John Major’s mistake was to believe time would be a healer. It was not for him, nor will it be for Gordon Brown. Instead of nursing his wounds from the English locals, Crewe and Henley, he is facing a meltdown in his own back yard, as the Scottish Labour Party faces a by-election in Glasgow East next month without a leader, a mission or a discernable purpose.
But that’s not quite right. Wendy Alexander was leader of the Labour MSP group. The leader of the Scottish Labour Party is one G. Brown. This is his mess to fix, no one else’s. This is his stronghold which is melting, his home turf being overrun by Scottish nationalists.
In my News of the World column today, I note the inauspicious number of Labour votes in Henley – 1066. As every schoolboy used to know, this was the year of the Battle of Hastings. But Gordon Brown’s Bayeux Tapestry of mishap, farce and calamity is not over yet. After the rout of Henley comes a new tartan battle. The rumour in Westminster is that a second Scottish Labour MP will stand down to ill health. If Brown loses two safe seats in his own back yard it will be the biggest signal yet that he is is a one man voter repellent.
Now Cameron has had his fun, and can take the summer off. It’s over to Alex Salmond’s nationalists to have a round in the ring with the Clunking Fist. Can the SNP take Glasgow East with the same organisation, enthusiasm and audacity as Cameron’s Tories demonstrated in taking Crewe? The SNP machine, I understand, had been preparing for the other by-election, which has yet to be called (if it ever is). Scottish Labour’s machine is in no fit state to defend itself.
Its strange how the Tories and SNP are in an alliance, fighting Brown from the south and north. Now and again, I hear some Tories refer to the SNP as the “Cameron highlanders” – a now-amalgamated Scottish regiment raised by Clan Cameron a few centuries ago.
Brown could now be coming straight out of his Battle of Hastings and straight into the bloodiest scenes out of Braveheart. All this may provide him with a much-needed by election victory. Or it may cement his reputation as the biggest single liability Labour has.
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