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Dr Ian Taylor is a lecturer in political science at Aston Business School in Birmingham who, in the light of the current outbreak, asks…
FOOT AND MOUTH – IS GORDON BROWN RIGHT?
Was it right for the Prime Minister to break from his holiday and get involved in the latest foot and mouth outbreak?
Given that the extent of the ‘crisis’ in Surrey and now possibly Kent is three farms – and the same mistakes involving movement of livestock were not made as in 2001 - should he have left it to his ministers to handle?
Dr Ian Taylor, a lecturer in political science at Aston Business School in Birmingham, has raised questions over whether the Prime Minister should have chaired a COBRA meeting at such an early stage. He said it was interesting to note that in the 1967-8 outbreak the then PM Harold Wilson did not get involved but left the handling of the crisis to MAFF and the professionals.
“I don’t think the Prime Minister should get involved until the disease has spread elsewhere and there is a real crisis,” Dr Taylor said. “I don’t think politicians should get involved in day to day things, that should concern the minister and not the Prime Minister.
“A couple of outbreaks in Surrey should not warrant a response the scale of what took place with the COBRA meetings, despite what took place in 2001.
“The fact is Gordon Brown is new to the job, needs to be cautious but needs to reassure the public and he needs to make his mark.
“I think it is a case of the Government being over cautious, I wouldn’t call his involvement a PR stunt but there was an element of PR in it.”
He said ministers should be trusted to do their jobs more by Prime Ministers.
“Gordon Brown claims not to want to intervene as much as his predecessors and the impression is he wants his ministers to take more responsibility and have a bit more freedom,” he said.
“But then there is the expectation of the media for him to intervene and he has to be seen to be doing something, so it is a question of at what level he should intervene and how much faith he shows in his department.
“It will be interesting to see of Gordon Brown is able to take a step back in a crisis and not intervene.”
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