Gordon Brown pins his hopes of recovery on Barack Obama

[babylonsister]

Gordon Brown pins his hopes of recovery on Barack Obama
Leaders to make case for state spending

Tom Baldwin in Washington and Philip Webster, Political Editor


Gordon Brown will seek to make common cause with President Obama next week over the best way to take the world out of recession.

The Prime Minister aims to use a two-day trip to Washington to bond with the US President over the issue on which Mr Brown has staked his damaged political reputation: the massive state-funded stimulus packages to the world’s stricken economies.

One Downing Street aide described their White House meeting as an attempt to present a united front against the “forces of global conservatism”.

Mr Brown’s trip will include a rare address to a joint session of Congress, which, he hopes, will garner support for a co-ordinated economic policy before April’s G20 summit in London and help to frame the political debate at home.

While Mr Brown does not expect any immediate improvement in his domestic fortunes, a seasoned party strategist said that the trip represented his “best — if not last — chance” of holding power at an election next year.

He will be the first EU leader to meet the President since the US election. He has already sought to highlight how the almost unanimous resistance from US Republicans to Mr Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus package mirrors the opposition he has encountered.

more...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5818543.ece

[Still Sensible]

1. Not like he has much choice, actually. n/t

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. I hope he takes a very strong line with Obama

Most major economic powers have taken stronger actions than we have (relative to their size) but unless America also goes all out their efforts are for nothing.

[Cha]

3. It will interesting to

see how those two Leaders work it out to accomplish their challenges.

[Jeneral]

4. The "do nothing" party

i think Brown wants Obama to say the term "the do nothing party" to the Republicans.