Published: | Updated:
I appreciate it’s early days.
asserted
it → publish → ?
That it’s always a mistake to rush to premature judgment.
asserted
it → ’ → judgment
That we don’t have enough evidence yet to come to a definitive conclusion.
asserted
we → have → conclusion
Even so, I find myself increasingly asking, if only in a whisper: is Prime Minister Andy Burnham a dud?
asserted
Burnham → find → whisper
It’s certainly not the consensus view.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
The Labour faithful, a starstruck media and, to a lesser extent, the great British public have rather taken to Burnham’s speedy elevation to the pinnacle of political power.
asserted
faithful → take → power
They like that he speaks human (unlike his predecessor).
asserted
he → like → predecessor
That he seems a decent enough chap. That he has an authentic back story, even if he exaggerates his working-class credentials and his northern schtick already grates.
asserted
schtick → seem → credentials
His admirers have even dubbed him the ‘great communicator’.
asserted
admirers → dub → him
He emotes well when talking of family, friends, formative experiences.
asserted
He → emote → family
He is confident, even convincing, in listing what he regards as his achievements.
asserted
he → list → achievements
He’s clearly a dab hand at bus timetables and fares.
asserted
He → ’ → timetables
An increasingly backward-looking, nostalgic Labour Party loves his socialist old-time religion, with its promise of a better yesterday.
asserted
Party → love → yesterday
But the moment he leaves these comfort zones – and as Prime Minister he is inevitably being dragged further and further away from them – you begin to have your doubts.
asserted
you → leave → doubts
Andy Burnham, who has been the PM since July, leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday
He is confident, even convincing, in listing what he regards as his achievements.
asserted
he → leave → achievements
He’s clearly a dab hand at bus timetables and fares, writes Andrew Neil
When forced to confront issues related to defence, foreign policy or the economy he does not exhibit the fluency, confidence or command of subject you’d expect from a great communicator.
asserted
you → ’ → communicator
He is also congenitally gaffe-prone, regularly having to correct or qualify things he said only days (or even hours) before.
asserted
he → have → things
Perhaps that’s to be expected of an ingenue PM.
asserted
that → ’ → PM
He is wet behind the ears, learning on the job – and, for all our sakes, we must hope he is a quick learner.
asserted
he → learn → sakes
Some mistakes – such as his unfortunate remarks in the Commons about the man charged with Ann Widdecombe’s murder – are borne of inexperience in dealing with such matters.
asserted
mistakes → charge → matters
Those of us who’ve edited national newspapers know you have to tread very carefully when it comes to prejudicing court proceedings.
asserted
it → edit → proceedings
Downing Street quickly corrected the matter, which will soon be forgotten.
asserted
which → correct → matter
Burnham has a predilection for digging a hole for himself – then jumping in it.
asserted
Burnham → have → it
His initial reaction to the scandal swirling round Manchester City – probably the country’s biggest corruption case in sport ever – was a classic example of what not to do or say.
asserted
reaction → swirl → what
The proper response of a PM would have been to say nothing, to let the law take its course.
asserted
law → say → course
But this involved Manchester and football so Burnham felt he had to wade in.
asserted
he → involve → Manchester
He effectively sided with the football club and its owners, the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, despite a long and exhaustive investigation revealing serial wrongdoing, including ‘sham contracts’.
asserted
He → side → contracts
He quickly had to row back on that.
asserted
He → have → that
But the damage was done.
asserted
damage → do → ?
Burnham, with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, made a classic example of what not to do or say over the football club's recent corruption case
The Prime Minister's unfortunate remarks in the Commons about the man charged with Ann Widdecombe’s murder were a mistake, which Downing Street quickly corrected
Suddenly, his relations with the club and its owners, including the multiple ‘freebies’ he enjoyed at their expense (not all yet revealed), became an issue.
asserted
he → make → expense
More important, it reminded people that his long tenure as mayor of Greater Manchester, far from being municipal socialism at its finest, was actually crony capitalism at its worst.
asserted
tenure → remind → worst
Sweetheart deals were done not just with a handful of privileged property developers, who grew very rich on the proceeds, but with a foreign despot prepared to funnel cash into property developments associated with a football team – provided public funds were also available.
asserted
funds → do → team
The number of affordable homes included in the developments was derisory.
asserted
number → include → developments
Of council houses (which PM Burnham has promised to build by the hundreds of thousands) there were next to none.
asserted
Burnham → promise → none
Thus did Burnham’s intervention undermine a central theme of his Manchester narrative.
asserted
intervention → undermine → narrative
Nor does he seem to have much interest in one.
asserted
he → seem → one
In so far as global matters attract his attention it is as an extension of domestic imperatives.
asserted
it → attract → imperatives
So sanctions are introduced against Israeli settlers on the West Bank to kowtow to Labour’s crucial Muslim vote, despite the serious damage it does to Anglo-Israeli relations.
asserted
it → introduce → relations
Talk of rejoining the European Union is fanned to secure the Labour base and win back those who’ve defected to the Lib Dems and the Greens.
asserted
who → rejoin → Dems
This has landed him in even more hot water.
asserted
This → land → water
…and 26 more, not listed.
The Aporia
