Gordon Brown press conference on why he ruled out a 2007 general election

Gordon Brown press conference on why he ruled out a 2007 general election; (QUESTION) Prime Minister, isn't it the case that the decision to want to set out your vision could have been taken at any stage, not at the last minute when the polls turned against you? You presented yourself as the face of the new politics. Isn't the evidence of the last few days you listen to people when they will agree and you deny them a vote when you think that they might vote against you? - Well let me deal with both these points, as you are making two points there. First of all, I did think, it is the Party Conference season, let the Party Conference season finish. Immediately that is finished, make your announcement about where things are going. So, as I considered an election I also said let us bring this to an end at the end of the Party Conference season and that is exactly what I did. As far as listening to the people and as far as a consultative process of politics, I will continue to do everything that I have started, and indeed step it up. Citizens' juries in every part of the country to listen to what people are saying, engaging people about the big issues. A constitutional reform package that includes the public being able to talk about a written constitution and changes that we can make, local government democracy giving people more say perhaps in health, perhaps in housing, perhaps in education, perhaps in policing matters. This is a major agenda that I don't think is lightly to be dismissed as something for a day, or for a week or for a few months. This is an agenda for a long term change in the British Constitution, and I hope that the debate that we started in the Summer can move on to a new level over the next few months when people will have the chance in every area of the country to express their views. We have commissions, we have citizens' juries and at the end of the day of course we will have deliberative assemblies of people in different areas where the...
Gordon Brown press conference on why he ruled out a 2007 general election; (QUESTION) Prime Minister, isn't it the case that the decision to want to set out your vision could have been taken at any stage, not at the last minute when the polls turned against you? You presented yourself as the face of the new politics. Isn't the evidence of the last few days you listen to people when they will agree and you deny them a vote when you think that they might vote against you? - Well let me deal with both these points, as you are making two points there. First of all, I did think, it is the Party Conference season, let the Party Conference season finish. Immediately that is finished, make your announcement about where things are going. So, as I considered an election I also said let us bring this to an end at the end of the Party Conference season and that is exactly what I did. As far as listening to the people and as far as a consultative process of politics, I will continue to do everything that I have started, and indeed step it up. Citizens' juries in every part of the country to listen to what people are saying, engaging people about the big issues. A constitutional reform package that includes the public being able to talk about a written constitution and changes that we can make, local government democracy giving people more say perhaps in health, perhaps in housing, perhaps in education, perhaps in policing matters. This is a major agenda that I don't think is lightly to be dismissed as something for a day, or for a week or for a few months. This is an agenda for a long term change in the British Constitution, and I hope that the debate that we started in the Summer can move on to a new level over the next few months when people will have the chance in every area of the country to express their views. We have commissions, we have citizens' juries and at the end of the day of course we will have deliberative assemblies of people in different areas where the...
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Editorial #:
693152328
Collection:
ITN
Date created:
October 08, 2007
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Rights-ready
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Not released. More information
Clip length:
00:01:50:07
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QuickTime 8-bit Photo-JPEG SD 720x576 25i
Originally shot on:
576 25i
Source:
ITN
Object name:
r08100701_3166.mov