Eddie Barnes: The morning after
David Cameron enjoyed the political equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel this morning as he was interviewed on the Today programme. Usually when an opponent describes his enemy as being "completely divided" as Cameron did this morning, you would take it with a pinch of salt. But after yesterday's coup flop, the Tory leader was guilty only of being a bit behind the news cycle.
If Gordon Brown is not throwing staplers this morning, then he never will. His attempt to re-assert authority over the party and government has been completely de-railed. Just to rub it in, a poll in the Sun today shows that 58% of people would not change their vote even if there was a new Labour leader (19% said it would make them more likely to vote Labour as against 14% who said they'd prefer Brown to stay). It also puts Labour on 31%, to the Tories' 40%, again showing a narrowing of the Conservative lead. But the poll was taken on the 5th and 6th January. What, I wonder, would the gap be if a poll was taken today and tomorrow, now that the public has once again been reminded that the party is totally divided?
As has been pointed out, the coup has put Labour in the worst place possible, having re-exposed both the mistrust the party has in their leader, and also their timidity over their failure to boot him out. It was excessively optimistic of Mr Hoon and Mrs Hewitt to think they could change this - after all, we've known for two years that the cabinet won't do anything. Any prospect of a cabinet minister finally doing the deed appeared to die out on Newsnight last night when Lord Mandelson was categorical in his support for Mr Brown. Mr Hoon then happily conceded that his efforts had failed.
If Gordon Brown is not throwing staplers this morning, then he never will. His attempt to re-assert authority over the party and government has been completely de-railed. Just to rub it in, a poll in the Sun today shows that 58% of people would not change their vote even if there was a new Labour leader (19% said it would make them more likely to vote Labour as against 14% who said they'd prefer Brown to stay). It also puts Labour on 31%, to the Tories' 40%, again showing a narrowing of the Conservative lead. But the poll was taken on the 5th and 6th January. What, I wonder, would the gap be if a poll was taken today and tomorrow, now that the public has once again been reminded that the party is totally divided?
As has been pointed out, the coup has put Labour in the worst place possible, having re-exposed both the mistrust the party has in their leader, and also their timidity over their failure to boot him out. It was excessively optimistic of Mr Hoon and Mrs Hewitt to think they could change this - after all, we've known for two years that the cabinet won't do anything. Any prospect of a cabinet minister finally doing the deed appeared to die out on Newsnight last night when Lord Mandelson was categorical in his support for Mr Brown. Mr Hoon then happily conceded that his efforts had failed.
Labels: David Cameron, Eddie Barnes, Gordon Brown
posted by Administrator at
09:27
4 Comments:
Hi Eddie, as a Scottish journalist it miught be worth exploring wether Douglas Alexander and Jim Murphy were part of the plot as widely thought?
I presume this means that Brown has won the argument about campaign strategy then?
Both Alexander & Murphy are the worst kind of careerist politician that Labour, in particular, have excelled in for generations.
Facing electoral Armageddon, but without the spine to stand up and remove Brown to save their miserable skins, they are going through a macabre "I knew we were doomed!" dance in the hope this will give them political cover come the recriminations after Labour's inevitable - and deserved - defeat.
If there is any justice both these rapscallions will face their own 'Portillo Moment' come the GE.
Why hasn't the Scottish media been asking questions of Alexander and Murphy?
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