British Prime Minister Gordon Brown launched "Operation Fightback" Saturday weeks before a general election, admitting that while he was "not perfect", voters should think twice before ousting him. At a major rally gearing up Labour party workers for a poll likely on May 6, Brown also warned being in government was "not a game" - a dig at the main opposition Conservatives, led by the youthful David Cameron, who are tipped to beat him.
"I know that Labour hasn't done everything right. And I know - really, I know - that I'm not perfect," Brown said. "But I know where I come from, I know what I stand for and I know who I came into politics to represent. "If you, like me, are from Britain's mainstream majority, from an ordinary family that wants to get on and not simply get by, then my message to you today is simple - take a second look at us and take a long, hard look at them (the Conservatives)."
Labour announced its campaign slogan for the election would be "A Future Fair For All" ahead of the major rally near Coventry in central England. Party officials say Brown's speech heralds the start of "Operation Fightback". His ruling Labour party, which has been in power since Tony Blair defeated the Conservatives in 1997, is lagging around nine points behind 43-year-old Cameron's party in opinion polls.
Although the premier has not yet named a date for the general election, several unguarded comments from ministers suggest it will take place on May 6. Brown is frequently accused of lacking charisma but has tried to open up in public more in recent weeks, notably in a prime-time television interview last Sunday when he discussed the death of his baby daughter in 2001 and relationship with wife Sarah.
At Saturday's rally, Brown indicated the economy would be a major election battleground, particularly the need to pull Britain clearly out of recession and maintain investment in public services. Britain has started crawling out of its worst recession since World War II, according to figures out last month which showed growth of just 0.1 percent in the last quarter of 2009.
The statistics for the first quarter of this year are due at the end of April, potentially just days before the election, with some commentators warning a "double dip" back into recession is possible. The issue of Britain's massive budget deficit, forecast to be 178 billion pounds for the current fiscal year, is also likely to loom large in the campaign. The Conservatives want to start cuts earlier than Labour in a bid to reduce the deficit.
Brown insists he will at least halve the deficit over the next four years but will also protect public services which he says are key to economic growth. Conservative finance spokesman George Osborne called for the parliamentary election to be held as soon as possible. "Instead of Gordon Brown having election rallies, why doesn't he stop dithering and tell us when the election is actually going to be?", Osborne said.
Comments
Comments are closed.