It is time to get some government in place and for people to get behind them and try and undo the damage. Gordon Brown is unpopular in the country and not just with the press. Labour have not impressed with their spinning. devious deals and nanny style of government. The rights of minorities takes precedence to the rights of all men to be equal. People are branded racists or homophobic for expressing a view This is not a democratic way to run a country. Re-group yourselves, elect a new leader, the correct way this time and dump Mandelson and all the spin doctors. Go back to the old style Labour, albeit not one completely in hock to the unions and people may consider Labour deserves to rule next time round.

Billy Blofeld

You make it sound like a David and Goliath struggle - which it is, although the cards were all stacked in Labour's favour:

1. 13 years of uncritical BBC coverage (with the exception of Iraq)

2. Constituency bias

3. Labour has created a massive welfare dependent population who will vote Labour

4. Labour has massively grown the size of the public sector - who will vote Labour.

5. Unite's money and campaign resources.

6. A record Government TV advertising spend - just before an election

7. All the apparatus and machinery of the civil service to prepare policies

8. Billionaire financial backers like Lord Paul.


For Labour to lose despite having the overwhelming advantage - shows that the campaign was a total disaster.

Mike Bond

Whatever deal the two public-scchool twits (both Tory-lite) stitch-up between them has to be sold to their respective parties. Clegg in particular has a huge problem here. St Vince has apparently been noticeable by his absence in the cosy-up-to-Greasy talks so far (is he talking to the other side?). The very same LibDum party rules which stopped Ashdown getting into bed with Labour will be used now, if necessary.
All Gordon has to do is say he'll resign imminently and suddenly there is the Shiny new Labour Leader, probably the Millipede, with Vince in the Treasury, Cleggy at Education/Home Sec, and even the Green Ms at Environment: that would look quite attractive to the electorate. The Tories would reveal themselves as the Nasty Party if they brought the Progressive Coalition down.

I still feel the left holds a very strong hand.

In fact I'm trying to get a bet on Ms Harman being Prime Minister next month, but can't find a market for it.

History will be very kind to Mr Brown if he does the right thing now.

The very highest regards

MIKE BOND

aka Mickey Mouth who used to write a horseracing column on the same page as Mr Brown's column in the T & G Record

Mike Bond

Whatever deal the two Tory-lite stitch-up between them has to be sold to their respective parties. Clegg in particular has a huge problem here. St Vince has apparently been noticeable by his absence in the cosy-up-to-Greasy talks so far (is he talking to the other side?). The very same LibDum party rules which stopped Ashdown getting into bed with Labour will be used now, if necessary.
All Gordon has to do is say he'll resign imminently and suddenly there is the Shiny new Labour Leader, probably the Millipede, with Vince in the Treasury, Cleggy at Education/Home Sec, and even the Green Ms at Environment: that would look quite attractive to the electorate. The Tories would reveal themselves as the Nasty Party if they brought the Progressive Coalition down.

I still feel the left holds a very strong hand.

In fact I'm trying to get a bet on Ms Harman being Prime Minister next month, but can't find a MARKET for it.

History will be very kind to Mr Brown if he does the right thing now.

The very highest regards

MIKE BOND

aka Mickey Mouth who used to write a horseracing column on the same page as Mr Brown's column in the T & G Record

Peter Greenhill

I can't understand those who say Labour need a period in opposition to refresh themeselves instead of holding out for a deal with the LibDems. If we didn't want power, what was the point of fighting last weeks election. While Labour refreshes itself the LibCon axis will decimate public services and undo much of labour's good work.
It might not be possible for labour to stay in Government but we shouldn't be throwing in the towel just yet.

Allybob

Agree Alastair - sad but not as bad etc. Good news from councils - how come? To pick Peter Greenhills post - lewisham sounds great - i'm moving there! we just got a new tory boy here by 300 votes! - i've never had a tory MP before - feel dirty. Also, to follow Cromwells comments - the press have been disgusting, but, and Alastair - please answer, WHY did the BBC capitulate with the press so much - they have got NOTHING to gain from a Murdoch backed Tory govt - talk about turkeys voting for xmas. So why did they do it Al?
Also - Blues all round - premiership too with red Fergies Reds losing out. sorry about Burnley - must me real crap for you right now.

Cromwell

Good luck to the libdems if they join with the Tories. For one it would not last, secondly the libdem vote would collapse (this would favour labour stringly) because most of libdem voter believed libdems were on the left of labour.

This would destroy that believe because for the first time in long time, that the Libdems get close to power, they choose to go with the Tories. There is no redemption for the libdems for at least a generation, even if they get electoral reform, which I doubt they would get because labour would want to punish them for joining with tories, therefore vote against the reform with the tories.
Liberal Democrats would be in serious trouble if they go with the Tories.

keyo

Your latest tweets regarding Darling you fail to mention he said "There was no way that Britain was going to underwrite the euro"

But he did, under existing rules, truth will out.

Brian

As one of the foot solidiers who helped return a Labour MP with an increased majority and helped take back our Council from the Lib Dems I am proud of the campaign we fought.But please, please , no deals with the Lib Dems to limp on in government.We need to regroup and rebuild our activist base and return to government stronger and more radical.

Rohachi

Alastair, if you've still got some influence over grand strategy, please encourage Gordon Brown to stay.

This may sound flimsy, but I genuinely believe, from a variety of conversations and online forum discussions, that sentiment has begun to turn in the last couple of days. It is shifting from the usual media-encouraged venom against the man to a (grudging for some) admiration of his resilience, and a recognition of the fact that against such strong headwinds, he did lead the party to a result which ultimately wasn't that bad.

A new leader without any electoral mandate at all, trying to form a coalition, would be disastrous and illegitimate.

rukia

Have to say as a member i thought the campain was a bit too low key for my liking but as AC says at least some councils came back under Labour control i have been disgusted by the media coverage thiss time round the BBC in particular where as biased as they come (i ecpect it from sky,so i dont bother watching) but the BBC..no it wasnt good enough not by a long shot.

If a Con/Libdem pact comees to life i just cant see it lasting they seem so far apart in many ways and given Cleggs insistance of reform throughout the campaign it would be laughable for them to join up with the tories without a caast iron gaurantee of a referendum over PR but i do see Clegg as a cloeset tory so i can see this deal happening but time will tell.

Its time now though for the party to regroup under a new leader GB will go down in history a decent PM who pulled us back from the edge during the financial crisis but his time is now up sadly and with surely little time between now and next election we need to get a new leader ASAP

Alan

FACT Labour always overspend and run out of money without achieving real value or reform for all the money they have spent. Ask anyone in the pub and they will tell you who is to blame which is why they do not want Gordon as Prime Minister and if you are honest nor do you.

joe heuston

I couldn't have put it better myself. Not feeling great about it all, but it's not the disaster most of the press, and some of our own were forecasting. Also, it won't be long till we get a chance to throw this lot out. not a chance they'll last a year.

D. Tomlinson

I think that you are right.With so much against the Labour Party, the resilience of their vote was staggering.

Alan Quinn

You're right Alastair we did fight a tenacious campaign and we're ready to go again whenever the the time comes. The tories are already starting to turn on each other as they realise how bad Dave and his team were, their paymaster is furious too,£5m down the drain.
btw I heard one of your regulars was elected onto Bury Council, taking a seat from the LibDems.

Graham Jones

Who is Nick Clegg to demand the resignation of Gordon Brown? What mandate has he got to dictate who is the leader of the Labour party? None, absolutely none.
More disappointing, is the lack of support shown by the party to GB. They are behaving like a spineless bunch, and there isn't anyone strong enough to replace Gordon anyway, so it's time they showed some backbone.
It was Gordon's last two speeches and the Paxman interview that won many people back over, because he suddenly dropped the act and let people in. When you have been portrayed as sub-human by the entire media for two years, it is an enormous disadvantage; but he always rose above it. The attempted coup's were laughable, when you consider that none of those involved were a patch on Gordon Brown.
Yes, he doesn't do the light footsteps well at all, but he is the bricks and mortar that has held the world(yes, the world)economy together.
Losing him now, when we need his leadership to steer us through to recovery is crucial. Osbourne got the big calls wrong, and Cable eventually agreed after the event. That's too late. Gordon got every call right, when it most mattered -on the day and on the hour.
There is nobody else around in British politics with the judgement to match his. It is east to change the colour scheme, but it is a lot more challenging to change peoples lives. The quicker the Labour party remember that, and stand strongly behind him, the quicker we can move forward.
The truth is, nobody has a mandate to govern, because nobody got a majority. The next obvious step, is to put together a government with the same values, and the right leadership for the recovery. Gordon Brown is trusted in Washington, in Paris, in Berlin, in Beijing, at the UN, by the IMF, the world bank and the world leading economists. When Nick Clegg can assemble such support, then he can make demands. Until such a time, he should do as his party wishes of him -to form a progressive government - be it under the leadership of Gordon Brown. He may not like Gordon, but he should show some more respect for a political giant, who along with Tony Blair, changed this country for the better.

Cromwell

If labour is to have any credibility in a coalition government with the Libdems, Gordon Brown must stay. This is very important as we all remember how Gordon Brown became PM. The last thing labour needs now is to repeat this again.

Paul McMenamin

Alastair

Here in Liverpool, Labour have returned 4 MP's, 3 of which are new, all with a +swing, 1 of whom (Luciana Berger, Wavertree) was up against a very agressive LD campaign, borne out by the fact that Nick Clegg was in the constituency twice during the campaign. Labout have also regained the council after 13 yrs. So I agree with your point that the party has achieved something here in 2010, despite the disappointments nationally.

Labour still has a postive story to tell, although media outlets are reluctant to give this story a fair hearing with their continued obsession with GB. Some in the press seem to think that Cameron will get a 'bounce ' in the polls and can go in 6-12 months with an inevitable maj, to follow. Not so sure that will be the case. All i hope is that Labour are well positioned, structurally and startegically, to capitalise. There is still much to fight for

Apologies for the long post!

olli issakainen

Mr Clegg appears to be on the verge of stepping into the mousetrap of the Tories. Instead of seizing a historic opportunity, he is making a historic mistake.
All this talk of the "national interest" is not credible.
With Labour the Lib Dems would get both PR and policy influence.
Logic is against the deal between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems, but I have "looked into the soul" of Nick Clegg and he seems to be keen on the deal.
I am currently watching Burnley v. Spurs. It is 0-2 but I already know how it will end!

Ps. Please everyone read Will Hutton´s column in the Guardian (8.5.).

Peter Greenhill

The guy from the Mirror said on BBC News that the politicians are under pressure from the Civil Servants to come up with a deal that will stick and lead to stable Government for 3-4 years.Therefore I may be wrong- no early General Election, possibly..
Time will tell.

craig thomas

Alastair,
Much as I'd love to agree with you, the campaign was a disaster on the TV because of Gordon. And so every Labour campaigner carried a dreadfully heavy rucksack on their back.

Gillian Duffy wasn't Gordon's fault, but how many political incumbents would go into a live TV debate with sensational crime figures released the day before and completely refuse to mention them?

I suspect this is because of shockingly bad advice, a misreading of voter psychology: to wit, "the electorate doesn't want to hear politicians boasting."

As the first poster I read above hinted, a government wins votes by waving its successes under the faces of the floaters and indeed, its wavering core voters. The fact is that the most successful government in history, 13 years of rebuilding the country's infrastructure and pschye (the great support for the arts and just governing in a tone that was totally, totally at odds with the Thatcher-Major years), reducing crime, bringing peace to Ulster, setting up modern electoral systems in Scotland, Wales, Ulster and for mayoralities, and saving the country from the abyss economically in 2009, it ended up with 29% of the popular vote. TWENTY-NINE!

Having lost power, I suppose we (Labourites) are all clutching at straws, but to characterise the campaign as successful is about as far-fetched as you can get.

The reason the Tories lost(to fail to get a maj. was clearly to lose for them) and, consequently, that we, in a sense, got away with it, was down to their own failings: an ideology that's out of temper with the times apart from foreigner-bashing and a lack of brains that meant policy flip-flopping, policy disasters (big society) and policy hiding.

In the end, we were lucky that they're so dumb.

GORDON - GO NOW BEFORE YOU DO ANY MORE DAMAGE

sean smith

unfortunately GB needed AC input for the past 2-3 years, I sincerely hope that you (AC) continue to have an influence on the labour party as they are in despearate need of your contribution..

Mary Newsham

Yes, it will be sad to see Gordon Brown leaving. One of the saddest aspects of this election for me has been that it has highlighted the very limited extent to which the British public will use thier critical intelligence when deciding who to vote for.A political heavyweight with a combination of integrity,significant intelligence and genuine concern for social justice is rare in modern politics. How disappointing that the country is instead so suggestible to spin, presentation and appeals to 'vote with your heart'. Next time,let's do our best to encourage people to vote with their brains.

dalit

Whilst I agree that its a good result given all the negative press etc, it could've been so much better. Good Gord only took the gloves off late on and even then he didn't do as well as he might. A guy in Sunderland set him up to rattle off the achievements, point out the dangers of the Tories etc and he failed to take the opportunity.
Too many errors to point out, but heres a few. How many times did we hear things like the number of new nurses, doctors, etc over 13 yrs broken down into days and weeks to hammer home the point. On average 18 new nurses a day. Surely facts like these would make people stop and think. And the 'fix the roof' rubbish. Why haven't we seen more pictures off all the decrepit schools hospitals etc. the Tories left behind. Couldn't a cabinet member have taken some photos along to whip out when they were given valuable air-time? I know the Tories have more money to get their point across but these days far more use should be made of social networking, viral ads etc..

Huge numbers of the electorate vote on a whim, be that how someone looks on TV, or the 'time for a change' nonsense, regardless of the policies on offer. Until the electorate are properly engaged, shown the importance of politics and the differences between the parties, it will remain so. This is about presentation. We need to realise this and step up to the plate. As a result of all our failures in this respect, we are about to lose from front-line politics the man who deserves a massive amount of the credit for the great strides made.

Peter Greenhill

If Cameron does get in to Number 10 then he will have the real advantage of being able to choose the next election date. Tories still have cash resources, LibDems and Labour are almost broke.With a new untested Labour leader then Dave may well decide to cut and run with an October election,if the opinion polls are even moderately favourable.

suburbancentral

Two million votes less than the Tories; nearly as poor a share of the vote as Michael Foot got in '83; 91 seats lost - including some with previously solid Labour majorities and a majority of the population voting for parties aiming to change the government of the country. Come on Alastair, the campaign was poor, very poor. GB seemed wooden and robotic - this is nothing to do with questions of style over substance; it's an important part of political campaigning.
Of course a 13 year old incumbent government has an uphill battle but you know as well as anyone that what people will remember from Labours 2010 campaign will be the Mrs Duffy moment and GB flailing around looking for attention in the final debate.

Floating Voter

Labour should not relish going into opposition. If you think the Tories won't blame the former government for rising unemployment,high interest rates and a devalued pound you have got another thing coming.

The Tories are past masters at this and you can just imagine Osborne saying "we were not aware of the mess we inherited from the discredited labour party, it will take three parliaments to sort this mess out". The foreign owned media will cheer lead the Tories and the BBC will go to sleep for a generation. PR is the only answer and the luddite Labour MPs enjoying a one party state in their constituency need to get real.

Officialview

A superb campaign indeed. You backed a PM who was too much of a sociopath to meet ordinary voters in the street and ended up losing less than 100 seats. Relatively speaking, it was sensational.

Phil Fyles

My vote was wasted thanks to first-past-the-post. Liam Fox reckons nobody on the doorstep is interested in PR ... that's because he doesn't tell 70% of us on the doorstep that our votes will be completely wasted. I know you see an election as a sort of win-lose sporting occasion. Personally, I find the idea that a party holding 30% of the popular vote can do what it likes to the rest of us, disgraceful - far worse than the expenses scandal! Gordon needs to offer Clegg full PR (SVT) with no referendum and a new election within 12 months. The election would be in lieu of a referendum and would include the promise of a new PM (sorry Gordon). He should make it public, so if Clegg doesn't accept we'll see his true colours, but hopefully he will jump at it. PR must happen sooner or later so there's no use Labour clinging on to dreams of another stint of minority rule. Leave those dreams to the Tories, while making sure it never happens again. I'm NOT a loser, I'm NOT part of a football match, I want MY vote to count.

Harold R.Chorney

Given the election results and the decision of Mr. Clegg to seek a deal with the Conservatives may I suggest that British Labour leaders and supporters study closely the Canadian parliamentary experience.

Minority government or a hung Parliament has been a regular outcome in Canadian election over the past few years. Each time the party who holds the office of Prime Minister at the time of the election has had the option either to resign and give way to the principal opposition party who controlled the largest block of seats, but not a majority of the seats after the election. Their leader became the Prime Minister and met Parliament with a throne speech, equivalent to the Queen's speech and sought the confidence of the House. If they are defeated but the House has not sat for long the leader of the next largest party i.e. the former Prime minister or his replacement has had the option of trying to form a government with a coalition of parties supporting this new government but without necessarily forming a formal coalition. In the current circumstances in Britain if the sitting Prime Minister Mr.Brown wants to propose a legislative program which includes major electoral reform and seek the confidence of the House in a vote of Parliament rather than resign it is perfectly constitutional. If he is then defeated then the Conservatives have the right to become the government and propose legislation in the same way.

The options are clear and the precedents known. The key in a minority Parliament is winning a confidence motion in Parliament and resigning if and when you lose it.

Anthony Edwards

Gordon Brown lost Labour this election. He is so unpopular, despised even, in the country that an election victory with him at the helm was simply impossible. There was no great enthusiasm for electing a Cameron government and rightly so but "anyone but Brown" was a prevailing mood in the country.

You have been reported as having described Gordon Brown as "psychologically flawed", how right that statement (whether you yourself actually made it or not) has proven to be.

Brown symbolised everything that was unacceptable about recent Labour government. For example, a relentless assault on individual freedom and civil liberties may have been, from Brown's perspective, the right thing to do but will never sit well with a British people who value their freedom above almost any other issue.

For the first time ever in British history, it is now a criminal offence for two adults, in love, to make love at midnight on a deserted beach. Legislation passed by Labour. Whilst you and I know that such nonsense is originally dreamt up by the type of civil servant for whom Orwell's 1984 is a utopian blueprint which doesn't go far enough, government's role is to resist such insanity yet Labour not only failed to resist it but passed it into law.

Gordon Brown, with his morose, sulky, brooding, "clunking fist" persona carried the can for it and much else besides. ID cards, increasingly heavy-handed and intolerant policing, jury trial under attack, total surveillance of all our communications - Gordon Brown, justly or unjustly, personally got the blame in the public mind for it all.

"Britons never, never, never shall be slaves" says an old song. Labour tried to make us slaves and the British people wouldn't stand for it.

tom wiley

just picking up some of the points made here by other bloggers...

1. brown was brilliant in last 3 days of campaign!

so we should be grateful that our prime minister was able to perform well for 3 days in an election campaign...bodes well for a job he expects to hold for 4 years!

2. the media are biased

same media that backed new labour for 10 years then?

3. the tories were awful to gordon during the campaign

the same tory party who made just one comment about gordon and his behaviour with gillian duffy....unlike labour who demanded chris grayling resign for making his comments about gays then!

4. the tories were 20 points ahead in the opinion polls and still could not win

same opinion polls that nearly every labour minister refused to acknowledge during the campaign when asked about a hung parliament

5. tory millions and their posters won it

so your suggesting that 10 million people voted purely because they were bought by ashcrofts millions and the fact that they can look at posters!

6. gordon and sarah are nice people

sure they are but the country was not voting for sarah brown and it was becoming quite obvious that a man who wanted to have the most important job in the uk was unable to connect with the people he wanted to govern without the aid of his wife being 2 inches from his, 24/7...not a good sign

7. the tories are horrible and so are the media

the labour party seem to adopt a stance of pity and feeling sorry for itself...3 of those members are currently going through a court case accused of fiddling their expenses...pity them too?

8. why have the tories not won?

because the scottish electorate, who allow the english to have no say in their own parliament, voted for labour mps to sit in the english parliament!

9. gordon brown was unelected

yes he was, unelected by the people of britain...oh i agree we dont vote for a pm but we do vote for a parliament of mps based on their manifesto's...a manifesto by the labour party stated that tony blair would serve a full term...he did not, therefore labour broke their manifesto pledge and in doing so we ended up having a prime minister placed because the governing party broke their own manifesto pledge

10. people want a labour goverment

do they?

71% of people stated that during the general election

anyway Alistair saw you on newsnight last night...what did you think of kirsty warks new hairdo?

foxy or what!

Geedee

I hear you have your desk back again? FFS who elected you?

Tom

Alistair I have been a Labour supporter for over 35 years and thought we conducted a magnificent campaign under extreme bias media circumstances. Also Gordon managed to curtail the arrogant Tory belief they were going to walk right into No10 having wiped us out. Just shows money can't always buy what you want!

However, Gordon has to really think of the party now and himself. If he wants to keeps his self respect and that of those that voted Labour he should do the honorable thing and stand down. Allow a new leader to be chosen to unite behind. I would rather he announced it himself than see him forced to leave No10, if the Tories do get their way and become the government. Gordon should have gone to the country at the start when he took over from Tony that way his status as PM would be valid at this time. The Tory press will hound him constantly and take great joy in seeing him humiliated more than they have already done. Talk to him make him see it wasn't to be. Too much went wrong on his watch and he has to take responsibility for it. The buck stops with him, that goes with the job as PM and what awaits David Cameron if he gets the job.

Robert Jackson

It's taken some 45 years for the achievement of Lord Alec Douglas Home in 1964 to be recognised on the left.

After 13 years of a discredited Tory government riddled with spy/sex scandals and an emergent political TV satire - That Was The Week That Was - Lord Home pulled the Conservatives back from an expected utter disaster to a Labour government with only a very very small majority.

GB has done better than that by keeping Cameron to a hung parliament under a rain of appalling attacks.

Tom

IF the Lib/Dems are heading for some sort pact with Tories to allow them their majority to govern, then they must take the reponsibility of taking on some of the route that the Tories have stated in their manifesto. That includes their radical policies for imigration and welfare reforms. Remember very few Tory MPs have no concept of people living on low wages. I bet many of the Bankers that put us this financial mess voted for a Tory government, so when the Tories want to push their policies through are they going to want Cleggs lot rocking the boat each time, their ideals are poles apart surely. Also it could totally destroy the Lib/Dems chances at any future election even if they get some sort of watered down PR. Welcome to the new ConDem government LOL!!!

Margaret Smillie

Hi
The comment you made on Sky News to Adam Bolton was so right. Them and the newspapers have been absolutely bias against Mr Brown. The whole tone of their aggressive interviews to Labour MP`s is a disgrace. Mr Brown was excellent the last 3 days of the campaign, no one gave him credit for that. Adam Bolton should know better. I have extended family who live in Leeds and they have openly said they would never vote for a Scottish PM. Ageism is another factor, A female sky news presenter stated that Mr Brown had gone for a sleep ("afterall he is 59")she said. Shocking, I feel awful for Mr Brown and Sarah. Im so disgusted with sky and their special relationship with the sun newspaper. Who would buy that! Not me or anyone with an ounce of intelligence. As for sky I wont be watching anymore. Sorry for ranting, but someone needs to say it. Hope Clegg doesn`t sell his soul. Margaret

Louise Bowen

Thanks Alastair -your dedication has been an amazing source of inspiration when it got tough in this long campaign.

Annie

Great post, here in Surrey Labour don't have a chance SO went Lib Dem as thought she had a chance as was so close last time BUT no luck.

Are you going to be at Civil Service Live this year, I hope so.

tim hincks

Couldn't agree more Alastair. Especially the grumpy old man bit.
And if anyone needs cheering up even more , i suggest you google "joanne cash". I'm yet to get tired of that one...

Cromwell

Just heard Laura Kunsberg call 62% in yougov poll that want Gordon Brown to step down as PM, "nearly 70%". This is the foxnews type coverage labour is getting from the BBC.

I am actually surprised that over 35% want Gordon Brown to remain as PM right now given the hellish coverage he gets.

a.m.scott

Surely the perfect moment has arrived to employ the killer strategy to thwart the efforts of Cameron and Clegg and in so doing safeguard the economic future of the UK and protect the interests of working people and their families.

It's simple - include in the Queen's Speech a commitment to hold an early referendum on Electoral/Political Reform and if necessary Proportional Representation. The Liberal Democrats would not dare to vote against it and the measure is likely to receive the approval of the remaining smaller parties.


Andrew M.S.

Simon

I think what is best for Labour is if they let the Conservatives form a minority government where they will struggle to push in their unfair policies. All while Labour regroup under fresh leadership (my money and hope is on David Milliband).

Labour won't win the next election whenever that is if they remain in office! But they can take a majority under the current electoral system if they rebuild the party and fight for the next election in a year or so time. We know that whatever happens another election is not too far in the future, and it is only winnable if the party can step away and rebuild itself.

I hope Labour look to the long-term future and not the short-term!

spooney

Let Clegg and Cameron get on with it! Labour should not fear going into opposition.

Labour in opposition might be hard to take, but with a new leader and team it will be in an extremely strong position to come storming back. A Clegg/ Cameron government won't last. The tories will never agree to any kind of referendum on PR and it will leave Clegg weakened even further.

Peter Kenyon

Dear Alastair

We have never met. But as a member of the NEC I want to pick up on your point concerning activists and the campaign just ended ".. my central point .. is that despite the odds, despite the lack of resources, Labour fought a terrific campaign... I mean above all the foot soldiers of the party. I know a lot of Labour parties from the fundraising work I do. And I can always tell where there is good local party organisation with committed and energetic troops. And I could see it in some of the results as they came through on Friday morning."

In our 21st century politics the military language is so passé and inappropriate. We are members with rights, and the leader (present or future)who get her/his brain round that feature of our party-based parliamentary democracy holds the key to a progressive future.

Peter Kenyon
elected member, Labour Party NEC - constituency section

Graham Jones

This is only the start of the conversation with the public. The fight for the next election starts here. We have created a real foundation on which to start building for the next election, and we have a fight on our hands to ensure that Labour's economic policy is followed. If we don't, then the country will suffer. We still need Gordon Brown, and the country needs the Labour paty, more now than it ever did. The tories will not fight for the people, they will stamp on them. Neither will the lid-dems, who share our progressive values, but lack the stomach to govern. They will not stand up for the people, the way that Labour can.
So it is time to paint our picture of the future, and take it to the hearts and minds of the people. The Labour story is the peoples story, and it always will be.

Cromwell

Bertandrussell, you are correct. I have been talking about this for a while now. The BBC has been hijacked by tory hacks.

The labour party should just wait and see what happens.

Harrison is wrong because... if the Tories get into power, they would simply create chaos and call for another election within months, which I believe they would win because of the power acquired by being in government.

However, if the libdems do a deal with labour and change the electoral system. No matter how bad it may look at first, the next election would benefit the libdems and smaller parties a lot. More importantly, it would make the electoral system fairer.

LABOUR MPs SHOULD NOT BUY THE MEDIA TRAP TO REMOVE GORDON BROWN. That would be disastrous for the party, at least before the next election was called. Remember Brown just denied the Tories victory, even if he did not win. To replace him with someone else would be a repetition of how Gordon Brown got into power.

Guess what the slogan for the labour critics would be for the next election?

redndead

As a lifelong Liberal/Lib Dem, I am heartily sick of reading how the electoral system is biased against the Tories, or biased against Labour.

The truth is, the system is just biased! IF Labour had stuck by its 1997 pledge to enact electoral reform, we wouldn't have gone into Iraq, we wouldn't have sacrificed manufacturing to suck up to bankers and we might be in the German position with real influence in Europe and a mandate to govern.

Our revolving door electoral system is stuck and needs replacing with sliding doors.

I entirely agree about the BBC bias in its coverage, but the prospect of Fox, sorry SKY news being impartial is too laughable to contemplate.

Garyenefer

I was wrong! I said,on this blog a number of times over the past two years that Gordon Brown would win.Sorry ladies and gentlemen. Having said that a number of you,and close friends and family said I was crazy to even think it but I feel we should appreciate GB for bailing us out and helping the rest of the world too. I take comfort in a Hung Parliament because I think a Tory landslide
with their extreme right wing views and inexperience would have been a disaster.This is the best we could have hoped for after ' expenses'.

Patrick James

I think that very many people now are very glad they voted Labour.

With Labour the Conservative victory has been prevented.

Lib Dems, who were promising so much to progressive types, look set to facilitate a limping Conservative government.

How long will that last?

Tony Adams

Do Labour have any moral legitimacy in seeking to try and stay in power by offering the Lib Dems a referendum on PR ? Is there a real belief in democracy by the likes of Mandelson, Hain,Bradshaw and the yapdogs like Toynbee sent out to perpetrate this specious 'majority for electoral change' argument on every media outlet.

Labour achieved a smaller percentage of the electorate and one million fewer votes than Major got in the wipeout of 1997. Had Labour got 36% and the Tories 29% there would have been a Labour majority of pushing 100. Would the system have been deemed broken then ?

Phil Hewitt

We lost, but at least Cameron didn't win it. It brought back memories of being sat in the Jimmy Mac singing 'six nil and you f**ked it up' when we played Man City. Whatever horse trading goes on in the next few days I can see all us foot-soldiers being back on the stump in November or April. I'm up for the fight.

Bertandrussell

I really think the BBC - Better Back Cameron? or Bugger Brown's Campaign? - is worthy of closer inspection. And I hope some Media Research Group will soon be able to tell us if the coverage has really been as 'balanced' as it purports.

I am usually a staunch supporter of the BBC and have generally given it the benefit of the doubt. Appearing to be 'impartial' and 'balanced' has always been an aspiration rather than achievement when it comes to the BBC's political coverage. However, in this election there appears to be an end-of-term atmosphere about the place.

Paxman as 'Flashman' certainly lived up to the bill. His bullying and sneering tone towards the Labour and LD was perhaps only to be expected. His cowardly, bed-wetting side shone through whenever he addressed the top Tories - who he obviously remains somewhat in awe of.

As for poor old 'Nick, Nick' Robinson, his Tory background simply refused to stay in his raincoat. Putting him in a studio with what appeared to be a direct line to Central Office, his smirk widened in direct proportion to Tory seats.

Dear Old David Dimbleby....or Dodderer! A relic of the BBC's past, he tried to play the Grand Dame - 'Aunty' - but appeared to be all at sea in this Tory bunker. Surrounded by David Cameron's tutor from Oxford and Jeremy I'll-do-anything- to-get on TV Vine, the CG meister, Emily 'bit-of-skirt' Maitland, and various other distractions, the whole coverage descended into an advert for privatising the Corporation. To top it all, Andrew Neil managed to spend £50K of the licence fee income on a Boat Party on the Thames!

I don't think it will have upset the Tories...which I suppose was the purpose of the night's coverage.

Russell

David S

Alistair - bo done with it and stand for the party, then take over as leader. It's long overdue!

D Harrison

I think Labour fought a fine campaign against horrendous odds, and I'd like to congratulate you for your part in it. But as a lifelong Labour supporter I am now desperately hoping that Cameron and Clegg are able to agree on a coalition government. I think that if Labour were to continue in power in any form whatsoever, either under Brown or under a new leader, it would create a terrible backlash from the public (egged on by our lunatic press) and almost certainly result in a Tory landslide at the next election. Far better in my view to let the Tories and Lib Dems form an alliance, as weird and shaky as it will inevitably be. Give them a couple of years and both parties will effectively destroy each other, during which time Labour can regroup, refresh and focus under a new leader, ready to provide real leadership at the next election.

Cromwell

I knew the election was not lost even when Labour was 20% behind in the polls because I believed the media 'cover fire' that was provided for the tories since three months after Brown became PM. I knew when the election approached that counter fire would partially neutralise the 'cover fire' and people would become more attentive to detail instead of the negative white noise of the media against Gordon Brown.

Why, Why, Why, Why,Why, Why,Why, Why,Why, Why,Why, Why, has the Labour officials not taken on the BBC on their coverage. Why have they not put the media in it's place. The media was not elected to play and intimidate the elected politicians.

Cromwell

I am totally disappointed with Harriet Herman's defense of the labour's party position. She sat there while David Dimbbleby attack Gordon Brown over and over again. Making it look like Brown was never voted in by his contituency.
If Gordon Brown was so terrible, why has the tories not won the election? The BBC bias is ridiculous and the labour officials should do their jobs and defend the party, instead of positioning themselves for leadership.

Harriet Herman also sat there while Tory Dimbleby said that Gordon Brown had a blazing row with the libdems even if Skynews had dismissed it as unfounded claims.

Murdoch Skynews is now more balanced than the BBCNews. I can not get my head round this. Labour MPs and officials should know that their members and activists expects them to vigoriously defend the party.

Richard

As first officer on the Titanic, you are right, the deckchairs had to be rearranged. The watch officer and captain turned a blind eye (sic) to the forecast for the last two years. GB was a disloyal, power crazed bully who wanted power at any price. He has been spat out by the electorate, crushed and ruined.

Rid the party of him today, as the public cannot stomach him. Anybody would be more popular!

And all you are interested in is Camde Council.

Smell the coffee, man: look at the Labour result in England. Get the message?

Analysis, please, spun any way you want would be interesting to all the English party faithful and activists.

Sally

You all did brilliantly; Labour did tremendously well and I am glad that Camden Council is now Labour, which is more than can be said for my local council-hopeless.
But now is not the time to sit back. As we speak, the Tories are engaged in talks with the Lib Dems, wooing them with tales of how they will power share with them. The Tories will do anything to get in power and will agree to anything. Don’t let this opportunity slip between your fingers. If you give the Lib Dems to the Tories, now, you are mad. Get out there yourselves, now, before it’s too late and talk to them. Nick Clegg and Vince Cable are too good an opportunity to give away (and once Cameron has then in his grip, even he may realize their worth and never let them go). Lord Falconer seems a decent chap with loads of charm and a face you could trust. Let him approach them.

We, the public, liked Nick, that is for sure, but we realized lack of experience on his and the Lib Dems’ part was too great a risk for us to take at the ballot box. But we can’t let this sickening mob of Tories with their jubilant sycophantic media back into Downing Street, unelected. Why not offer Nick the leadership of your two combined parties, with Gordon to advise, you to help him speak, and Gordon put back in fiscal policy. (Vince can front that department.)
To get over the 326 mark that you need to get to Downing Street, invite the wee lot over the border to make up your numbers; Alex Sammond was nearly salivating at the thought yesterday. And anyway, the Scots need help. Their pride would not admit it, but they do. (You can always put Sammond on that plane that Nigel Farage was in and say cheerio!) . Maybe not. (But at the very least, keep him out of sight.)

Yours sincerely

Sally Phillips

olli issakainen

Will the Tories be able to con the Lib Dems to selling their soul for an "inquiry into the voting system"? With Labour they would get a fundamental reform.
David Cameron failed to do a deal with electorate. It is not in the national interest for anyone now to back his destructive policies.
A Tory-Lib Dem government or a Tory minority government with the Lib Dem backing would not last a year. Its honeymoon would be over in 10 minutes. But if Mr Clegg wants to split his own party, then go on!
Financial markets want a stable government.
The Tories are in political limbo. David Cameron abandoned conservatism in order to get elected. He did not. Now the Tory Right is questioning his leadership and campaign. They want to see Ken Clarke as the chancellor instead of Mr Osborne.
I guess a couple of Guardian journalists are already sharpening their pencils in anticipation of the Tories in power. But a progressive majority government (Lib-Lab) is still possible.

Judith Haire

Couldn't agree more. Yes I'm deflated that we lost the local seat - I'd helped with the campaigning But am deeply proud of Labour's fight and we will fight on. We will be back in power!

Peter Greenhill

I agree with Alastair about how good many of the local election results were for labour. Here in Lewisham, Steve Bullock was comfortably re-elected as Mayor and Labour has 38 seats on the Council with Lib Dems 12 and Greens 1 with zero Conservative.One ward is still to be declared.

SMukesh

I disagree with some of your points that the labour campaign was superb...It was passable...They failed to remind the voters of their achievements which were considerable...TB in a television interview for 5 minutes on the day before the election did more to remind the voters of Labours` role in public service reform...The role of the media should now start to come under the scanner a bit more...They were openly partisan and completely ignored DC`s weaknesses,of which they were many...As you have rightly pointed out many a time,he didn`t win any of the debates and apart from the second debate failed to make an impact on the other two,yet was hailed as the winner...Eventually the public saw through this strategy and there was some backlash as demonstrated by the result...To some extent,I do feel that the British media have abused the trust placed by the public in them...They cry hoarse when their freedom is restricted,yet have failed to show any responsibility in the coverage of this election

wolba

generally agree - Brown should have thrown the shackles off from the start though

Kayode Olatuyi

Alastair,
It is difficult to disagree with your opinion here - afterall you are an insider. Albeit, I feel it didn't. I don't mean on the local party secretariat level, but at the very top. The outcome of the election was always going to be about how effectively the leadership managed to sell the party's policies. They didn't (at least until your prediction a few months ago that the election was not lost yet). If that had been done better, the result could have well been closer. But I agree the party people who endured and worked hard in the face of intimidating predictions deserve a pat on the back.

gavin

why did so few people not see through David Cameron, did anyone not see him on Paxman, when quizzed on Labours NI increase he only promised to stop the bulk of it, the worm cant be trusted lets hope Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems see through him.

Mark Wright

Passion. Belief. Conviction. This is why the swing was not as vicious as many had predicted. It's as simple as that really.

And the result?

A scenario whereby if Cameron does walk through the doors of No.10 he does so with even less authority than John Major had at the end of his beleaguered premiership 1997.

Some win eh Dave?

Allison Banks

I agree wholeheartedly with you Alastair - despite it all I think that Labour can hold its head high and we can take heart from the fact that everyone had written the party off (it makes me smile to think that Clegg had the temerity to describe Labour as "irrelevant") but we remain in the game.

I think the LibDems are in an invidious position today in the sense that if they do a deal with the Conservatives they will alienate a lot of their supporters and be tainted by association; but if they don't do a deal, they will be castigated by the press (was going to say "right wing press" but that seems obsolete) for failing to act in the national interest. My guess is that they will do a deal or at least offer confidence and supply and we will have a Conservative government.

I will be sad to see Gordon leave Downing Street but I think that history will judge him more kindly than the media has. I think he can leave with his head held high having made fundamental changes to this country for the better. I think the party is also in a lot better shape than we might have expected after this election and it is all to play for in the future.

nic careem

I am a good mate of Nash Ali and he will be a good council leader. Georgia Gould and Dave Horan will also be good representatives for Kentish Town. As for national politics I think a Conservative Lib Dem coalition would be far better for the country. David Cameron, whatever you might say or think, is actually a genuine guy. You can wear a yellow tie, but it will do you know good - all decent Lib Dems would not want to go into partnership with those with blood on their hands.

Jonathan

Wholeheartedly agree AC. London results were fantastic, GOTV was awesome. On my reckoning, ~3% swing gets a Labour majority next time and - if Clegg falls for Tory sucker deal - then it'll be very clear there is only one route to a progressive govt in this country and that is to vote Labour.

Jacquie R

With the odds so stacked against Labour, many of us feared a far worse result. The party put up a good and dignified fight. A lot to be proud of.

If Labour does end up in opposition, I hope the inevitable in-fighting and soul searching doesn't go on too long. There will be much to challenge, and there will soon be another election to win.

keyo

Youtube

Gordon Brown Interview - Election 1992

Nick

Actually, back in the real world Labour has just suffered its worst electoral result for 90 years. As your won local M.P Glenda Jackson {new majority over the Conservatives 42 votes} correctly stated,

"Labour has suffered a drubbing".

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