The dithering party

Nicholas

Once again we have a data loss scandal being announced on a Sunday with accusations of a cover up:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7602402.stm

Verity

Has anything like this ever happened before in British history? A prime minister who was essentially being ousted from day one, and won't go? And in the meantime, "governs" by fiddling around with little, tiny "eye catching initiatives" while the economy sinks without trace and our civil society is rent ever more grievously?

mitch

some vision eh? 10 years waiting and this.

Hysteria

Verity - I don't think so - but perhaps it echoes pieces of the Major decline?

Anglica

Verity and Hysteria: Since the euSSR campaign implemented its 'philosophy' by using indirection and stealth as weapons, I agree that the parallels are not immediately apparent.

However, mightn't we find some historical levels of this story at the turn of the first millennium? ....Generations of attack by germanic tribes, followed by Edward the Confessor (promised the country to the Normans, imported his frenchie favourites and their ways) and Billie Conk / William the Bastard (seized the country, changed its administration, imported still more foreigners whom he privileged over the natives, and harried the north-i.e. the part that was most resistant). Horrible satire in the timing, of course; and let's hope there isn't a more physical manifestation of genocide/euthanasia still to come!

Water

Rawnsley is right, some conviction is needed, but will it happen. Just seems as though it will be dragged out up until crunch time, again, unfortunately, a thought rehashed.

Anthony a

Brown is still PM as there is no alternative in the Cabinet.

Nicholas

Major was not as bad as this dangerous freak. He was English, a decent chap in his own boring way and at least a cricket fan. He was probably more representative of the "man in the street" (deliberately used phrase because some local councils have banned it) than Herr Braun's un-British, nazi/stasi, glowering, greatcoated, bunker dwelling, Cold War zombie dictator persona.

Max Kaye

Hysteria, Not at all: Major had 'greatness' thrust upon him (OK, and Edwina Currie too). He did the best he could with the cards he was dealt, but just wasn't up to it,

Brown plotted for 10 year like a demented cross between Richard III and Machiavelli, and when the bloody crown was finally his we discovered that he has the anti-Midas touch: everything he does turns to ashes.

Hysteria

it is certainly going to be interesting to see GBs speech at conference.

I don't think he has it in him to say "it's a fair cop guv, I'm crap and I'm outta here".

No - I think I think it will be "world problem, blah blah, difficult times blah blah, getting on with the job, blah blah, need to put our message out more clearly, blah blah, tractor production is up"

But we'll see. I guess it will not have the attraction of Palin's speech but could still be compelling viewing.

Mike

The reason why no-one is willing to push Gordon Brown out of his job is because his successor would have even less credibility than him and would be seen as an impostor from Day One. They would have to call an immediate general election, which they would probably lose thereby earning themselves a place in history as the shortest-serving Prime Minister ever. The alternative of hanging on would very likely lead to civil disobedience in the immediate term and ultimately a defeat of such magnitude that it might well be the end of the Labour Party forever. It is not too hard to envisage it fragmenting into its constituent parts - not least a rump socialist party in parts of England and, delightfully given its espousal of multi-culturalism, a Muslim confessional party in places like Bradford. The Celtic fringe, meanwhile, would probably see mass defections to the nationalists, while parts of the South East and inner London might well even swing to the BNP.

There is, however, one way out of this. That is for Gordon Brown to remember that he deferred calling a general election a year ago in order, as he said, to give the people a chance to judge him and to decide that they can now have the opportunity to pass that judgement. If Brown called an election for, say, this October it would retrospectively validate his decision of 12 months ago and solve both the country's leadership problem and that of the Labour Party. It is the only course of action that combines principle and expediency - the only one also that might allow Gordon Brown to claim that he is someone prepared to put any sort of higher good above his own position.