The Deal (2003) - full transcript
Follows the rise to power of Tony Blair, and his friendship and rivalry with his contemporary, Gordon Brown.
Hello.
Gordon. It's me.
I've called... because
I think we should meet.
I want to know your decision.
Oh, I bet you do.
Also, I think it's important that
you and I resolve this somehow,
make things better.
Sometimes you can't have everything.
Besides, I have plans tonight.
Please?
I sense this is
a crucial moment, not just for us.
For us all.
What did you have in mind?
Granita?
Oh, that's... Islington.
Or we can go somewhere else.
No, no, no. That's fine.
But let's make it early.
I need to get away.
8:00?
Um... whatever.
I'll see you there.
We should really get going.
Would you like a glass of wine
while you're waiting?
- Why not?
- Newspaper?
Thanks.
Thanks, Philippe.
Let me say this, there's nothing trivial
about the fundamental
issues of this campaign.
Either we carry on under
a Conservative government,
or else we go to the alternative,
and the alternative which
would be a Labour government
consists of the most extreme program
I have ever seen laid
before a British electorate.
George Hunter, SMP:
2,573.
Gordon Brown, Labour:
18,515.
And I hereby declare the new member
for Dunfermline East
is Gordon Brown.
By 2:30, ITN's Alastair Burnett
was able to confirm
the Conservative victory.
The Labour leader, Mr
Foot, called it a tragedy.
He's under pressure to resign
after his party's disastrous showing.
The election has changed
the political map of Britain.
Labour, decimated in Southern England,
is restricted to its industrial stronghold.
The other parties are scattered thinly...
Mr Smith said to look after you, sir,
find you a handy office.
Have you got a moment?
It seems we have
an accommodation problem.
Dave Nellist...
Trotskyite Solidarity,
Coventry South East...
has been put in an office
with the new fella from Sedgefield.
Not a marriage made in heaven.
No.
The Chief Whip was wondering
if you'd take him in here.
Who? Nellist?
Oh, no. The other one.
Where?
You can make room
on that side of the desk.
Besides, you knew you'd
have to share eventually.
You'll like him.
He's a lawyer. Very bright.
Tell him to give me a call.
Actually, I have him
here with me now.
Hi. Tony Blair.
Thanks for agreeing to this.
Right. I'll leave you to it.
Thanks, John.
Well... I like the view.
So what did you do
to upset Dave Nellist?
Do? Nothing.
Let's just say our political philosophies
didn't match.
From London, aren't you?
Yes. Although, originally,
I was brought up in Durham.
I was actually born in Scotland,
which, technically,
I suppose, makes me Scottish.
What about you?
Technically, I'm Scottish, too.
- From?
- Fife.
And your seat?
Dunfermline East.
Yours is Sedgefield, isn't it?
Yes.
Do you have history in Sedgefield?
No. Not really.
And you ran in the by-election
at Beaconsfield, if I remember.
And got hammered.
Any Labour candidate
would get hammered at Beaconsfield.
How did you get Sedgefield?
Connections, I suppose.
Maybe that's what Nellis picked up on,
and that's why you fell out.
No, Nellis and I fell
out because, with respect,
he and his Militant Tendency friends
are entirely responsible
for this election defeat.
I mean, look, this party has about
18 months left to live.
The sooner it modernizes,
the sooner it expels him
and the rest of those dinousaurs, the better.
The desk over there.
# The people's flag is deepest red #
First off all, I'd like to thank
the Chartists and the Suffragettes
who gave every working man and woman
a vote in this country.
If we remain united,
not only will we never be defeated,
but in the process,
we'll roll back the years
of Thatcherism.
# Though cowards flinch
and traitors sneer #
# We'll keep the red flag
flying here #
# Get them out #
# Make them work #
# Give them a factory,
take them away #
# Get them out #
# Make them work #
Did you get one of these?
Invitation to a Militant fundraiser.
Yeah, but I can't go.
Why not?
I don't possess a Crimplene suit.
Or a flat cap, I expect.
Besides, when I say comrade,
it comes out wrong.
Try it.
Comrades!
It needs to be more "Comrades!"
Comrades!
Oh, I believe
congratulations are in order.
Your wife, she's expecting a baby.
Yes, she is.
Thanks.
What about you?
Do you mind my asking?
What about me?
What are your circumstances?
Because I heard this fabulous rumor
that you were seeing a princess
from Romania or something.
Is it true?
That was a long time ago.
If you don't mind,
I'd like to get on
with my maiden speech.
Don't bust a gut. It's all pro forma.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker,
for allowing me to make my maiden speech.
As a new member for blah,
I hope I can equip myself as well
as the Honorable Members
who preceeded me.
Respectful, anonymous, short.
Whatever you say.
Mr. Gordon Brown.
Hear! Hear!
Mr. Speaker,
having listened intently
to the front bench speeches,
I am grateful for the opportunity
to make my first speech
in this chamber.
The chance of a laborer
getting a job in my constituency
are 150-1 against.
For nearly 500 teenagers
who just left school,
there was only one job
in the local careers office.
Where will the new jobs come from?
I'd like to ask the minister...
Excuse me.
...if he still believes, as he did in 1978,
that there are plenty of jobs
around for the unemployed
as window cleaners.
You will recall that he wrote
that to become a window cleaner,
little equipment was needed:
A bucket, a leather or two, and a ladder.
That's the Government's
answer to mass unemployment
is for Britain to become
a nation of window cleaners.
When the Prime Minister
talked during the election
about ladders of opportunity,
I had not realized that the next
Conservative Government
had something so specific in mind.
Well, the papers all agree.
A star is born.
Let us consider what Gordon's
speech really achieved.
The Tories will be out for his blood.
His Labour colleagues know
he is the one to nobble.
He wilfully ignores
what any student of recent politcal history
could have told him:
The bigger the splash
with your maiden speech,
the greater the political obscurity
in the long term.
Yes. Oh, yes.
Get a round in.
So, how does it feel a few months on?
Strange. You know,
when you first seat,
you want to change the world,
but what can you do
against a majority that size?
And the Tory?
How's he?
Which one? You need
to be more specific.
There are 263 of the sods.
The one in your office.
Him? Blair? No, no. He's very bright.
He's got some good ideas.
Yeah. He's great.
So she turns on this poor bugger
like a lion on some antelope.
"And tell me, Michael,
"How many people do you think
voted for you in the election?"
To which he replies,
"I can tell you exactly, Margaret. 30,463."
"Well, let me remind you,
just so you don't forget.
"The 30,000 were for me.
The 463 were for you. "
Neil Kinnock elected
as leader of the Labour Party.
Remember how you felt
on that dreadful morning
of June 10th.
Just remember how you felt
and think to yourselves,
June 9th, 1983,
never, ever again
will we experience that.
Is it ready?
You only gave it to me
half an hour ago.
Come on.
We're going to be late.
Utterly indigestible, isn't it?
Not for a lawyer.
I actually found the stuff about ballots
and the legal implications
quite interesting.
So what does John
actually want us to do?
No. It's this way.
Bloody maze, this place.
What does John want us to do?
We'll never be able to affect
the outcome of the bill,
not with their majority.
We can make a nuisance
of ourselves,
give the hacks something
to write about.
I have listened to the points raised by
Opposition members,
have noted their desire to winkle out
the Government's intentions.
There is no need to winkle.
The government's intentions
were made perfectly clear
the day the bill was published.
Mr. Chairman,
I think the one thing
we cannot accuse
the government of in this bill
is being perfectly clear.
When it suggested
that changes in the legislation
should be effected
across a reasonable time period.
Perhaps the minister
could be more specific.
We would like to suggest
a more specific time frame.
Namely?
Namely...
Five years.
Five years! I mean, That is absurd!
I accept in extraordinary circumstances
a union may be granted
six to nine months.
Could the minister be
specific about which union?
The TGWU and the NUT,
as obliquely referred
to in paragraph 4, subsection...
This is outrageous.
I cannot speak without interruptions...
Correction.
What is outrageous here
is the Government
straitjacketing the trade unions.
I would remind the minister
that in almost all Western
European democracies,
there is no state interference
in the constitution
of trade union movement.
In his book
Two Cheers For Democracy,
E. M. Forster said the first cheer
was because democracy
permitted variety.
The second because
it admitted criticism.
These factors are obviously unknown
in today's government.
Well done, boys.
That's about as much fun
as you can have in this job
without losing your seat.
Gordon, well done. That was terrific.
Congratulations.
Well done.
Mr. Smith.
It's Peter Mandelson. He's all right.
Did you see his socks?
No.
They were bright bloody orange.
So?
Would you trust a man
who wears brightly colored socks?
- Mine are blue.
- Blue?
Which I hope indicates nothing other
than I support Raith Rovers
and that my black ones
are in the bloody wash.
Outdated, misplaced,
irrelevant to the real needs.
And you end in the grotesque chaos
of a Labour council...
a Labour council,
hiring taxis to scuttle around the city
handing out redundancy notices
to its own workers.
There should be a certain sensitivity
to the welfare of the party
and the morale of the party.
Self-discipline is the
only effective discipline.
And If people won't obey
that code, then, as adults,
it's very difficult to inflict
a different code upon them.
Hi. Tony Blair.
Neil wants to see me?
Why?
Is there some kind of problem?
And?
Scottish Office. You?
Treasury.
You look surprised.
I am. To be honest, I thought I was being
called in for a bollocking.
Instead he's made us
the youngest front bench spokesmen ever.
Not quite. David Owen
was even younger.
Still, it's pretty good.
Yes, it is. So good I'm
almost sorry I said no.
It would be madness, a cul-de-sac.
Besides, you forget,
I've been up to my eyes
in Scottish politics since I was 15.
I'd be better off waiting
for something better to come along.
If it doesn't?
It's a risk I'm prepared to take.
Besides, nobody got the big
job without taking risks.
Big job?
Come on.
Don't look at me like that.
Isn't that what we came
into politics for? Huh?
We're happy to work as a team.
It's all about a cause
and public service.
But deep down you won't
change the world
until you have the big job.
I drummed up my first speech
as leader of the Labour Party
when I was 15.
I'll have been revising it ever since...
in here.
We should really get going.
Well, if we have an election early,
we can go on holiday in August.
Yeah.
If we have an election late...
We won't go at all.
No holiday. That's right.
It is wonderful to be entrusted
with the government of this country,
this great country, once again.
Yes, it was the third
successive defeat,
but significant gains were made
in a number of areas.
Look, I can't force you
to write anything.
You just have to take my word for it.
The party is absolutely
not downhearted.
Why? Because we're all
on powerful anti-depressants.
Neil's made John Smith
his Shadow Chancellor.
That's fantastic.
And Gordon is John's number 2!
Oh, congratulations.
I'm thrilled for you.
You're very generous.
You know you were only this far away
from promotion yourself.
Next time.
That is great. With you
in the Shadow Cabinet,
it will show that Labour
is finally at last taking
the economy seriously.
Nope, no drinking for me,
I'm afraid.
I must leave to confuse
the British press
into believing there aren't too many Scots
in the Shadow Cabinet.
I wrote some notes...
slogans to try and get
under Lawson's skin.
Where did I put that?
Hang on. Maybe this is
what you're after.
That was Marian, wasn't it?
Why do we see so little of her?
I know she lives in Glasgow,
but wouldn't she ever
consider moving down?
For the sake of the relationship.
Because it has gone on
for a while now.
I understand for a married man,
a married family man,
the to-ing and fro-ing of a bachelor
must seem intriguing.
There's no need to be defensive.
I wasn't being defensive.
- Yes, you were.
- I wasn't. I just...
don't find discussing
this kind of stuff easy.
You mean sharing.
Sorry?
That's what the Americans call it.
So do you think reticence like yours
is a specifically Scottish trait?
Because I've always thought
there are broadly two kinds of Scot:
The angry ginger kind
and the brooding,
intensely private, satellite kind.
You ask this as a Scot
yourself, of course.
You may mock, but I am a Scot.
As well as being black
and working class.
I was born in Scotland.
Being born in a stable
doesn't make you a horse.
I was educated in Scotland.
In Fettes, a posh Edinburgh public school
filled with English.
I support Scotland
when they play football.
- That's tragic.
- Why?
Because you're English!
Not just in your accent,
but the way you stand,
the way you talk.
Everything about you.
I don't know why you bother denying it.
It's possibly your biggest strength.
Not in the Labour Party.
No. But somewhere
far more important:
With the electorate.
We should have done
this more often while we had the chance.
Why? Just because I'm getting
a bigger office than you?
Yes. Now you might
just drift off with the top brass
and forget your English friends.
You're going every bit as
far on this journey as me.
I'll make sure of that.
Only one of us can go all the way.
Which one is that?
The one that has "Labour Leader"
written all over him.
I sometimes worry.
I watch my friends
getting on in their careers,
making good money.
I wonder, are we pissing
it all away in Opposition?
Promise me you'll do it.
Promise me you'll
turn this party around.
I'll do whatever it takes.
Hello.
The Shadow Chancellor,
Mr. John Smith, today
has suffered a heart attack.
He is now recovering
in the coronary care unit
of the Edinburgh Infirmary.
No. I don't want to use that.
There's no guarantee on that, you see.
That's 13 billion...
What's the latest?
He's stable.
Elizabeth? The girls?
They're shell-shocked, of course,
as we all are, but there at his side.
How did it happen?
Bending over doing his shoelaces.
God.
So, uh, what's the plan?
I just got off the phone to Neil.
How's he?
Apart from being devastated...
Of course.
He's panicking.
Why?
John was going to deal with
Lawson's autumn statement.
So? Gordon can do it.
Of course he can.
I've been dying to lay into him for ages.
I was planning something juicy
the tabloids can pick up on.
Like free eye tests for pensioners,
as a bad example.
No, no. That's a good example.
Absolutely.
Very good.
The improved performance of the economy
has eased pressures
on a number of programs,
giving the government
more scope than ever before
to shift resources
where its own priorities,
rather than circumstances, dictate.
This important outcome
has been made possible
despite the many claims
for increased public spending
by a rigorous reassessment
of priorities,
coupled with the continuation
of two of the factors
that have contributed
to this year's shortfall.
"The prospect that lies before us
is yet further testimony... "
Mr. Gordon Brown.
"... to the success of the policies
"we have been pursuing these
past nine and a half years
"and will continue to pursue,
"and to the economic transformation
that those policies have brought. "
Hear, hear!
Mr. Gordon Brown.
Mr. Speaker,
by the Chancellor's admission
just before he sat down
that inflation will rise
beyond 6% by Christmas,
and that the balance of payment deficit
will be an unparalleled 13 billion
by the end of the year,
will he concede that the economic prospects
he promised us in the spring
are not the economic realities
we face in the autumn?
Does the Chancellor recall his
objective in 1987 of zero inflation?
Yet the Chancellor still refuses
to find even the tiny amount...
Eye test.
...free eyesight tests
even for pensioners.
When health costs are rising
faster than even ordinary inflation,
the sum that the Chancellor
has provided today
will barely cover the inflationary prices
that the health authorities face,
far less deal with their huge backlog
of structural repairs.
Hear, hearl
One begins to wonder
whether this country can still afford the
price it is paying for this government.
By the evidence of this statement,
I suggest the answer
is a resounding no.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we're leaving Downing
Street for the last time
after eleven and a half
wonderful years.
We're very happy that we
leave the United Kingdom
in a very, very much better state
than when we came here
eleven and a half years ago.
There you are. Thatcherism
is now Thatcher war zone.
What can we say finally undid her?
Not us, I'm afraid.
She stayed too long.
Six years, term and a half.
After that, they start to hate you.
But then
The Iron Lady's composure
almost broke.
Watch her face as she reaches her car.
I think they'll miss
her... her leadership.
Her common sense.
Her clarity of purpose.
Listen to you.
Remember when you were worried
that we were pissing it away
in Opposition?
Friends say, though,
that she is deeply shocked by...
She's gone.
Three election victories
and a clear though insufficient majority
in the first ballot,
rewarded, as she sees it, with the sack.
Now it's our turn.
And now it is time,
time for the next Prime Minister,
Neil Kinnock!
Well, all right!
Well, all right!
Well, all right!
That's it. The polling stations have closed,
and the counting has started
in what really promises to be
the closest General Election in years.
Of the three major polls this morning,
one had the Conservatives
in a 1-point lead,
another had the two parties
neck and neck,
and a third had Labour
with a 3-point lead.
And it really is that close.
How're you feeling, Gordon?
Very well, thank you.
Very good, very good.
Hopeful of a Labour victory?
Well, hopeful, certainly.
So, how're we doing?
Fine. We've murdered them.
I meant nationally.
A plane's on standby in Endinburgh
to take you to London,
so someone must be confident.
Evening, baby brother.
John. Any results?
God, Gordon, look at your tie.
What's that? Here, take it off.
There's no news in yet.
If any story breaks during the night,
can I count on you for a live feed?
If it's good news, yes.
Hmm. Good luck.
Thanks.
1, 2. Testing.
Testing. 1, 2.
Hello, Margaret. I never
saw you at any doorsteps.
Because I was inside.
That's what Scottish people do
with politicians they like:
They ask them in.
Gordon, telephone. Tony Blair.
Hello?
Oh, fuck.
Gordon, I need you to go
live for me in 60 seconds.
A quite extraordinary night.
Tory elation.
Frankly, Labour despair.
Dramatic scenes as the Tories
hold their key marginal...
Can we clear the floor, please?
Come on, clear!
We're going live to air
in 3, 2, 1.
We're joined now by Kenneth Clarke
and from Scotland by Gordon Brown.
Mr. Brown, I'd like to start with you first.
This is surely little short of a disaster?
It's barely 11:00.
The evening's just started,
so I think it's a little
early to talk of disasters.
23,692.
I hereby declare the new member
for Dunfermline East
is Gordon Brown.
Gordon! Gordon! Gordon!
Gordon! Gordon!
We... think there are faces there
that did not expect to
witness these scenes tonight
at some points
during the campaign.
But that is the nature of politics.
That is the nature of...
God, how much
must they hate us?
They like this lot more.
I don't know if I have four
more years of opposition in me.
What are you doing tomorrow?
I've arranged to see Peter.
Why don't you both come down here?
I think we need to work out
what we're going to do.
I naturally feel a strong
sense of disappointment,
dismay, sorrow,
for so many people in our country.
They deserve better than they got
on the ninth of April, 1992.
It's far too early to be discussing
the leadership.
Neil Kinnock still has
the whole-hearted respect,
gratitude, and support
of the entire Labour party.
And I for one would be delighted
to continue to serve under him.
He has united the party
as a political force,
modernized it as a
campaigning organization
and quite apart from this legacy,
his own natural charm
and warmth of character
will mark him down as one of the
all-time great leaders of this party.
It should have been easy
if Labour were going...
As long as Neil knows
everyone wants him out by Monday.
I think you should stand
for the leadership, Gordon.
With me as your deputy.
Why would I stand only to lose?
I don't think you would lose.
According to the papers,
it's a one-horse race for John.
The papers, Peter,
said we'd win the election.
Anyway,
I wouldn't feel comfortable
running against him.
I gave him my word I wouldn't.
I don't think this is the time
for sentimentality.
I prefer to call it friendship.
The party's confidence
has been shattered.
They need to be led by someone strong.
Which is exactly what the papers
are saying about John.
But not as strong as you.
He's the best man to unite the party.
He's had experience
of government at cabinet level.
He's clearly the best candidate.
The only candidate.
I know. But just look at him.
I mean, the whole Edinburgh
bank-manager thing.
He's part of the old order.
Look, I really can't
understand this hesitancy.
You said yourself,
our modernization needs to be radical.
Caution and half measures
will get us nowhere,
and that's exactly
what John will give us!
What do you think, Peter?
Seeing as he had
about two hours' sleep,
I thought he did pretty well.
Very well.
It was a different Tony today.
One I've not seen before.
Well, I've some sympathy with him.
Can't be easy living
in his Islington circle
with all his friends banging on
about how much they're earning,
with him sitting out the best years
of his life in Opposition.
Deputy leadership.
No. A dustbin of political ambition.
Besides, John will have
seen those results
and realize the South will
never go for two Scots.
I didn't mean you. I meant for Tony.
He's the obvious candidate, isn't he?
I mean, he's young, he's bright,
he's good in the House,
appeals to the South.
And he's ambitious.
Even with John's endorsement,
Tony's hardly likely to get
more than 30% of the vote.
The unions hate his guts.
And Margaret Beckett's a woman.
I'll be suggesting
as much to John myself.
John Smith is Labour
leader by a landslide.
Margaret Beckett was
elected deputy leader.
Sorry.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
That's okay.
Right. I'll try and make
this as painless as I can.
Don't worry. I always
wanted to be an actor.
Take as long as you like.
You must be disappointed.
Why would I be disappointed?
The Sunday Times magazine
devoted five pages to you
as "The man that Labour missed".
Well, I haven't seen that article.
In any case, I'm delighted
with the result we have.
John and Margaret offer
tremendous intellectual leadership.
They've got immense
political experience.
Both were ministers in the previous Labour
government,
and most important,
will carry on the process of changing
and reforming the Labour Party
to make sure our ideas
and organization fit the age we live in.
Thank you, Mr. Blair.
Thank you very much, Mr. Blair.
What a load of bollocks.
Good evening.
A day when shock waves
swept through Westminster and the city.
Mr. Mellor, the heritage secretary,
said it would be business as usual,
despite the wave of publicity
about his alleged affair with an actress.
A backbench MP, David Ashby,
has shared a hotel bed
with a male friend.
Good evening. Tim Yeo resigned
as Environment Minister today
after it became known he had
an illegitimate daughter.
Lamont, sacked by Major,
refuses another Government job.
Je ne regrette rien.
The cabinet is entirely united
on the issue of Maastricht.
Do you want to be citizens
of a European Union?
No!
The Danes don't, either.
Hundreds of officers combed Liverpool,
but James...
The murder of Jamie Bulger
comes at a time
of growing disquiet...
I think it's important to be tough on crime
and tough on the causes of crime, too.
Old people are afraid to live
within their own homes,
never mind go out on the streets.
Young people often intimidated
by other young people.
These things are totally unacceptable.
And people who commit
these types of offenses
should be detected, caught...
News bulletins of the past week...
If necessary...
...have been like hammer blows,
struck against the sleeping
conscience of the country,
urging us to wake up
and look unflinchingly at what we see.
This bill...
is a foolish exercise
in mistaken ideology.
No one in the present government
has had the courage to dump it.
It will do nothing to fight crime
or make our communities safe.
It is without support
outside government
and without reason inside it,
and it should not be given
a second reading.
Hear, hearl
No, you don't understand.
See, I can't do it, and I won't do it.
I'm not asking you to
stop making reckless
public-spending commitments
without my authorization.
I am telling you!
Did you see that?
Bloody unhinged.
You need to sort him out.
This is how you're going
to modernize the Labour Party.
I'm not in the mood, John.
He's an old man, for God's sake.
I don't care. Because of people like him,
we're still condemned as
a tax-and-spend party.
You'd want to watch it.
You're losing a lot of friends.
I'm winning my party a lot of votes.
I'm doing this European thing
at the Park Lane Hotel.
Do you fancy it?
I can't. I'm so behind
with my constituents.
Come on. You need a break.
The food's bound to be all right.
Besides, you and I
obviously need to catch up.
Tonight, we are engaged
in a gala European dinner.
And I welcome
the many representatives
from France, Germany,
and Scandinavia,
from the worlds of industry,
finance and banking.
Probably more than we've ever had
at a Labour Party dinner.
And it's right that this should be so.
Because thanks to my good colleagues,
the Labour Party is now the party
that best understands
modern industry, modern society,
modern finance,
and modern economics.
Mr. Smith!
John Maynard Keynes insisted
he only knew two things
about economics.
One of them was not
about economics at all.
It was about a hippopotamus.
What did he know about economics?
Never concern yourself
with the long term.
Because in the long term,
we're all dead.
That was a joke.
Well, good night.
- Good night, Mr. Brown.
- Good night.
Good night.
Jokes are not your forte, are they?
Not to bloody Belgians.
What did you make of the food?
Inedible. I hardly touched it.
Me, neither. I'm famished.
I tell you what.
Terry, there's somewhere
I'd like you to stop.
Right. I have two super dogs
with or without onions,
or the chili burger.
So how're we doing?
We the party or you the leader?
All right, me the leader.
How candid do you want me to be?
Both barrels, if they're loaded.
Lousy. You're letting
them off the hook.
They are loaded.
You're too defensive.
You're relying on their internal divisions
when you should be going in for the kill.
All in good time.
People are nervous.
We're gonna win anyway.
We said that in 1992.
This time it's different.
Not different enough.
For a charming, intelligent man,
you've developed an uncanny knack
of upsetting people.
I can't stand seeing it slip away.
We need to modernize.
I was asked who my natural successor
was the other day.
Until recently, I would have said you.
Who else is there?
Tony.
Tony?
Come on. You can't
seriously endorse that man
as leader of this party.
Why not?
The party would never accept him.
Don't be too sure.
He's a blow-in,
someone who comes to an area
he doesn't belong in
and makes it his home.
Tony's a blow-in to this movement.
Always has been.
When Labour was last in power
and you were a junior minister,
I was chair of the Devolution
Committee of Scotland.
Ask yourself, was he even
a member of the party?
That might be to his advantage.
Not being liked
by your own party?
No.
Besides, there's always been an
understanding between us that I'm the one.
Well, you'd better make
sure it's still valid.
His popularity is growing.
He's smart.
People like him.
He finished ahead of you
in the shadow cabinet election.
Once. And only because I was doing
the hard work keeping everybody alive.
And losing friends in the process.
In the party, but making
them in the city.
"It's the economy, stupid. "
You'll thank me when you're in Number 10.
Come on, it's late.
No, John, that's it?
He'd get your vote now?
He certainly impressed
during this whole Bulger thing.
Tough on crime,
tough on the causes of crime.
You've got to admit, it's bloody neat.
I consider it one of my finest.
It's yours?
Came up with it on the plane
coming back from Washington.
Don't tell me privately, John, you're not
concerned about what he's saying?
It's caught a mood with the people.
The right-wing people.
It's a while since one of our lot
caught a mood with anyone.
I wonder which one of us
is Terry gonna drop off first?
Sheena, listen, could you get that for me?
Yeah, hang on.
Hello, Gordon's phone.
Yeah. Yeah, sure. I'll put him on.
Murray Elder.
Murray, it's a bit early for you, eh?
What?
Oh, no.
No, of course.
Well, I'll... We'll talk later.
What's up?
Gordon, what's happened?
Hi.
Where are you?
I'm in Aberdeen.
I've got some bad news, I'm afraid.
Very bad. About John.
Oh, no.
Can't announce his death yet.
Not until they've located
all his daughters.
Poor Elizabeth.
Hello, Gordon's phone.
My phones are going mad.
What are you going to do?
I'll, er, do my business here
and get back as soon as I can.
Let's keep in touch throughout the day.
Sure.
Hello? Speaking.
I think he's just been told.
I'll let him know.
Yes.
Thank you.
Bye.
BBC Scotland.
They want to know if you'll make a statement.
Do me a favor.
Give the office a call.
Tell Angie I need to be
on the first plane back.
Good morning.
And a very warm welcome to you.
It's just
after half past 10
on Thursday 12th of May.
I don't know about you,
but we're all very sad to hear
that Labour leader John Smith is unwell.
He has been rushed to hospital,
as you probably heard
on our 10:00 news,
with chest pains and a
suspected heart attack.
An official statement
will be made when it's made.
Yeah.
I will. I've got it.
I'm... I'm so sorry.
They're still saying
it's a heart attack.
There's no official statement.
Right.
Hello. I know, it's terrible.
Look, I think this is
going to move very quickly.
What's our line to be?
With regard to the leadership?
- Yes.
- Nothing.
Our line, Peter, is strictly grief,
obits, and tributes till after the funeral.
All right.
Think I can help with that.
The irony is that this is the exactly
the type of situation
that John would have relished.
Yeah.
He used to joke about any
up and coming by-elections:
Where there's death, there's hope.
Gordon?
It's the Independent.
They want to know if you can you do
a piece for tomorrow's paper?
Yes, yes.
And the Mirror?
Peter Mandelson.
It's me... Tony.
Yes.
I'm in Aberdeen now, but I wonder,
can we meet at the House later?
Yes, of course.
My office will call you later
to set up a meeting place.
About 6:00?
6:00 is fine.
Peter.
Gordon.
I really need to get on with this,
so let's talk later.
Right. Well, let's
keep in constant touch.
Bloody hell!
A thousand hacks are calling me.
They all want to know
when you'll announce
a standing for the leadership.
After we've buried him, Charlie.
Right.
That man smells of vanilla.
Despite full medical
attention to Mr. Smith,
he was pronounced dead at 9:15.
It's just... heart-rending news.
He had this...
extraordinary combination
of strength, authority,
humor, humanity.
For all of us who knew him
personally, closely,
we will mourn him... greatly.
I think the whole country
will feel the shock.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Elizabeth
and the family.
There are few people
the announcement of whose death
would bring tears to the eyes
of everyone who knew them.
John Smith was such a man.
Have I got time to go home?
I feel should change
into something darker.
It'll be tight.
You're meeting Peter at 6.
I'll go with Cherie.
I'll see you there.
- Okay?
- Okay.
I know how awful it is to be thinking
about this so soon.
The answer's yes.
Really?
I've never been more sure
of anything in my life.
What about Gordon?
He had his chance, and he bottled.
Your time may never come again.
You know what it'll mean
for you, for the kids?
The worst thing that
could happen to our family
would be sharing
a house with a man
who couldn't forgive himself
for not running.
Okay.
Above all, John
was uniquely equipped,
by his nature, his experience
and commitment,
to bind this nation together.
Do you have that?
Our thoughts and prayers at this time
are with his family,
and he will be terribly missed.
Okay.
Thank you.
Gordon's phone.
Unbelievable.
Man's not even cold in the ground,
and you want to know
who's taking his place.
Everything I'm hearing
suggests that it's Tony.
Hello, Charlie.
Been talking to Mo Mowlam?
Why don't you canvas
some real Labour support?
Get a bit closer to the truth.
Gordon Brown will announce his intentions
after the funeral.
If you want to know
what to do until then...
You could buy some flowers
and send them to John Smith's widow.
Hello. Charlie Whelan.
Thanks for coming.
Of course.
You've probably worked out
why I've asked to see you.
Think I have an idea.
I just...
I just don't want to be ruled out.
Right.
Several key members
of the Shadow Cabinet
have already called
to offer me their support.
Have you seen today's Evening Standard?
Not yet, no.
I'm told they're running a piece for me.
Right.
You know Gordon still
assumes it will be him?
Well, maybe those... assumptions
have been going on too long.
You have to ask yourself
is he still our strongest candidate?
I mean, you know,
Black Wednesday did him no favors.
He let the Tories off the hook.
Plus, he can be moody,
difficult.
He's just...
Gordon.
It's a fucking disgrace.
The leader of the Opposition,
one of the most distinguised
and best-loved figures
in British postwar politics, dies,
and who's everybody's talking about?
Some posh totty in a
dress with safety pins.
Hello. Oh, yes, Michael.
No, somebody gave me that list.
I'm sorry I've not got back to you.
For God's sake, man,
are you still at it?
Give yourself a break.
Take those off the hook.
Go on, tell him, Sheena.
No, there's no comment on that.
Do you remember
when John came back
after the first heart attack?
When was it?
'88.
I remember him sitting in the bar,
2 stones lighter,
sipping mineral water.
"I've taken the advice of my doctor,
"And from now on,
the following things are out...
"rich food, alcohol,
"overwork,
over-excitement, and sex.
"I've therefore made an application
to join the Liberals
with immediate effect!"
To John.
To John.
I'll draft something up
and fax it over today.
Five minutes, Mr. Mandelson.
Yes.
Peter, everyone knows
that you're very close to both
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Will they run
against each other?
No, I don't believe they will run
against each other.
I think, moreover,
that they haven't come
to any conclusions
because they, like every other member
of the Labour Party,
has no appetite
to talk of successions
or challenges or whatever.
Why shouldn't they both run
and let the best man win?
They may or may not.
That's up to them, isn't it?
Sure, but you think
one of them will step aside,
as you said earlier.
I read the reports
and have the same
understanding as everyone else
that they agree on so much
that they would want to
consider who is best fitted
to lead the Labour Party.
I mean, who would maximize
support for the party in the country...
who'll play best at the box office...
who is not...
who will not simply appeal
to the traditional supporters
and customers of the Labour Party,
but who will bring in
those additional voters that we need
in order to to win convincingly
at the next election.
That is what each contender
has to ask themselves
before they put themselves forward.
You fucker.
Well, is it true?
We'll finish this later. What?
Is it true what every paper
now appears to be saying,
that you are going to stand?
What is true is that
in the last 24 hours,
a number of people
have come up and told me
they'd like me to stand.
Including Mandelson?
Uh, no.
Well, what is your position?
I'm still thinking.
While you were thinking,
did it occur to you that
we have an understanding?
What understanding?
That if it ever came
to this, it would be me!
What?
Don't deny it. We had
an actual conversation!
But not an actual agreement.
Nothing written down, no.
But you were quite clear
there was only one of us
with "Labour Leader"
written all over him.
Gordon, that was six years ago!
So?
Maybe events have overtaken us.
Really? Which events
did you have in mind?
There is a growing number
that think I would be a better candidate,
that I appeal to new areas.
You'd get the South,
I grant you that,
but you'd never win Scotland.
Scotland is an irrelevance.
The point is attracting new voters.
You'll never get Wales
or the North.
Attracting new Labour
voters in the South,
the Home Counties,
and the Southwest,
and I think I'm in a better position
to do that than you.
And so it's true.
You are going to stand against me.
If I'm persuaded it is
better for the party,
I might.
Do you think you really
know that, Tony?
What's best for the Labour Party?
Being in power might be a start!
Dear Gordon, I have thought
a lot about your fears
that you are being
written out by the press.
I don't believe your fears are justified.
Nobody is saying that
you're not capable or...
appropriate as leader,
merely that the timing is bad for you.
Definite yeses are Donald Dewar,
Ron Davies, Tom Clarke...
The card the media
are playing for Tony
is his Southern appeal.
Everyone agrees
there is no one to rival your political...
capacity,
but because you would
be appearing
to come in as the second runner,
you would be blamed
for creating the split.
So definite maybes
are Jack Cunningham,
Michael Meacher.
What about Chris Mullin?
With Tony.
You would need to mount
a massive and sustained campaign,
which could damage
both you and Tony
and be a gift to our enemies,
and even then,
I could not guarantee success.
What about Kinnock?
With Tony.
Hattersley?
With Tony.
Harriet Harman?
With Tony.
Tony's got a third of the entire
Parliamentary party in the bag.
Well, you need more
than a third to win.
The Labour Party, if it's got any sense,
will elect the person
that they feel is most likely
to carry on the work
of Neil Kinnock and John Smith.
And who is that, do you think?
My own view is that
it will probably be Tony Blair.
Gordon? Gordon?
Yes?
It's Peter Mandelson to see you.
Show him in.
I won't do it. I won't stand aside.
Fine.
And I'll win, too.
Um...
That will be difficult.
You have a problem...
in no longer appearing
to be the front runner.
Certainly you are
seen as the biggest intellectual force
and strategic thinker the party has.
And no one is saying
that you would not be
capable as leader.
Merely that the...
timing is bad for you.
And that lately, there have been...
presentational difficulties.
Oh, really? What's that, hmm?
PR for "Scottish"?
It means you alienate people, Gordon.
You can be moody.
Others call that passion.
And intense.
I have high standards.
And intolerant.
I don't countenance fools.
All of which is admirable,
but politics is not always
about higher matters.
Sometimes it is about the ugly business
of making friends.
Keeping friends...
Being liked.
Let's see.
This one seems to think
Gordon's going to stand.
They've quoted a senior Labour MP
as saying to stop Gordon,
you need to put him in a straitjacket
with 20 MPs on top.
Senior Labour MP. It's Charlie Whelan.
Also, I managed to get a copy
of the speech he made at Swansea.
The flame still burns.
The work continues.
The passion for justice endures,
and the vision will never fade.
- The vision...
- What does that mean?
To me it sounds like he's going to run.
Rubbish.
Look, it means nothing.
...humming with opportunities,
alive with new possibilities...
He doesn't know what he thinks.
...vibrant with a new
dynamism and energy.
So... hands on hearts, both of you.
Do you think I should stand aside?
No, never.
If you stand, I can guarantee
the T&G will back you
over Margaret Beckett.
Which means G&B would follow suit.
That's a big power base.
You've got Scotland,
you've got Wales.
In a fight you can outdebate him,
you can outthink him,
you can outperform him,
and he knows it.
But it would be bloody.
Ugly.
And have we come this far
that we want to go
crawling to the T&G?
Well, have we come this far
to see the Labour Party
led by a Tory?
Okay.
Shh.
Hello.
Gordon? It's me.
I've called because
I think we should meet.
I want to know your decision.
Where did you have in mind?
Granita?
Well, that's Islington.
Or we could go somewhere else.
Let's make it early.
I need to get away.
8:00?
Um... whatever.
I'll see you there.
You're going to have
to offer him something.
Even if it's just hope.
Come on.
We should really get going.
So what's this Granita anyway?
It's a restaurant.
Tony's favorite.
The clue's in the address.
It's on Upper Street.
Taxi!
Thanks.
Thanks for coming, Gordon.
Ed.
Are you sure you won't eat?
Positive.
Okay, then...
let's get down to it.
I'll go for a walk around the block.
Ready to order?
I'll have the rabbit.
Tuscan rabbit and a bit of Polenta.
And another glass of white.
I'll just have a glass
of water, thank you.
I'm sorry it's come to this.
I've hated the last few days.
Why? In years to come,
you might come to see them
as your finest hour.
How can you say that?
It's a stunning coup.
You've come from nowhere,
and you'll probably end up
as Prime Minister.
Come from nowhere.
I may not have been out
barefoot on cobble streets
handing out party leaflets aged 12,
but I've hardly come
from nowhere, either.
You and I have been MPs
exactly the same amount of time.
I taught you everything.
Without me,
you'd have been consigned
to the dustbin of also-rans
in this party.
With respect, Gordon,
that's delusional crap
and an insult to my supporters.
I don't want to get
into a slanging match.
Look, all I want,
all I have ever wanted,
is to get out of Opposition
and become part of
a Labour government.
If I thought
that having you as leader
would give us the best
chance, I'd step aside.
Bollocks.
That is the truth.
A man who does what you've
done does not stand aside.
We all come into politics for the big job.
You admit it?
Your words, not mine.
I could never have beaten John.
You could have tried.
That was your chance,
and you didn't take it.
Now it's my turn.
Despite our understanding?
What understanding?
Thank you.
I accept you are the stronger candidate
in many ways.
It may be a quirk of fate
that I emerge as
the better candidate to lead,
but that fact remains.
I also acknowledge
that without your support,
without your
influence in the party,
my leadership might fail.
No, it would.
So I propose that as Chancellor,
you will have complete control
over economic policy.
You can choose your own team,
I won't interfere.
I mean, that will make you the most powerful
chancellor in history.
What about social policy? Education?
Unemployment? Health?
I won't have the party
compromised on those, Tony
Of course.
And when we win a second term?
Gordon, we haven't been
in power for 15 years.
You mention a second term?
If the Tories continue to disintegrate,
it's not inconceivable
that we could be in power
for a generation.
Well...
under those circumstances, I...
wouldn't make the same
mistake Thatcher made
and go on too long.
So in a second term,
you'd stand aside?
Come on, this
conversation is crazy!
No, not to me it isn't.
Well, whatever the circumstances,
obviously
I couldn't go on forever.
In which case,
you'd support my candidacy?
- I suppose so.
- Good.
- One Tuscan rabbit.
- Thanks.
I'll leave you to it.
Before you go, we have
to deal with the press.
People will need reassuring
that this was done amicably.
You want me to stand aside
and look happy about it?
I'll put something on paper,
a briefing statement.
No, let Peter do it.
You know how good he is
at that kind of thing.
And College Green, for the photo call.
The Backs are too close.
You never know, I might
say the wrong thing.
On your way out, say hello to that girl.
Who is she?
The new girl in EastEnders.
Forget about politicians,
that's real power.
She gets 15 million viewers
three times per week.
Bloody Islington.
The paramount consideration
for Gordon and Tony throughout
has been the best way
for the party's interests to be served
and for party unity to be maximized
in order to win the election.
A desire to unite the party
is at the forefront of their thinking.
I suppose we should
add something here
about Gordon's personal sacrifice.
How about...
Gordon has taken,
as he said he would,
a decision which puts unity and teamwork
above personal ambition.
Good.
In his Wales and Luton speeches,
Gordon has spelled out
the fairness agenda,
social justice,
employment opportunities,
and skills which he believes
should be the centerpiece
of Labour's program,
and Tony is in full agreement with this.
No.
"And Tony has guaranteed
this will be pursued. "
Good evening.
The Shadow Chancellor
Gordon Brown,
once tipped as the future Labour leader,
has sacrificed his personal ambitions
in favor of party unity.
Friends of the Shadow Chancellor said
the decision had been
a long and difficult one,
but in a statement today,
Mr. Brown said
it been taken
in the interests of party unity.
Mr. Blair!
Please!
Mr. Blair!
Gordon. It's me.
I've called... because
I think we should meet.
I want to know your decision.
Oh, I bet you do.
Also, I think it's important that
you and I resolve this somehow,
make things better.
Sometimes you can't have everything.
Besides, I have plans tonight.
Please?
I sense this is
a crucial moment, not just for us.
For us all.
What did you have in mind?
Granita?
Oh, that's... Islington.
Or we can go somewhere else.
No, no, no. That's fine.
But let's make it early.
I need to get away.
8:00?
Um... whatever.
I'll see you there.
We should really get going.
Would you like a glass of wine
while you're waiting?
- Why not?
- Newspaper?
Thanks.
Thanks, Philippe.
Let me say this, there's nothing trivial
about the fundamental
issues of this campaign.
Either we carry on under
a Conservative government,
or else we go to the alternative,
and the alternative which
would be a Labour government
consists of the most extreme program
I have ever seen laid
before a British electorate.
George Hunter, SMP:
2,573.
Gordon Brown, Labour:
18,515.
And I hereby declare the new member
for Dunfermline East
is Gordon Brown.
By 2:30, ITN's Alastair Burnett
was able to confirm
the Conservative victory.
The Labour leader, Mr
Foot, called it a tragedy.
He's under pressure to resign
after his party's disastrous showing.
The election has changed
the political map of Britain.
Labour, decimated in Southern England,
is restricted to its industrial stronghold.
The other parties are scattered thinly...
Mr Smith said to look after you, sir,
find you a handy office.
Have you got a moment?
It seems we have
an accommodation problem.
Dave Nellist...
Trotskyite Solidarity,
Coventry South East...
has been put in an office
with the new fella from Sedgefield.
Not a marriage made in heaven.
No.
The Chief Whip was wondering
if you'd take him in here.
Who? Nellist?
Oh, no. The other one.
Where?
You can make room
on that side of the desk.
Besides, you knew you'd
have to share eventually.
You'll like him.
He's a lawyer. Very bright.
Tell him to give me a call.
Actually, I have him
here with me now.
Hi. Tony Blair.
Thanks for agreeing to this.
Right. I'll leave you to it.
Thanks, John.
Well... I like the view.
So what did you do
to upset Dave Nellist?
Do? Nothing.
Let's just say our political philosophies
didn't match.
From London, aren't you?
Yes. Although, originally,
I was brought up in Durham.
I was actually born in Scotland,
which, technically,
I suppose, makes me Scottish.
What about you?
Technically, I'm Scottish, too.
- From?
- Fife.
And your seat?
Dunfermline East.
Yours is Sedgefield, isn't it?
Yes.
Do you have history in Sedgefield?
No. Not really.
And you ran in the by-election
at Beaconsfield, if I remember.
And got hammered.
Any Labour candidate
would get hammered at Beaconsfield.
How did you get Sedgefield?
Connections, I suppose.
Maybe that's what Nellis picked up on,
and that's why you fell out.
No, Nellis and I fell
out because, with respect,
he and his Militant Tendency friends
are entirely responsible
for this election defeat.
I mean, look, this party has about
18 months left to live.
The sooner it modernizes,
the sooner it expels him
and the rest of those dinousaurs, the better.
The desk over there.
# The people's flag is deepest red #
First off all, I'd like to thank
the Chartists and the Suffragettes
who gave every working man and woman
a vote in this country.
If we remain united,
not only will we never be defeated,
but in the process,
we'll roll back the years
of Thatcherism.
# Though cowards flinch
and traitors sneer #
# We'll keep the red flag
flying here #
# Get them out #
# Make them work #
# Give them a factory,
take them away #
# Get them out #
# Make them work #
Did you get one of these?
Invitation to a Militant fundraiser.
Yeah, but I can't go.
Why not?
I don't possess a Crimplene suit.
Or a flat cap, I expect.
Besides, when I say comrade,
it comes out wrong.
Try it.
Comrades!
It needs to be more "Comrades!"
Comrades!
Oh, I believe
congratulations are in order.
Your wife, she's expecting a baby.
Yes, she is.
Thanks.
What about you?
Do you mind my asking?
What about me?
What are your circumstances?
Because I heard this fabulous rumor
that you were seeing a princess
from Romania or something.
Is it true?
That was a long time ago.
If you don't mind,
I'd like to get on
with my maiden speech.
Don't bust a gut. It's all pro forma.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker,
for allowing me to make my maiden speech.
As a new member for blah,
I hope I can equip myself as well
as the Honorable Members
who preceeded me.
Respectful, anonymous, short.
Whatever you say.
Mr. Gordon Brown.
Hear! Hear!
Mr. Speaker,
having listened intently
to the front bench speeches,
I am grateful for the opportunity
to make my first speech
in this chamber.
The chance of a laborer
getting a job in my constituency
are 150-1 against.
For nearly 500 teenagers
who just left school,
there was only one job
in the local careers office.
Where will the new jobs come from?
I'd like to ask the minister...
Excuse me.
...if he still believes, as he did in 1978,
that there are plenty of jobs
around for the unemployed
as window cleaners.
You will recall that he wrote
that to become a window cleaner,
little equipment was needed:
A bucket, a leather or two, and a ladder.
That's the Government's
answer to mass unemployment
is for Britain to become
a nation of window cleaners.
When the Prime Minister
talked during the election
about ladders of opportunity,
I had not realized that the next
Conservative Government
had something so specific in mind.
Well, the papers all agree.
A star is born.
Let us consider what Gordon's
speech really achieved.
The Tories will be out for his blood.
His Labour colleagues know
he is the one to nobble.
He wilfully ignores
what any student of recent politcal history
could have told him:
The bigger the splash
with your maiden speech,
the greater the political obscurity
in the long term.
Yes. Oh, yes.
Get a round in.
So, how does it feel a few months on?
Strange. You know,
when you first seat,
you want to change the world,
but what can you do
against a majority that size?
And the Tory?
How's he?
Which one? You need
to be more specific.
There are 263 of the sods.
The one in your office.
Him? Blair? No, no. He's very bright.
He's got some good ideas.
Yeah. He's great.
So she turns on this poor bugger
like a lion on some antelope.
"And tell me, Michael,
"How many people do you think
voted for you in the election?"
To which he replies,
"I can tell you exactly, Margaret. 30,463."
"Well, let me remind you,
just so you don't forget.
"The 30,000 were for me.
The 463 were for you. "
Neil Kinnock elected
as leader of the Labour Party.
Remember how you felt
on that dreadful morning
of June 10th.
Just remember how you felt
and think to yourselves,
June 9th, 1983,
never, ever again
will we experience that.
Is it ready?
You only gave it to me
half an hour ago.
Come on.
We're going to be late.
Utterly indigestible, isn't it?
Not for a lawyer.
I actually found the stuff about ballots
and the legal implications
quite interesting.
So what does John
actually want us to do?
No. It's this way.
Bloody maze, this place.
What does John want us to do?
We'll never be able to affect
the outcome of the bill,
not with their majority.
We can make a nuisance
of ourselves,
give the hacks something
to write about.
I have listened to the points raised by
Opposition members,
have noted their desire to winkle out
the Government's intentions.
There is no need to winkle.
The government's intentions
were made perfectly clear
the day the bill was published.
Mr. Chairman,
I think the one thing
we cannot accuse
the government of in this bill
is being perfectly clear.
When it suggested
that changes in the legislation
should be effected
across a reasonable time period.
Perhaps the minister
could be more specific.
We would like to suggest
a more specific time frame.
Namely?
Namely...
Five years.
Five years! I mean, That is absurd!
I accept in extraordinary circumstances
a union may be granted
six to nine months.
Could the minister be
specific about which union?
The TGWU and the NUT,
as obliquely referred
to in paragraph 4, subsection...
This is outrageous.
I cannot speak without interruptions...
Correction.
What is outrageous here
is the Government
straitjacketing the trade unions.
I would remind the minister
that in almost all Western
European democracies,
there is no state interference
in the constitution
of trade union movement.
In his book
Two Cheers For Democracy,
E. M. Forster said the first cheer
was because democracy
permitted variety.
The second because
it admitted criticism.
These factors are obviously unknown
in today's government.
Well done, boys.
That's about as much fun
as you can have in this job
without losing your seat.
Gordon, well done. That was terrific.
Congratulations.
Well done.
Mr. Smith.
It's Peter Mandelson. He's all right.
Did you see his socks?
No.
They were bright bloody orange.
So?
Would you trust a man
who wears brightly colored socks?
- Mine are blue.
- Blue?
Which I hope indicates nothing other
than I support Raith Rovers
and that my black ones
are in the bloody wash.
Outdated, misplaced,
irrelevant to the real needs.
And you end in the grotesque chaos
of a Labour council...
a Labour council,
hiring taxis to scuttle around the city
handing out redundancy notices
to its own workers.
There should be a certain sensitivity
to the welfare of the party
and the morale of the party.
Self-discipline is the
only effective discipline.
And If people won't obey
that code, then, as adults,
it's very difficult to inflict
a different code upon them.
Hi. Tony Blair.
Neil wants to see me?
Why?
Is there some kind of problem?
And?
Scottish Office. You?
Treasury.
You look surprised.
I am. To be honest, I thought I was being
called in for a bollocking.
Instead he's made us
the youngest front bench spokesmen ever.
Not quite. David Owen
was even younger.
Still, it's pretty good.
Yes, it is. So good I'm
almost sorry I said no.
It would be madness, a cul-de-sac.
Besides, you forget,
I've been up to my eyes
in Scottish politics since I was 15.
I'd be better off waiting
for something better to come along.
If it doesn't?
It's a risk I'm prepared to take.
Besides, nobody got the big
job without taking risks.
Big job?
Come on.
Don't look at me like that.
Isn't that what we came
into politics for? Huh?
We're happy to work as a team.
It's all about a cause
and public service.
But deep down you won't
change the world
until you have the big job.
I drummed up my first speech
as leader of the Labour Party
when I was 15.
I'll have been revising it ever since...
in here.
We should really get going.
Well, if we have an election early,
we can go on holiday in August.
Yeah.
If we have an election late...
We won't go at all.
No holiday. That's right.
It is wonderful to be entrusted
with the government of this country,
this great country, once again.
Yes, it was the third
successive defeat,
but significant gains were made
in a number of areas.
Look, I can't force you
to write anything.
You just have to take my word for it.
The party is absolutely
not downhearted.
Why? Because we're all
on powerful anti-depressants.
Neil's made John Smith
his Shadow Chancellor.
That's fantastic.
And Gordon is John's number 2!
Oh, congratulations.
I'm thrilled for you.
You're very generous.
You know you were only this far away
from promotion yourself.
Next time.
That is great. With you
in the Shadow Cabinet,
it will show that Labour
is finally at last taking
the economy seriously.
Nope, no drinking for me,
I'm afraid.
I must leave to confuse
the British press
into believing there aren't too many Scots
in the Shadow Cabinet.
I wrote some notes...
slogans to try and get
under Lawson's skin.
Where did I put that?
Hang on. Maybe this is
what you're after.
That was Marian, wasn't it?
Why do we see so little of her?
I know she lives in Glasgow,
but wouldn't she ever
consider moving down?
For the sake of the relationship.
Because it has gone on
for a while now.
I understand for a married man,
a married family man,
the to-ing and fro-ing of a bachelor
must seem intriguing.
There's no need to be defensive.
I wasn't being defensive.
- Yes, you were.
- I wasn't. I just...
don't find discussing
this kind of stuff easy.
You mean sharing.
Sorry?
That's what the Americans call it.
So do you think reticence like yours
is a specifically Scottish trait?
Because I've always thought
there are broadly two kinds of Scot:
The angry ginger kind
and the brooding,
intensely private, satellite kind.
You ask this as a Scot
yourself, of course.
You may mock, but I am a Scot.
As well as being black
and working class.
I was born in Scotland.
Being born in a stable
doesn't make you a horse.
I was educated in Scotland.
In Fettes, a posh Edinburgh public school
filled with English.
I support Scotland
when they play football.
- That's tragic.
- Why?
Because you're English!
Not just in your accent,
but the way you stand,
the way you talk.
Everything about you.
I don't know why you bother denying it.
It's possibly your biggest strength.
Not in the Labour Party.
No. But somewhere
far more important:
With the electorate.
We should have done
this more often while we had the chance.
Why? Just because I'm getting
a bigger office than you?
Yes. Now you might
just drift off with the top brass
and forget your English friends.
You're going every bit as
far on this journey as me.
I'll make sure of that.
Only one of us can go all the way.
Which one is that?
The one that has "Labour Leader"
written all over him.
I sometimes worry.
I watch my friends
getting on in their careers,
making good money.
I wonder, are we pissing
it all away in Opposition?
Promise me you'll do it.
Promise me you'll
turn this party around.
I'll do whatever it takes.
Hello.
The Shadow Chancellor,
Mr. John Smith, today
has suffered a heart attack.
He is now recovering
in the coronary care unit
of the Edinburgh Infirmary.
No. I don't want to use that.
There's no guarantee on that, you see.
That's 13 billion...
What's the latest?
He's stable.
Elizabeth? The girls?
They're shell-shocked, of course,
as we all are, but there at his side.
How did it happen?
Bending over doing his shoelaces.
God.
So, uh, what's the plan?
I just got off the phone to Neil.
How's he?
Apart from being devastated...
Of course.
He's panicking.
Why?
John was going to deal with
Lawson's autumn statement.
So? Gordon can do it.
Of course he can.
I've been dying to lay into him for ages.
I was planning something juicy
the tabloids can pick up on.
Like free eye tests for pensioners,
as a bad example.
No, no. That's a good example.
Absolutely.
Very good.
The improved performance of the economy
has eased pressures
on a number of programs,
giving the government
more scope than ever before
to shift resources
where its own priorities,
rather than circumstances, dictate.
This important outcome
has been made possible
despite the many claims
for increased public spending
by a rigorous reassessment
of priorities,
coupled with the continuation
of two of the factors
that have contributed
to this year's shortfall.
"The prospect that lies before us
is yet further testimony... "
Mr. Gordon Brown.
"... to the success of the policies
"we have been pursuing these
past nine and a half years
"and will continue to pursue,
"and to the economic transformation
that those policies have brought. "
Hear, hear!
Mr. Gordon Brown.
Mr. Speaker,
by the Chancellor's admission
just before he sat down
that inflation will rise
beyond 6% by Christmas,
and that the balance of payment deficit
will be an unparalleled 13 billion
by the end of the year,
will he concede that the economic prospects
he promised us in the spring
are not the economic realities
we face in the autumn?
Does the Chancellor recall his
objective in 1987 of zero inflation?
Yet the Chancellor still refuses
to find even the tiny amount...
Eye test.
...free eyesight tests
even for pensioners.
When health costs are rising
faster than even ordinary inflation,
the sum that the Chancellor
has provided today
will barely cover the inflationary prices
that the health authorities face,
far less deal with their huge backlog
of structural repairs.
Hear, hearl
One begins to wonder
whether this country can still afford the
price it is paying for this government.
By the evidence of this statement,
I suggest the answer
is a resounding no.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we're leaving Downing
Street for the last time
after eleven and a half
wonderful years.
We're very happy that we
leave the United Kingdom
in a very, very much better state
than when we came here
eleven and a half years ago.
There you are. Thatcherism
is now Thatcher war zone.
What can we say finally undid her?
Not us, I'm afraid.
She stayed too long.
Six years, term and a half.
After that, they start to hate you.
But then
The Iron Lady's composure
almost broke.
Watch her face as she reaches her car.
I think they'll miss
her... her leadership.
Her common sense.
Her clarity of purpose.
Listen to you.
Remember when you were worried
that we were pissing it away
in Opposition?
Friends say, though,
that she is deeply shocked by...
She's gone.
Three election victories
and a clear though insufficient majority
in the first ballot,
rewarded, as she sees it, with the sack.
Now it's our turn.
And now it is time,
time for the next Prime Minister,
Neil Kinnock!
Well, all right!
Well, all right!
Well, all right!
That's it. The polling stations have closed,
and the counting has started
in what really promises to be
the closest General Election in years.
Of the three major polls this morning,
one had the Conservatives
in a 1-point lead,
another had the two parties
neck and neck,
and a third had Labour
with a 3-point lead.
And it really is that close.
How're you feeling, Gordon?
Very well, thank you.
Very good, very good.
Hopeful of a Labour victory?
Well, hopeful, certainly.
So, how're we doing?
Fine. We've murdered them.
I meant nationally.
A plane's on standby in Endinburgh
to take you to London,
so someone must be confident.
Evening, baby brother.
John. Any results?
God, Gordon, look at your tie.
What's that? Here, take it off.
There's no news in yet.
If any story breaks during the night,
can I count on you for a live feed?
If it's good news, yes.
Hmm. Good luck.
Thanks.
1, 2. Testing.
Testing. 1, 2.
Hello, Margaret. I never
saw you at any doorsteps.
Because I was inside.
That's what Scottish people do
with politicians they like:
They ask them in.
Gordon, telephone. Tony Blair.
Hello?
Oh, fuck.
Gordon, I need you to go
live for me in 60 seconds.
A quite extraordinary night.
Tory elation.
Frankly, Labour despair.
Dramatic scenes as the Tories
hold their key marginal...
Can we clear the floor, please?
Come on, clear!
We're going live to air
in 3, 2, 1.
We're joined now by Kenneth Clarke
and from Scotland by Gordon Brown.
Mr. Brown, I'd like to start with you first.
This is surely little short of a disaster?
It's barely 11:00.
The evening's just started,
so I think it's a little
early to talk of disasters.
23,692.
I hereby declare the new member
for Dunfermline East
is Gordon Brown.
Gordon! Gordon! Gordon!
Gordon! Gordon!
We... think there are faces there
that did not expect to
witness these scenes tonight
at some points
during the campaign.
But that is the nature of politics.
That is the nature of...
God, how much
must they hate us?
They like this lot more.
I don't know if I have four
more years of opposition in me.
What are you doing tomorrow?
I've arranged to see Peter.
Why don't you both come down here?
I think we need to work out
what we're going to do.
I naturally feel a strong
sense of disappointment,
dismay, sorrow,
for so many people in our country.
They deserve better than they got
on the ninth of April, 1992.
It's far too early to be discussing
the leadership.
Neil Kinnock still has
the whole-hearted respect,
gratitude, and support
of the entire Labour party.
And I for one would be delighted
to continue to serve under him.
He has united the party
as a political force,
modernized it as a
campaigning organization
and quite apart from this legacy,
his own natural charm
and warmth of character
will mark him down as one of the
all-time great leaders of this party.
It should have been easy
if Labour were going...
As long as Neil knows
everyone wants him out by Monday.
I think you should stand
for the leadership, Gordon.
With me as your deputy.
Why would I stand only to lose?
I don't think you would lose.
According to the papers,
it's a one-horse race for John.
The papers, Peter,
said we'd win the election.
Anyway,
I wouldn't feel comfortable
running against him.
I gave him my word I wouldn't.
I don't think this is the time
for sentimentality.
I prefer to call it friendship.
The party's confidence
has been shattered.
They need to be led by someone strong.
Which is exactly what the papers
are saying about John.
But not as strong as you.
He's the best man to unite the party.
He's had experience
of government at cabinet level.
He's clearly the best candidate.
The only candidate.
I know. But just look at him.
I mean, the whole Edinburgh
bank-manager thing.
He's part of the old order.
Look, I really can't
understand this hesitancy.
You said yourself,
our modernization needs to be radical.
Caution and half measures
will get us nowhere,
and that's exactly
what John will give us!
What do you think, Peter?
Seeing as he had
about two hours' sleep,
I thought he did pretty well.
Very well.
It was a different Tony today.
One I've not seen before.
Well, I've some sympathy with him.
Can't be easy living
in his Islington circle
with all his friends banging on
about how much they're earning,
with him sitting out the best years
of his life in Opposition.
Deputy leadership.
No. A dustbin of political ambition.
Besides, John will have
seen those results
and realize the South will
never go for two Scots.
I didn't mean you. I meant for Tony.
He's the obvious candidate, isn't he?
I mean, he's young, he's bright,
he's good in the House,
appeals to the South.
And he's ambitious.
Even with John's endorsement,
Tony's hardly likely to get
more than 30% of the vote.
The unions hate his guts.
And Margaret Beckett's a woman.
I'll be suggesting
as much to John myself.
John Smith is Labour
leader by a landslide.
Margaret Beckett was
elected deputy leader.
Sorry.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
That's okay.
Right. I'll try and make
this as painless as I can.
Don't worry. I always
wanted to be an actor.
Take as long as you like.
You must be disappointed.
Why would I be disappointed?
The Sunday Times magazine
devoted five pages to you
as "The man that Labour missed".
Well, I haven't seen that article.
In any case, I'm delighted
with the result we have.
John and Margaret offer
tremendous intellectual leadership.
They've got immense
political experience.
Both were ministers in the previous Labour
government,
and most important,
will carry on the process of changing
and reforming the Labour Party
to make sure our ideas
and organization fit the age we live in.
Thank you, Mr. Blair.
Thank you very much, Mr. Blair.
What a load of bollocks.
Good evening.
A day when shock waves
swept through Westminster and the city.
Mr. Mellor, the heritage secretary,
said it would be business as usual,
despite the wave of publicity
about his alleged affair with an actress.
A backbench MP, David Ashby,
has shared a hotel bed
with a male friend.
Good evening. Tim Yeo resigned
as Environment Minister today
after it became known he had
an illegitimate daughter.
Lamont, sacked by Major,
refuses another Government job.
Je ne regrette rien.
The cabinet is entirely united
on the issue of Maastricht.
Do you want to be citizens
of a European Union?
No!
The Danes don't, either.
Hundreds of officers combed Liverpool,
but James...
The murder of Jamie Bulger
comes at a time
of growing disquiet...
I think it's important to be tough on crime
and tough on the causes of crime, too.
Old people are afraid to live
within their own homes,
never mind go out on the streets.
Young people often intimidated
by other young people.
These things are totally unacceptable.
And people who commit
these types of offenses
should be detected, caught...
News bulletins of the past week...
If necessary...
...have been like hammer blows,
struck against the sleeping
conscience of the country,
urging us to wake up
and look unflinchingly at what we see.
This bill...
is a foolish exercise
in mistaken ideology.
No one in the present government
has had the courage to dump it.
It will do nothing to fight crime
or make our communities safe.
It is without support
outside government
and without reason inside it,
and it should not be given
a second reading.
Hear, hearl
No, you don't understand.
See, I can't do it, and I won't do it.
I'm not asking you to
stop making reckless
public-spending commitments
without my authorization.
I am telling you!
Did you see that?
Bloody unhinged.
You need to sort him out.
This is how you're going
to modernize the Labour Party.
I'm not in the mood, John.
He's an old man, for God's sake.
I don't care. Because of people like him,
we're still condemned as
a tax-and-spend party.
You'd want to watch it.
You're losing a lot of friends.
I'm winning my party a lot of votes.
I'm doing this European thing
at the Park Lane Hotel.
Do you fancy it?
I can't. I'm so behind
with my constituents.
Come on. You need a break.
The food's bound to be all right.
Besides, you and I
obviously need to catch up.
Tonight, we are engaged
in a gala European dinner.
And I welcome
the many representatives
from France, Germany,
and Scandinavia,
from the worlds of industry,
finance and banking.
Probably more than we've ever had
at a Labour Party dinner.
And it's right that this should be so.
Because thanks to my good colleagues,
the Labour Party is now the party
that best understands
modern industry, modern society,
modern finance,
and modern economics.
Mr. Smith!
John Maynard Keynes insisted
he only knew two things
about economics.
One of them was not
about economics at all.
It was about a hippopotamus.
What did he know about economics?
Never concern yourself
with the long term.
Because in the long term,
we're all dead.
That was a joke.
Well, good night.
- Good night, Mr. Brown.
- Good night.
Good night.
Jokes are not your forte, are they?
Not to bloody Belgians.
What did you make of the food?
Inedible. I hardly touched it.
Me, neither. I'm famished.
I tell you what.
Terry, there's somewhere
I'd like you to stop.
Right. I have two super dogs
with or without onions,
or the chili burger.
So how're we doing?
We the party or you the leader?
All right, me the leader.
How candid do you want me to be?
Both barrels, if they're loaded.
Lousy. You're letting
them off the hook.
They are loaded.
You're too defensive.
You're relying on their internal divisions
when you should be going in for the kill.
All in good time.
People are nervous.
We're gonna win anyway.
We said that in 1992.
This time it's different.
Not different enough.
For a charming, intelligent man,
you've developed an uncanny knack
of upsetting people.
I can't stand seeing it slip away.
We need to modernize.
I was asked who my natural successor
was the other day.
Until recently, I would have said you.
Who else is there?
Tony.
Tony?
Come on. You can't
seriously endorse that man
as leader of this party.
Why not?
The party would never accept him.
Don't be too sure.
He's a blow-in,
someone who comes to an area
he doesn't belong in
and makes it his home.
Tony's a blow-in to this movement.
Always has been.
When Labour was last in power
and you were a junior minister,
I was chair of the Devolution
Committee of Scotland.
Ask yourself, was he even
a member of the party?
That might be to his advantage.
Not being liked
by your own party?
No.
Besides, there's always been an
understanding between us that I'm the one.
Well, you'd better make
sure it's still valid.
His popularity is growing.
He's smart.
People like him.
He finished ahead of you
in the shadow cabinet election.
Once. And only because I was doing
the hard work keeping everybody alive.
And losing friends in the process.
In the party, but making
them in the city.
"It's the economy, stupid. "
You'll thank me when you're in Number 10.
Come on, it's late.
No, John, that's it?
He'd get your vote now?
He certainly impressed
during this whole Bulger thing.
Tough on crime,
tough on the causes of crime.
You've got to admit, it's bloody neat.
I consider it one of my finest.
It's yours?
Came up with it on the plane
coming back from Washington.
Don't tell me privately, John, you're not
concerned about what he's saying?
It's caught a mood with the people.
The right-wing people.
It's a while since one of our lot
caught a mood with anyone.
I wonder which one of us
is Terry gonna drop off first?
Sheena, listen, could you get that for me?
Yeah, hang on.
Hello, Gordon's phone.
Yeah. Yeah, sure. I'll put him on.
Murray Elder.
Murray, it's a bit early for you, eh?
What?
Oh, no.
No, of course.
Well, I'll... We'll talk later.
What's up?
Gordon, what's happened?
Hi.
Where are you?
I'm in Aberdeen.
I've got some bad news, I'm afraid.
Very bad. About John.
Oh, no.
Can't announce his death yet.
Not until they've located
all his daughters.
Poor Elizabeth.
Hello, Gordon's phone.
My phones are going mad.
What are you going to do?
I'll, er, do my business here
and get back as soon as I can.
Let's keep in touch throughout the day.
Sure.
Hello? Speaking.
I think he's just been told.
I'll let him know.
Yes.
Thank you.
Bye.
BBC Scotland.
They want to know if you'll make a statement.
Do me a favor.
Give the office a call.
Tell Angie I need to be
on the first plane back.
Good morning.
And a very warm welcome to you.
It's just
after half past 10
on Thursday 12th of May.
I don't know about you,
but we're all very sad to hear
that Labour leader John Smith is unwell.
He has been rushed to hospital,
as you probably heard
on our 10:00 news,
with chest pains and a
suspected heart attack.
An official statement
will be made when it's made.
Yeah.
I will. I've got it.
I'm... I'm so sorry.
They're still saying
it's a heart attack.
There's no official statement.
Right.
Hello. I know, it's terrible.
Look, I think this is
going to move very quickly.
What's our line to be?
With regard to the leadership?
- Yes.
- Nothing.
Our line, Peter, is strictly grief,
obits, and tributes till after the funeral.
All right.
Think I can help with that.
The irony is that this is the exactly
the type of situation
that John would have relished.
Yeah.
He used to joke about any
up and coming by-elections:
Where there's death, there's hope.
Gordon?
It's the Independent.
They want to know if you can you do
a piece for tomorrow's paper?
Yes, yes.
And the Mirror?
Peter Mandelson.
It's me... Tony.
Yes.
I'm in Aberdeen now, but I wonder,
can we meet at the House later?
Yes, of course.
My office will call you later
to set up a meeting place.
About 6:00?
6:00 is fine.
Peter.
Gordon.
I really need to get on with this,
so let's talk later.
Right. Well, let's
keep in constant touch.
Bloody hell!
A thousand hacks are calling me.
They all want to know
when you'll announce
a standing for the leadership.
After we've buried him, Charlie.
Right.
That man smells of vanilla.
Despite full medical
attention to Mr. Smith,
he was pronounced dead at 9:15.
It's just... heart-rending news.
He had this...
extraordinary combination
of strength, authority,
humor, humanity.
For all of us who knew him
personally, closely,
we will mourn him... greatly.
I think the whole country
will feel the shock.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Elizabeth
and the family.
There are few people
the announcement of whose death
would bring tears to the eyes
of everyone who knew them.
John Smith was such a man.
Have I got time to go home?
I feel should change
into something darker.
It'll be tight.
You're meeting Peter at 6.
I'll go with Cherie.
I'll see you there.
- Okay?
- Okay.
I know how awful it is to be thinking
about this so soon.
The answer's yes.
Really?
I've never been more sure
of anything in my life.
What about Gordon?
He had his chance, and he bottled.
Your time may never come again.
You know what it'll mean
for you, for the kids?
The worst thing that
could happen to our family
would be sharing
a house with a man
who couldn't forgive himself
for not running.
Okay.
Above all, John
was uniquely equipped,
by his nature, his experience
and commitment,
to bind this nation together.
Do you have that?
Our thoughts and prayers at this time
are with his family,
and he will be terribly missed.
Okay.
Thank you.
Gordon's phone.
Unbelievable.
Man's not even cold in the ground,
and you want to know
who's taking his place.
Everything I'm hearing
suggests that it's Tony.
Hello, Charlie.
Been talking to Mo Mowlam?
Why don't you canvas
some real Labour support?
Get a bit closer to the truth.
Gordon Brown will announce his intentions
after the funeral.
If you want to know
what to do until then...
You could buy some flowers
and send them to John Smith's widow.
Hello. Charlie Whelan.
Thanks for coming.
Of course.
You've probably worked out
why I've asked to see you.
Think I have an idea.
I just...
I just don't want to be ruled out.
Right.
Several key members
of the Shadow Cabinet
have already called
to offer me their support.
Have you seen today's Evening Standard?
Not yet, no.
I'm told they're running a piece for me.
Right.
You know Gordon still
assumes it will be him?
Well, maybe those... assumptions
have been going on too long.
You have to ask yourself
is he still our strongest candidate?
I mean, you know,
Black Wednesday did him no favors.
He let the Tories off the hook.
Plus, he can be moody,
difficult.
He's just...
Gordon.
It's a fucking disgrace.
The leader of the Opposition,
one of the most distinguised
and best-loved figures
in British postwar politics, dies,
and who's everybody's talking about?
Some posh totty in a
dress with safety pins.
Hello. Oh, yes, Michael.
No, somebody gave me that list.
I'm sorry I've not got back to you.
For God's sake, man,
are you still at it?
Give yourself a break.
Take those off the hook.
Go on, tell him, Sheena.
No, there's no comment on that.
Do you remember
when John came back
after the first heart attack?
When was it?
'88.
I remember him sitting in the bar,
2 stones lighter,
sipping mineral water.
"I've taken the advice of my doctor,
"And from now on,
the following things are out...
"rich food, alcohol,
"overwork,
over-excitement, and sex.
"I've therefore made an application
to join the Liberals
with immediate effect!"
To John.
To John.
I'll draft something up
and fax it over today.
Five minutes, Mr. Mandelson.
Yes.
Peter, everyone knows
that you're very close to both
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Will they run
against each other?
No, I don't believe they will run
against each other.
I think, moreover,
that they haven't come
to any conclusions
because they, like every other member
of the Labour Party,
has no appetite
to talk of successions
or challenges or whatever.
Why shouldn't they both run
and let the best man win?
They may or may not.
That's up to them, isn't it?
Sure, but you think
one of them will step aside,
as you said earlier.
I read the reports
and have the same
understanding as everyone else
that they agree on so much
that they would want to
consider who is best fitted
to lead the Labour Party.
I mean, who would maximize
support for the party in the country...
who'll play best at the box office...
who is not...
who will not simply appeal
to the traditional supporters
and customers of the Labour Party,
but who will bring in
those additional voters that we need
in order to to win convincingly
at the next election.
That is what each contender
has to ask themselves
before they put themselves forward.
You fucker.
Well, is it true?
We'll finish this later. What?
Is it true what every paper
now appears to be saying,
that you are going to stand?
What is true is that
in the last 24 hours,
a number of people
have come up and told me
they'd like me to stand.
Including Mandelson?
Uh, no.
Well, what is your position?
I'm still thinking.
While you were thinking,
did it occur to you that
we have an understanding?
What understanding?
That if it ever came
to this, it would be me!
What?
Don't deny it. We had
an actual conversation!
But not an actual agreement.
Nothing written down, no.
But you were quite clear
there was only one of us
with "Labour Leader"
written all over him.
Gordon, that was six years ago!
So?
Maybe events have overtaken us.
Really? Which events
did you have in mind?
There is a growing number
that think I would be a better candidate,
that I appeal to new areas.
You'd get the South,
I grant you that,
but you'd never win Scotland.
Scotland is an irrelevance.
The point is attracting new voters.
You'll never get Wales
or the North.
Attracting new Labour
voters in the South,
the Home Counties,
and the Southwest,
and I think I'm in a better position
to do that than you.
And so it's true.
You are going to stand against me.
If I'm persuaded it is
better for the party,
I might.
Do you think you really
know that, Tony?
What's best for the Labour Party?
Being in power might be a start!
Dear Gordon, I have thought
a lot about your fears
that you are being
written out by the press.
I don't believe your fears are justified.
Nobody is saying that
you're not capable or...
appropriate as leader,
merely that the timing is bad for you.
Definite yeses are Donald Dewar,
Ron Davies, Tom Clarke...
The card the media
are playing for Tony
is his Southern appeal.
Everyone agrees
there is no one to rival your political...
capacity,
but because you would
be appearing
to come in as the second runner,
you would be blamed
for creating the split.
So definite maybes
are Jack Cunningham,
Michael Meacher.
What about Chris Mullin?
With Tony.
You would need to mount
a massive and sustained campaign,
which could damage
both you and Tony
and be a gift to our enemies,
and even then,
I could not guarantee success.
What about Kinnock?
With Tony.
Hattersley?
With Tony.
Harriet Harman?
With Tony.
Tony's got a third of the entire
Parliamentary party in the bag.
Well, you need more
than a third to win.
The Labour Party, if it's got any sense,
will elect the person
that they feel is most likely
to carry on the work
of Neil Kinnock and John Smith.
And who is that, do you think?
My own view is that
it will probably be Tony Blair.
Gordon? Gordon?
Yes?
It's Peter Mandelson to see you.
Show him in.
I won't do it. I won't stand aside.
Fine.
And I'll win, too.
Um...
That will be difficult.
You have a problem...
in no longer appearing
to be the front runner.
Certainly you are
seen as the biggest intellectual force
and strategic thinker the party has.
And no one is saying
that you would not be
capable as leader.
Merely that the...
timing is bad for you.
And that lately, there have been...
presentational difficulties.
Oh, really? What's that, hmm?
PR for "Scottish"?
It means you alienate people, Gordon.
You can be moody.
Others call that passion.
And intense.
I have high standards.
And intolerant.
I don't countenance fools.
All of which is admirable,
but politics is not always
about higher matters.
Sometimes it is about the ugly business
of making friends.
Keeping friends...
Being liked.
Let's see.
This one seems to think
Gordon's going to stand.
They've quoted a senior Labour MP
as saying to stop Gordon,
you need to put him in a straitjacket
with 20 MPs on top.
Senior Labour MP. It's Charlie Whelan.
Also, I managed to get a copy
of the speech he made at Swansea.
The flame still burns.
The work continues.
The passion for justice endures,
and the vision will never fade.
- The vision...
- What does that mean?
To me it sounds like he's going to run.
Rubbish.
Look, it means nothing.
...humming with opportunities,
alive with new possibilities...
He doesn't know what he thinks.
...vibrant with a new
dynamism and energy.
So... hands on hearts, both of you.
Do you think I should stand aside?
No, never.
If you stand, I can guarantee
the T&G will back you
over Margaret Beckett.
Which means G&B would follow suit.
That's a big power base.
You've got Scotland,
you've got Wales.
In a fight you can outdebate him,
you can outthink him,
you can outperform him,
and he knows it.
But it would be bloody.
Ugly.
And have we come this far
that we want to go
crawling to the T&G?
Well, have we come this far
to see the Labour Party
led by a Tory?
Okay.
Shh.
Hello.
Gordon? It's me.
I've called because
I think we should meet.
I want to know your decision.
Where did you have in mind?
Granita?
Well, that's Islington.
Or we could go somewhere else.
Let's make it early.
I need to get away.
8:00?
Um... whatever.
I'll see you there.
You're going to have
to offer him something.
Even if it's just hope.
Come on.
We should really get going.
So what's this Granita anyway?
It's a restaurant.
Tony's favorite.
The clue's in the address.
It's on Upper Street.
Taxi!
Thanks.
Thanks for coming, Gordon.
Ed.
Are you sure you won't eat?
Positive.
Okay, then...
let's get down to it.
I'll go for a walk around the block.
Ready to order?
I'll have the rabbit.
Tuscan rabbit and a bit of Polenta.
And another glass of white.
I'll just have a glass
of water, thank you.
I'm sorry it's come to this.
I've hated the last few days.
Why? In years to come,
you might come to see them
as your finest hour.
How can you say that?
It's a stunning coup.
You've come from nowhere,
and you'll probably end up
as Prime Minister.
Come from nowhere.
I may not have been out
barefoot on cobble streets
handing out party leaflets aged 12,
but I've hardly come
from nowhere, either.
You and I have been MPs
exactly the same amount of time.
I taught you everything.
Without me,
you'd have been consigned
to the dustbin of also-rans
in this party.
With respect, Gordon,
that's delusional crap
and an insult to my supporters.
I don't want to get
into a slanging match.
Look, all I want,
all I have ever wanted,
is to get out of Opposition
and become part of
a Labour government.
If I thought
that having you as leader
would give us the best
chance, I'd step aside.
Bollocks.
That is the truth.
A man who does what you've
done does not stand aside.
We all come into politics for the big job.
You admit it?
Your words, not mine.
I could never have beaten John.
You could have tried.
That was your chance,
and you didn't take it.
Now it's my turn.
Despite our understanding?
What understanding?
Thank you.
I accept you are the stronger candidate
in many ways.
It may be a quirk of fate
that I emerge as
the better candidate to lead,
but that fact remains.
I also acknowledge
that without your support,
without your
influence in the party,
my leadership might fail.
No, it would.
So I propose that as Chancellor,
you will have complete control
over economic policy.
You can choose your own team,
I won't interfere.
I mean, that will make you the most powerful
chancellor in history.
What about social policy? Education?
Unemployment? Health?
I won't have the party
compromised on those, Tony
Of course.
And when we win a second term?
Gordon, we haven't been
in power for 15 years.
You mention a second term?
If the Tories continue to disintegrate,
it's not inconceivable
that we could be in power
for a generation.
Well...
under those circumstances, I...
wouldn't make the same
mistake Thatcher made
and go on too long.
So in a second term,
you'd stand aside?
Come on, this
conversation is crazy!
No, not to me it isn't.
Well, whatever the circumstances,
obviously
I couldn't go on forever.
In which case,
you'd support my candidacy?
- I suppose so.
- Good.
- One Tuscan rabbit.
- Thanks.
I'll leave you to it.
Before you go, we have
to deal with the press.
People will need reassuring
that this was done amicably.
You want me to stand aside
and look happy about it?
I'll put something on paper,
a briefing statement.
No, let Peter do it.
You know how good he is
at that kind of thing.
And College Green, for the photo call.
The Backs are too close.
You never know, I might
say the wrong thing.
On your way out, say hello to that girl.
Who is she?
The new girl in EastEnders.
Forget about politicians,
that's real power.
She gets 15 million viewers
three times per week.
Bloody Islington.
The paramount consideration
for Gordon and Tony throughout
has been the best way
for the party's interests to be served
and for party unity to be maximized
in order to win the election.
A desire to unite the party
is at the forefront of their thinking.
I suppose we should
add something here
about Gordon's personal sacrifice.
How about...
Gordon has taken,
as he said he would,
a decision which puts unity and teamwork
above personal ambition.
Good.
In his Wales and Luton speeches,
Gordon has spelled out
the fairness agenda,
social justice,
employment opportunities,
and skills which he believes
should be the centerpiece
of Labour's program,
and Tony is in full agreement with this.
No.
"And Tony has guaranteed
this will be pursued. "
Good evening.
The Shadow Chancellor
Gordon Brown,
once tipped as the future Labour leader,
has sacrificed his personal ambitions
in favor of party unity.
Friends of the Shadow Chancellor said
the decision had been
a long and difficult one,
but in a statement today,
Mr. Brown said
it been taken
in the interests of party unity.
Mr. Blair!
Please!
Mr. Blair!