Alistair Darling paints an incredible picture of a disfunctional government at a time of economic crisis, with Gordon Brown's attack dogs" unleashed and constant media briefing against him

<p><br />There was, he says, a fundamental disagreement with Gordon Brown on how to deal with the economic crisis which "can be boiled down to investment in the economy versus the need to cut borrowing".<br />Darling was excluded from the inner circle of decision-making, dominated by Brown's lieutenants Ed Balls and Ed Miliband.<br />He says Brown had no strategy for being Prime Minister, there was a "permanent air of chaos and crisis", and perhaps most damningly he says this: "For any government to operate effectively there has to be complete unity at the top, especially between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor".<br />In other words, the Bown government was not effective - although its supporters will point out that, despite the problems, they did save the banks and prevent a recession deepening into a depression.<br />You might be reminded of the relationship between Tony Blair as PM and his Chancellor, Gordon Brown - spot the common denominator?<br />The big question, though, is why didn't Alistair Darling do the honourable thing and resign - some are saying that waiting until a year or so later and releasing these memoirs is a cowardly way to behave.<br />Mr Darling's own explanation is that he was ready to return to the backbenches, truning down alternative government positions, to make way for Brown's favourite Ed Balls to become Chancellor but events intervened: the sudden resignation of James Purnell from the Cabinet.<br />Mr Darling believes that if he had resigned at that point, he might have ended Mr Brown's leadership, but he says he "was not prepared to do that".<br />"I had supported his leadership. If I left the government, it would be to sit on the backbenches, not to forment his overthrow. Also, I feel deep loyalty to the Labour Party. I did not want to damage it any further."<br />Needless to say, there are many in the Labour Party who believe that he would have served the party better if he had resigned and forced a change of leader, especially as he describes discussions with other ministers who believed that Labour could not win the next election under Gordon Brown, and the only issue was how to avert a Tory landslide.</p>

Alistair Darling paints an incredible picture of a disfunctional government at a time of economic crisis, with Gordon Brown's attack dogs" unleashed and constant media briefing against him

There was, he says, a fundamental disagreement with Gordon Brown on how to deal with the economic crisis which "can be boiled down to i...

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