I don't know much about him but given that David Cameron seems reluctant to go too far down the English parliament route and John Redwood seems to want it, do you think that will put Redwood in the running to replace Cameron? Is there a risk that this will divide the Tory Party?
With more powers promised for Holyrood in the event of a "No" vote in Scotland, the PM is facing demands for a separate governing body for England.
Senior Tory MPs want an end to the anomaly that allows Scottish MPs to vote on England-only issues.
He [Cameron] suggested the government had a plan - as set out in last year's McKay commission report - on how MPs should deal with legislation that affects only part of the UK but it was not "remotely near" creating an English Parliament.
Instead, Commons committees considering England-only legislation would be staffed by MPs representing English constituencies.
"It's not something we've set out because today we're talking about the extra power the Scottish government will get," Mr Cameron told BBC Radio 5 live's Pienaar's Politics.
John Redwood told BBC Radio 5 live: "If you are going to give tax powers to Scotland and to Wales, England will want exactly the same tax powers and we will want our own Parliament.
"And the simplest and cheapest way of doing that is that people elected as Westminster MPs, for English constituencies, can do an extra job and meet as an English Parliament and choose our tax rates to complement those that the Scottish Parliament has chosen."
The McKay Commission [...] 'ruled out an English Parliament, saying Scottish MPs would also be allowed to vote on issues affecting England to avoid creating two different classes of MP and provoking "deadlock between the UK government and the majority of MPs in England".
Story in full: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29219162
Gordon Brown has ruled out making a political comeback. Sorry, HollyDaze. I think he is quite happy doing what he does, a better work/life balance.
Unlike his predecessor he does not do anything just for the money. Two of the jobs he does are unpaid. There may be more for all I know. He is also the only previous PM who does not take the pension he is due.
John Redwood is my MP and I find it difficult to say anything positive about him. He is rarely visible in the area (he has no need to be -a monkey would be elected in this area so long as he was wearing a blue scarf !) The last time I saw him was at the funeral of a mutual friend where he gave a lengthy speech and then disappeared. He did not mingle with the mourners or stay to support the family. At one time he lived next door to a friend of mine and I remember him abandoning his wife and 4 children for another woman (family values ?).He seems to have little empathy with ordinary people and then there is of course his political views !No,No No for PM.
Oh God! I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor bugger now. 
Never feel sorry for a politician, jings, it is the slippery slope to, well I'm not really sure but it can't be good.
If he didn't know the anthem he should have stood silently while it was sung by others, it was that 'pretending' (or trying to) which made him look a twit.
And if he'd done that, would he have been pilloried for not joining in with the singing? Think of the flack that footballers get for not even trying to sing the national anthem; damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.
Gordon Brown has ruled out making a political comeback
I'm very pleased to hear it durhamjen, the man was, imo, a buffoon.
He was secretary of state for Wales so wouldn't it have been a good idea to learn it?
It may well have been - I just think that if he's going to be written off, it should be for a better reason than not knowing the words to an anthem.
Gordon Brownis no buffoon. I think he is probably a very clever man.
He is very clever and he seems to have more principles than some.
He was a terrible PM though.
Good money man though. He did stop the banks going bust.
I agree that PM was one step too far (Ana) but I also agree that he was a good "money man" (jinglbellsfrocks). Much was heaped on his head when the international crisis hit that was in fact agreed by all parties.
He did stop the banks going bust.
The banks that won't lend to businesses but still pay out nice lump sums to themselves? Now why is that happening - could it be down to who called the shots at the time?
Also:
CBI director general Richard Lambert said Brown's decision in 1997 to scrap tax relief on dividends was a 'misjudgment' which contributed significantly to the decline of the pension system.
Lambert, a former editor of the Financial Times and member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee from June 2003 until March 2006, accused the Treasury of a 'convenient bit of spin'. He said the CBI had privately warned the Treasury that the move was 'not a good idea'.
The row follows the release of documents showing that Brown was warned by Treasury officials prior to the 1997 Budget that the move could wipe billions of pounds from pension fund assets. The documents were released after the Government abandoned efforts to keep them out of the public domain.
On May 7, 1997, just days after Labour's landslide victory, it (the ABI) said the change would affect charities and Personal Equity Plans, the forerunner of Individual Savings Accounts.
It also cautioned that a change in the tax credits 'will lower stock market valuations and probably lead to greater volatility'. The ABI told Mr Brown: 'Any change to the tax credit system has important implications for pensions, PEPs and charities with consequent political implications.
www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-1608722/Browns-tax-raid-on-pensions.html
A viewpoint from how things stood at the time:
www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4256501/Gordon-Brown-is-not-a-good-Chancellor.html
Isn't it funny how those that preternd to know anything about economics always forget that Keynes said save in the good times so that you can spend in the bad times. Unfortunately Gordon Brown spent more and borrowed more in a time when we were booming than any previous chancellor in history.
The comments from people with a good memory are worth browsing through:
blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/06/meet-gordon-brown-comedian/
He is very clever
Gordon Brown: I made a big mistake when setting up FSA:
www.moneymarketing.co.uk/gordon-brown-i-made-a-big-mistake-when-setting-up-fsa/1029361.article
His big mistake? He 'did not appreciate the entangled relationships of financial services institutions.' Mind you, given that his sole academic qualification is a First-Class Honours MA degree in history it shouldn't be too surprising that he didn't understand all things money - which begs the question: should someone who doesn't understand those things be in charge of a country's finances?
FSA head: Gordon Brown helped fuel banking crisis
www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/4809284/FSA-head-Gordon-Brown-helped-fuel-banking-crisis.html
Let's hope GB stays North of the border!
If Gordon Brown had taken notice of the owners of the Telegraph, he would have put all Britain's money in tax havens.
The Barclay brothers are not well known for paying their taxes. The Ritz has not paid any corporation tax for over 17 years.
Gordon Brown was a very devious Chancellor. There was so much smoke and mirrors that no-one knew quite what was happening - and he taxed pension funds so that your pension payout is smaller due in no small part to him.
Under his Chancellorship credit and house prices got completely out of control and he did nothing to discourage it - it suited him to let everyone feel that they were well off under Labour.
Much of it was an illusion.
When it all collapsed, HM asked 'Why did no-one see this coming?'
DH and I answered (but she didn't hear as she was on the TV) that if we, just ordinary people without financial brains could see that it would all end in tears how come they could not?
But of course, they probably could and it was all fuelled by greedy bankers and a government who wanted the electorate to feel happy so that they would keep re-electing them.
If Gordon Brown had taken notice of the owners of the Telegraph
To be fair to the man, he has to be given credit for being consistent - he never took notice of anyone that gave him advice.
People are suggesting that Gordon Brown should have a knighthood for saving the union. I guess some of you do not agree.
HollyDaze, how do you know that "he never took notice of anyone who gave him advice?" He might not have taken notice of the people you wanted him to take notice of, but that does not mean anyone.
Would you rather the banks had gone bust as in Iceland?
Well, djen I did think he was impressive this time. Being away from frontline politics has done him good. And I also admired him and his wife for what they were trying to do for those poor Nigerian schoolgirls. He probably enjoyed outshining Alistair Darling this time, as he always did. Perhaps he would have been better as Foreign Secretary or Home Secretary rather than Chancellor.
His big mistake? He 'did not appreciate the entangled relationships of financial services institutions.' Mind you, given that his sole academic qualification is a First-Class Honours MA degree in history it shouldn't be too surprising that he didn't understand all things money - which begs the question: should someone who doesn't understand those things be in charge of a country's finances?
What qualifications does Osborne have?
He did n't save the union! It was always going to be No. (Wish I'd put money on it)
Gordon Brown did not "stop the banks going bust"; he arranged for the taxpayers to bail out the banks that had gone bust thanks to his soft regulation approach, and colluded in the one high street bank that was not bust - Lloyds - taking over one that was - HBOS - to the detriment of Lloyds Bank shareholders (of whom I was not one).
John Redwood was a very competent junior minister in the then DTI, who understood his briefs and was consequently easy to deal with. The fact that we went to the same Oxford college (at different times) did not prejudice me either way. But he was a bit weird to be a successful cabinet minister.
How do you know, jingle? Lots of people think he saved the union.
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