Is Gordon Brown Our Prime Minister now?

[beryllium]

Wow. Why don't the Prime Ministers elected stay?

[Gromit]

Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister tomorrow (Wednesday). We, the people do not elect the Prime Minister. The Labour party in this case elect their party leader and if as in this case Labour win the election, then the party leader becomes Prime Minister. The people of Sedgefield were the only people who voted for Tony Blair.

Why don't the Prime Ministers stay elected?
Many reasons. McMillan was wrongly diagnosed with inoperable cancer, resigned, then lived for many years. Wilson thought MI5 were plotting against him and planned to overthrow the government, they weren't and didn't. Thatcher was dumped because she had become an electoral liability, likewise Blair.

[jno]

not so sure Wilson was wrong, Gromit - the revelations in Spycatcher suggested there were indeed parts of the secret service plotting against him;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Wilson_con spiracy_theories

[jno]

... as for why Blair's going, he's had enough of politics (he's almost certainly going to quit as an MP later today too) and fancies a big job on the world stage. He'll make lots of money lecturing in America and will live in a house big and expensive enough for Cherie's tastes. If he stays he suspects he may well end up like Thatcher - dumped because he loses more votes for the party than he wins.

[Gromit]

jno, Spycatcher and The Wilson Plot did indeed reveal that a few renegades in MI5 believed Wilson was in the pay of the Russians but we were never in danger of a coup.

I think where Blair is going (Middle East Envoy) he will see a lot more of politics, the lecture circuit is for cashing in later.

[pedigreechum]

More important than all of this "how come he got to be PM?" stuff is how do you think he'll perform as PM?

Personally i think his economics background will see him make sound judgements if the evidence is presented clearly. But with the current state of affairs who can say if things will be presented clearly?

When it comes to the actual politics i think Tony Blair did an outstnading job but doubt Gordon Browns ability to influence the international community like TB did.