Sunday, May 25, 2008

Interesting article by Matthew d'Ancona on Brown

Matthew d'Ancona is not quite as smart as he appears to think he is, at least based on his writings to date. However, his article in today's Telegraph is an excellent analysis of the state of Labour. In particular he hits upon Brown's coronation as the pivotal failing. By not having a leadership contest, Labour put off any debate about its future as a movement and as a government. Instead they let Brown and his cronies bully them into not even putting up another candidate, when the fact that the man was even doing that said volumes about him as a potential leader. In contrast, the effect of Conservative leadership contests has been beneficial, each time moving the Party on in terms of ideas. The last contest arrived at unexpected new thinking from an unexpected new leader, and that has sort of worked out. Now Labour are trying to rethink on the go, with a leader who has never even been tested by his own Party much less the country. How did they get here? Because too many of their MPs rolled over under pressure from the coterie that surround the PM.

They have only themselves to blame.

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