monotone 'listen and learn' mantra on Friday, we all knew he couldn't be more unpopular if he had flashed a 'V' sign to the public and nutted the cameraman. In fact come to think of it, maybe that would have been a better way to boost popularity (especially nutting a Sky News cameraman) - remember violence worked for Prescott.
There really is no point dwelling on Brown's many faults and errors - the no show election that destroyed 'strong decisive leader', the 10p/IHT tax decisions that destroyed any redistributive credit Labour had got and now the coming oil/food price stagflation which shows Brown not to have ended 'boom and bust' economics afterall, as he so foolishly had claimed.
We all know it is not just Brown that is the problem - the Labour party itself is in a dark place. What sort of party would force Brown on it's members without an election?
Of course the Tories are making hay out of Labour members being denied a voice, out of corruption in the Labour ranks and out of Labour incompetence. Because when ideology is dead, competence was all new Labour had left. This of course is laughable when the Tories (even in opposition) are riddled with MPs, MEPs and Shadow Ministers on the fiddle (even the people Cameron appoints to root it out get caught) and Tory members get no say at all in their policies, never had, never will and have never seemed bothered either. The difference is, the press keep quiet about Tory woes and flaws, Labour feel the full force of the right-wing media.
This doesn't excuse the Labour party. Labour should win elections easily, if only it had the courage to act the way it is supposed to. When the only choice of government we get is Labour or Tory - it is essential that Labour does not lose the plot. We cannot afford an undemocratic Labour party making decisions behind closed doors - just as the Tories always have. Democracy is bad enough when we are governed by a party with 35% of the vote on a 60% turnout and membership down to less than 1% of the electorate, to deny even members of that party a say as well shows just how bad our democracy has fallen. Millions of voters to the left of Labour can only waste their votes and watch as the country falls to an even more right-wing and undemocratic Tory party.
So whats the answer?
Well, although a change of leader is useless without a change of direction, a credible change of policies can only happen if we get rid of Brown.
So, when do we do it?
Thanks to Brown bottling the election in the Autumn when the British people were willing to give him a chance, we now only have 18 months before an election as we are about to enter a recession.
My thinking last year was that Brown could only win with a quick election after Blair had gone - my thinking for a new leader is precisely the same. So now the recession has come into play it is tempting to say lets wait and get rid of Brown spring next year, have a proper leadership election in the party between Miliboy, Cruddas and whomever and then hopefully go straight into a general election on the new leaders popularity after a few months and a radical policy platform that wins support for fairer taxation and democratic change. Here's hoping.
There really is no point dwelling on Brown's many faults and errors - the no show election that destroyed 'strong decisive leader', the 10p/IHT tax decisions that destroyed any redistributive credit Labour had got and now the coming oil/food price stagflation which shows Brown not to have ended 'boom and bust' economics afterall, as he so foolishly had claimed.
We all know it is not just Brown that is the problem - the Labour party itself is in a dark place. What sort of party would force Brown on it's members without an election?
Of course the Tories are making hay out of Labour members being denied a voice, out of corruption in the Labour ranks and out of Labour incompetence. Because when ideology is dead, competence was all new Labour had left. This of course is laughable when the Tories (even in opposition) are riddled with MPs, MEPs and Shadow Ministers on the fiddle (even the people Cameron appoints to root it out get caught) and Tory members get no say at all in their policies, never had, never will and have never seemed bothered either. The difference is, the press keep quiet about Tory woes and flaws, Labour feel the full force of the right-wing media.
This doesn't excuse the Labour party. Labour should win elections easily, if only it had the courage to act the way it is supposed to. When the only choice of government we get is Labour or Tory - it is essential that Labour does not lose the plot. We cannot afford an undemocratic Labour party making decisions behind closed doors - just as the Tories always have. Democracy is bad enough when we are governed by a party with 35% of the vote on a 60% turnout and membership down to less than 1% of the electorate, to deny even members of that party a say as well shows just how bad our democracy has fallen. Millions of voters to the left of Labour can only waste their votes and watch as the country falls to an even more right-wing and undemocratic Tory party.
So whats the answer?
Well, although a change of leader is useless without a change of direction, a credible change of policies can only happen if we get rid of Brown.
So, when do we do it?
Thanks to Brown bottling the election in the Autumn when the British people were willing to give him a chance, we now only have 18 months before an election as we are about to enter a recession.
My thinking last year was that Brown could only win with a quick election after Blair had gone - my thinking for a new leader is precisely the same. So now the recession has come into play it is tempting to say lets wait and get rid of Brown spring next year, have a proper leadership election in the party between Miliboy, Cruddas and whomever and then hopefully go straight into a general election on the new leaders popularity after a few months and a radical policy platform that wins support for fairer taxation and democratic change. Here's hoping.
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