He's done it again
Johan Eliasch, the man who lent more than £2.5m to the Conservatives, is set to resign from the party to become an adviser to Gordon Brown.
Gordon Brown has done it again, using the patronage only a prime minister can wield to prise away another supporter of his opponents to give him advice.
When Johan Eliasch resigned as the Tory deputy treasurer last week, the Conservatives insisted he still remained a backer of the party. Not any longer.
Mr Eliasch, who has committed even more of his millions to preserving the Amazon rainforest, is set to accept a personal offer from the prime minister. He will become Gordon Brown's special representative tasked with carrying out a review into deforestation and into clean energy.
He won't renew his membership of the Tory Party when it lapses next month and expects his £2.6m loan to be repaid. It is not known on what timescale. In itself, this will cause David Cameron quite a headache. That money of course may be found elsewhere.
Perhaps even more damaging will be Mr Eliasch's complaint to his friends that the Tory leader has abandoned his commitment to occupy the centre ground of British politics and his new belief that Gordon Brown is doing just that.
I'm 
Comments
Ouch!
I never realised that PM badge had such pulling power!!
I'm pleased that Johan Eliasch, who has made public commitments and put his money where his mouth is, has been brought onboard to handle environmental and clean energy issues. His enthusiasm for these important but currently edge issues, and his stance on developing the centre ground of politics brings added dynamism and robustness to government where it matters.
I remember when I was growing up and being fascinated by stories of the jungle and nuclear power. All that's turned to dust as ignorance and greed has destroyed natural resources, and mismanagement and inattentiveness has tarnished the promise. Perhaps, under Johan Eliasch's stewardship, that potential and promise may be more fully realised.
While Nick's saw of policy and character remain important, communicating design intent is very important for an architect. Facts and mood music are fine to a point but Johan Eliasch has sincerity and commitment by demonstration. That alone is worth months of policy wrangling and consultation as it raises the quality threshold and trust from the start.
It looks like the Brown Bounce has grown wings!
Nick, Not only have New Labour half-inched all the good Conservative policies in the recent past but now they are after their donors and MPs!
Actually a very clever move by Brown under the cover of a new type of politics that utilises all the talents... or at least uses everybody elses!!
Up until Brown took over I was convinced that, at the very least, there would be a hung parliament after the next General Election (Spring 2008?) BUT now I feel Labour could possibly win with a reduced majority maybe 40+ seats and Cameron replaced... Isn't a few months a very long time in polictics!!!!
Yes, he's done it again. There are so few Labour supporters and MPs around with the necessary expertise in environmental matters that Gordon Brown has been forced to poach a disillusioned Tory to help him out. This is in addition to the likes of Patrick Mercer, whom David Cameron unwisely sacked for alleged racist remarks and whose comments were attacked by the Labour party as "shocking and unacceptable", revealing "the true face of the Conservative Party".
I am surprised that Gordon Brown's initiative to enlist Citizens' Juries to advise him was not considered worthy of a Nick Robinson blog topic. Perhaps Mr Robinson remembers it was only six months ago that Tony Blair invited a Citizens' Forum of 60 voters to Downing Street for much the same purpose. Their conclusions were to be presented at the very next Cabinet meeting - with what result, I wonder?
Cynical old me for believing that the Blair Cabinet took as much notice of the Citizens' Forum deliberations as will Brown of the expert advice of Johan Eliasch and Patrick Mercer.
Nick,
Who outside the Westminster bubble has heard of Johan Eliasch?
I suppose it does give you something else to talk about in a quiet week when you've only had the Office for National Statistics saying that all the billions Labour spent on education produced no results, the 'retreat' from Basra, and a strike caused by the failure of a PFI Brown imposed on London.
Was billions of pounds wasted, collapsing PFIs, and compared with somebody nobody has heard of letting his Tory membership lapse?
So who needs cash for peerages? Promising people their life's ambition is just as effective!
The guy's an idiot. The clue to the Conservative party's political leanings is in their name, as with Labour.
Neither occupy the centre ground.
Is Johan Eliasch so naive?
Does he really think Gordon wants him to advise on deforestation?
Gordon wants to hurt the Tories and this fool (and I am sure many others) are helping him achieve his goals.
Please Gordon treat us with some respect.. Call a spade a spade.
i'd like t. pick up a point another bloger made and that is the fact that brown is only doing this to get one over on cameron talk about bad tatics. this will be seen as turn off if the public see what i and others see
its as clear as mud that brown is just using these old tories its a shame they can't see it
Obviously Johan Eliasch can't see the wood for the trees. Even the rich and famous are sometimes vain, and think that money can really buy them what they want, in this case a higher profile. Well he may have it for a while but if he is that shallow to switch over his support because D Cameron does not agree with him on some things, does the party need him? Belief is not that easily broken. G Brown is a very minipulative man and will do anything to hurt the Tories. Anyone stupid enough to believe that G Brown is interested in their view ought to read through how his reign in no 11 began, the best minds in the country advised him on the biggest fiasco with the pensions and he still went ahead. That was the first and you do not have to go far to search for situations where this man has shown himself to be single minded and care not a jot for the advice or guidance of any. G Brown does to anyones beliefs but his own, and will spit you out when it is convenient for him, so beware J E. andenjoy the honeymoon.
Although, my finacial contribution to the Conservation Party, is in comparison to Johan Eliasch,paltry, I will not be renewing my membership either. I joined when Cameron was elected hoping for a fresh start. Instead we have a mixed bag of policies, partly old and parlty new. Trying to please all sides of the party spectrum. He also tried to do the same to the electorate by becoming another Blair and placing more emphasis on spin than substance. Soemtimes you just have to set your stall out, and say this is what I belive in and this is what I stand for. Not everyone may like you for it, let alone agree with it but at least they will respect you for you honesty, and that above all else is surely what politics needs right now. Not more hype or spin just a straight down the line tell me as it is, and what you hope it will be. For the first time ever I am considering not to use my right to vote as there is little if anything worth voting for.
Its about time Brown grew up, instead of trying to bring other parties into his big tent...Why not start coming up with some policies what the voters want to hear..Or is he going to steal all of them from the tories.. Since he has become PM I have heard nothing new from him, but then he is from the past.What is lurching to the right or left etc, that is so a old sound bite from the blair years and past it.I am
not interested in right or left..Its common sense policies I am looking for
The tories are starting to come up with some good common sense ideas, while Brown.. well he's trying to fill his big tent..