He’s doomed!
Posted by Andrew Adams on September 15, 2008
Filed Under Politics |
The Labour Party’s efforts to compete with Newcastle United FC for the title of most comically inept once-loved British institution continue to go from strength to strength. Unheard of ex- and minor members of the government calling for Brown to quit, attempts to trigger a de facto vote of confidence, ministers equivocating when asked whether they support him…
Now we can argue about whether Labour would do better at the next election with Brown or a.n. other as leader but the one absolutely certain thing is that as long as it continues muddling along, not making a decision one way or another, the party’s standing will just get lower and lower. Senior cabinet ministers should some time ago have either come out and collectively declared that Brown is the man to lead them into the next election and they would not support any attempt to replace him, or paid him a visit and handed him the proverbial bottle of whisky and revolver. I think it’s now too late for the former so surely it is time for them to take the latter course of action. So what do they do? Anonymously brief journalists that they are giving him another six weeks!
Apparently they want to give him a chance to re-launch the party, win the Glenrothes by-election and have a successful party conference next week. Well I thought that last week’s announcement on energy bills was supposed to be a “relaunch” - it was reasonably well received but made virtually no difference to Labour’s standings. And as far as by-elections go, didn’t they get the message from Glasgow East? As for a “successful” party conference, well I would say that a success would be if it doesn’t degenerate into an all-out brawl on the conference floor - apart from that the omens are as good as for an Eastenders wedding.
Of course the party conference would be an ideal starting point for the party to move forward under a new leader but I guess it’s too late for that now. However, it would still be an ideal platform for a valedictory speech - to go out to a standing ovation and with at least some dignity intact.
Sometime you just have to realise that the game is up.
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