The Devalued Prime Minister of Britain

The Devalued Prime Minister of Britain

The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government was a three (3) minute speech given in late March 2009 at the EU chambers in Brussels. Daniel Hannan, is a conservative Member of the Parliament in Great Britain, and Mr. Hannan is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) who formally addressed his fellow EU representatives, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.  His brief comments on the state of the UK financial conditions and overspending by the British Labor government have resonated throughout the democratic world, as many citizens are questioning the US and UK governments and their massive increases in government programs, spending and (soon to be raised) taxes.   

Here is the blog excerpt from Daniel Hannans’ blog   www.hannan.co.uk   posted March 25, 2009, following his speech at the European Union (EU) parliament entitled, “The Devalued Prime Minister of a Devalued Government”  (in which the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was in the EU chambers): 

“The Internet has changed politics - changed it utterly and forever. Twenty-four hours ago, I made a three-minute speech in the European Parliament, aimed at Gordon Brown. I tipped off the BBC and some of the newspaper correspondents but, unsurprisingly, they ignored me: I am, after all, simply a backbench MEP.

When I woke up this morning, my phone was clogged with texts, my email inbox with messages. Overnight, the YouTube clip  www.youtube.com of my remarks had attracted over 36,000 hits. By today, it was the most watched video in Britain.  (As of 3/31/09, over 1.8 million views). 

How did it happen, in the absence of any media coverage? The answer is that political reporters no longer get to decide what's news. The days when a minister gave briefings to a dozen lobby correspondents, and thereby dictated the next day's headlines, are over. Now, a thousand bloggers decide for themselves what is interesting. If enough of them are tickled then, bingo, you're news.”   Daniel Hannan, UK blogger & MP.

DANIEL HANNAN is a writer and journalist. He has authored seven books on the EU, contributes regularly to a number of European newspapers, and has served as Conservative MEP for South East England since 1999.  He has also written a book called the Plan, which is a blueprint for citizens to shift power from the professional politicians back to the people at the local level.

“Britain is heading in the wrong direction. The Plan shows how to put our country on the right track. Daniel Hannan and Douglas Carswell show how a future government could actually shift powers back, from Brussels to Westminster, from Whitehall to town halls, from the state to the citizens. Their plan aims to restore honour and meaning to the ballot box. It would disperse power among communities, through localism and through referendums. Things do not have to be as they are. The Plan shows how we can change our country for the better.”   Book review on in the UK Telegraph www.telegraph.co.uk

© 2009, Jasper Welch, Four Corners Media    www.jasperwelch.org