Purnell's enjoying the freedom of the backbenches
Fraser Nelson 5:58pm
James Purnell has just spoken at The Spectator’s Paths to Prosperity conference, with sideburns bushier than ever after the summer. He was doing an on-stage interview with Andrew Neil and was quite firm on the release of al-Megrahi. "He should have died in jail” said Purnell. “I would have left him in jail." I suspect the freedom to say such things is one of the reasons that Purnell quit government. He later took questions (quite often rude ones) from the floor. Sir Richard Sykes had been on earlier, talking about the dismal state of British education, and Purnell was asked why he couldn’t just agree that schools had gone downhill too. He drew the line at trashing Labour’s record on education. But I think we can see Purnell set off into his own orbit. I don’t think he will be a candidate in the next Labour leadership election, but I do think he’ll be a main player in the coming battle for Labour’s soul.
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Andrew K
September 15th, 2009 6:17pm Report this commentFirst!
Vulture
September 15th, 2009 7:01pm Report this commentSoul? Liebour has no soul. I thought that the ludicrous respect you offer this sideburned little jack-out-of-office would depart now that D'Ancona has gone. Sadly I was wrong. Purnell is a nowhere man.
Craig Strachan
September 15th, 2009 7:16pm Report this commentHe might be the leader Labour turns to to make them electable again after the lurch to the left that will follow the first election defeat, and the second and probably third defeats that will follow that. He'll still be under 50!
TomTom
September 15th, 2009 8:39pm Report this commentWith luck Labour won't exist outside Scotland afer 2011....if the overrepresentation of Scotland is corrected....it might not exist at all
Simon Richards
September 15th, 2009 8:43pm Report this commentPlease can this be the only blog NOT to have the puerile First, Premier, 1st, No 1 ......
Please?
KB
September 15th, 2009 10:21pm Report this commentIs video or audio of the conference going to be available?
Jen Cook
September 15th, 2009 10:30pm Report this commentWhy does the Spectator not record these events and make them available online?
It could append advertising to the videos - I'd be happy to post such videos on my blog.
Gareth
September 15th, 2009 11:00pm Report this commentHe sounds almost human. A rarity among politicians. Cameron should offer him a job. Would deflect a lot of union cuts for the wealthy charges.
Stephen Grant
September 16th, 2009 10:28am Report this commentWhat the betting this closet Tory comes out and declares his love for David Cameron?He was a useless Minister and is still a useless back bencher.
The Bellman
September 16th, 2009 12:44pm Report this commentIt would be truly glorious if every one of this shower of incompetents, liars and cowards could experience the liberation of the backbenches, and preferably the dole queue.
Derrin Zikks
September 16th, 2009 4:48pm Report this commentyou're obviously prepared to challenge the consensus on climate change, so why keep parroted the absurd fiction that al-megrahi was responsible for lockerbie?
at least try to peel back the establishment version.
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