Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Dave 1 Gordon 0

That nice Hugo Rifkind is reporting this interesting piece of political football gossip...

David Cameron is on his way to Germany for the match. According to his spokesman, Dave will be watching the match from the stands, "like everybody else." Gordon Brown, who will also be there, is expected to watch it from the box. Cunning. That should make for some nicely contrasting pictures tomorrow.

Indeed. Now, to the tune of Go West... One Nil to the Ca-Mer-On.

26 comments:

Jonathan Sheppard said...

Will Mr Brown take his tie off for once I wonder?

Anonymous said...

But Cameron apparently got his ticket from ITV and now Brown's people (a Treasury source) have responded:

"It's utterly sad and pathetic that, having got a ticket to this game from his corporate friends at the last minute and travelled by private jet to get there in time, David Cameron is now seeking to make political capital out of a football match which should be bringing the whole country together...England fans couldn't care less which politicians are going to this game or where they're sitting but they do know the difference between a genuine football fan and a Johnny Come Lately".

Anonymous said...

Dave will be stuffing his mouth with prawn sandwiches. One of them might be English, but the ohther one is the one who knows anything about the game Dave no doubt refers to as "soccer"

Anonymous said...

Brown's people have said about Cameron"...and travelled by private jet to get there in time..."

Tony Blair never travels anywhere by jet, especially when he goes to that Egyptian resort or one of Sylvio's holiday swankiendas or Cliff Richards's pad in the Bahamas. That's what we all admire about Tony Blair. He is so unpretentious. And, of course, he always pays his own way. And Cherie always pays duty on the presents designers overseas give her to bring home.

- Anonymousette

Anonymous said...

Why are they all jumping on the English bandwagon?
They haven't given a stuff about England for the last 9 years.
Now the Lib Dems have said that England has to be broken up into little bits with a Parliament for each bit.
Come on, do they really think we're falling for this love of our national game, while it's being crapped on from a great height by all of them?
Does anyone actually believe we will all sit back peacefully and silently while our country is erased from the map?
Sent them home tae think again, because civil war will most definitely erupt if they keep this up.

Graham Smith said...

Gordon Brown, who will also be there, is expected to watch it from the box.

What? Again? Surely the papers were full of photos of Gordon Brown watching an earlier match from the box? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Do you really think that'll make the papers tomorrow??!

Anonymous said...

I wonder how many more trees he is going to plant to make the return air travel carbon neutral ? Or is that not the story this week !

Anonymous said...

"It's utterly sad and pathetic that, having got a ticket to this game from his corporate friends at the last minute and travelled by private jet to get there in time, David Cameron is now seeking to make political capital out of a football match which should be bringing the whole country together...England fans couldn't care less which politicians are going to this game or where they're sitting but they do know the difference between a genuine football fan and a Johnny Come Lately".

Wow they are worried aren't they with that invective.

What is utterly sad and pathetic? A Scotsman, who Charlie Whelan said wouldn't talk to him a week after the England-Scotland match in Euro 96, now pretending that he's a big England fan.

Only big England fans I know in Scotland - barring the casual watchers - are the extreme members of the Orange Order. Extreme as in even the moderate ones would rather eat glass than support England.

Oh what company Gordon is placing himself amongst.

Anonymous said...

Gordon Brown comes over as a pathetic dweeb desperately wanting to be liked by the cool guys at school.

How insecure is that?

Anonymous said...

It doesn't matter whether Gordon Brown looks to the North, because he's already gone West. He doesn't have a hope. He is roadkill,which he has always looked like. I hopeI am not being cruel.

- Anonymousette

Anonymous said...

To be honest, I think it was a little silly for Cameron to go, especially since nobody is really aware of his opinion on football - does he even like it?

But even though Brown's lot have spun it, I think Brown will come out of this the worst.

1. Where on earth did Brown get his tickets? If he's in a box one assumes corporate gifts too, or rich friends perhaps?

2. Why does such a patriotic Scot (and proud Scottish football fan) go to an England game? Years of arrogance towards English voters I suspect.

3. If Cameron had to use a private jet to get there in time, that suggests 'rushing out" after work. Just how long has Brown been in Germany (not working) and waiting for this match?

PoliticalHackUK said...

The point is that Cameron has tried to spin it that he's an ordinary bloke, whereas he's just got his nose deeper in the corporate trough from his old mates at ITV. Gordon's there as a guest of the German government.

Isn't it Dave who's trying to steal a bit of the limelight for himself?

Anonymous said...

Iain - I even like the chartreuse banner. This is excellent.
- Anonymousette

Anonymous said...

i'm told cameron hates football and prefers 'rugger'.

bandwagon jumping.

Anonymous said...

How can they stand the boredom. If Germany ever played England it would be complete stasis. Do they practise playing in molasses ?

Anonymous said...

"I'm told cameron hates football and prefers 'rugger'. bandwagon jumping."

I'm told Brown used to hate England winning at football and also played 'rugger'. Bandwagon jumping?

David said...

Brown claims to support Dunfermline Athletic.....nuff said. Bet that support for the Auld Enemy goes down well when he pops up for the one match a year he attends!

Come on Inverness Caley !

Anonymous said...

"since nobody is really aware of his opinion on football - does he even like it?"

You could say the same about Cameron's views on pretty much everything though.

He was so incredibly bland on GMTV yesterday...

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know which team Cameron supports? Is there any record of him ever saying anything about football?

Anonymous said...

The Norman Tebbit cricket test should be asked of Gordon Brown if england were playing scotland who would he support???? That would be an interesting awnser!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Brown doesn't "claim" to support the Pars. he support Raith Rovers and has done all his life. You wouldn't get away with cameron's hypocrisy in Fife.

Cameron once said he didn't even understand the offside rule.No doubt he clapped politely when Sweden scored, shouted "jolly good decision referee" and told his companions "oh well, only a game" at the end.

Bob Piper said...

The Norman Tebbit cricket test should be asked of Gordon Brown if england were playing scotland who would he support???? That would be an interesting awnser!!!!!

Why would it? He would support Scotland, of course. If England were playing Aston Villa I would support aston Villa. Anonymous... it's a birth thing. Get real. If England were playing Scotland and Cameron supported England, are you saying he doesn't want Scots votes, or to be their Prime Minister? Oh no... that's a daft question. the Tories don't get their votes now... which is why they have suddenly become so unpleasantly english nationalists.

Anonymous said...

Bob does not get the point - Brown does not really support England - I think he needs charlie wheelen back or get alistair in on the act (If tony will lend him) - very poor PR from Brown. Maybe he should ask his old chum mandy for some advice!

Politics becomes ever more a scinical exercise.

Anonymous said...

The English media and institution and you in particular Iain have been banging on and on about why don't the Scottish support England.

So, Gordon Brown goes to the England Sweden game supports England but all he gets is ridcule from the English.

Therefore it is blindingly obvious that the problem here is yours and not a Scottish problem. You ask for support, he gives it, you whinge!

End of story I am afraid.

aidanrad said...

At least the Prime Minister's view on team affairs doesn't have as much influence as when Silvio Berlusconi still (officially) ran things as well as unofficially...

Prompting Dino Zoff to quit, feeling he didn't need the fuss...

Ah, wait a minute, though - still haven't forgiven Tony Blair for contributing to Hoddle being hounded out...

After attending the Posh and Becks party, did Cameron stop by in Baden-Baden to say hello to the WAGs and MADs...?