Ashley diagnoses Labour ministers with clinical depression

Jo

Private Eye has a very interesting story on Ashley's husband, Andrew Marr, in its current issue...

Chris

They're depressed? Poor dears! They really need to seek therapy and counselling. Delusional behaviour leaves great psychological damage in its wake. Not to mention, in this case, economic, social, and cultural damage.

How do they suppose the public feel after 11 years of misrule?

The socialists will need to get used to the phrase ' Never again bright confident morning...' And I look forward to the BBC issuing the CD entitled 'Were you up for Harriet Harman?'

Ian C

Brown was clearly in this category post May 1st, but has rallied himself a bit, at least for now. The crunch is going to come in conference season when about 3 senior'ish Labour people will try to rabble rouse. With nothing in the financial, policy or even rhetoric banks to do it with, when the response does not come he will fall.

There are those who say it is not his fault. No, it is not his fault that the oil price has doubled etc but it is his and their fault that the country is not able to make adequate policy responses and it his fault that the housing market is/was 30-40% overvalued because he targeted a too narrow definition of inflation.

They have been party to the terminal screw up that has defined Labour Governments ever since they were invented. They will not be trusted again and the centre-left will re-configure around the Blairite wing and the Lib Dems (after Clegg is moved along) while old Labour reverts to type. Providing the Tories take the opportunity for radical reform of all government the social democratisation that became the accpetable extent of socialism in the 20th C is now an encumbent part of government an the Labour Party's journey is over.

The have good reasons to be depressed.

London Calling

When the Labour Party came into Power, it was like giving a Child Hamleys for Christmas, only instead of keeping the Toys regularly stocked up with new lines, they played with the toys and destroyed them all in a long tantrum.

I feel sad for the labour ministers who feel hopelessand
without purpose, which must be even more burdened in the knowledge that they have to endure two more years of Politics Est Morte.

The country has noticed, and the country watches and waits, the only hope Labour Ministers have is to rise like the Phoenix, or suffer the consequences…

A Hamleys Closing down sale....

Mark

I'm not surprised they're depressed. On current polls, Jacqui Smith, Alastair Darling, Jack Straw, Ruth Kelly, John Hutton and John Denham might all lose their seats.

Travis Bickle

7 days ago they'd never had it so good and now they're depressed?

A week is, indeed, a long time in politics.

Mark

And James Purnell.

John

And Ashley is qualified to diagnose clinical depression, a specific and not that easily diagnosed condition, because ...? Is he a professional clinical psychologist or psychiatrist? This is complete tosh from a self-important hack.

Wyrtimes

Listening to Alan Johnson's comments that Gordon has had a "good year" suggest that either he is living in a parallel universe or he is clinically insane.

cityboozer

Actually John, clinical depression is pretty easy to diagnose and a lot of the common symptoms fit her analogy well.

But that isn't to say that it isn't a rather tasteless analogy.

PoliticiansStink

They should feel guilty rather than depressed.

Chuck Unsworth

@ John

I think you might find that the 'self-important hack' is a woman.

Not that I'd want to get quite that close to Mrs Marr....