A Political Assassination in the Making

Political assassination is always an interesting thing to watch. I remembered seeing it happen to Thatcher and its effects made long lasting and deep, near fatal wounds on the conservative party. They never recovered even after Major won a general election after Thatcher's departure and it is only now, 18 years after her departure that they are beginning to look like a united party again. The obvious explanation for their sudden and long overdue cohesion is that they are doing well in the polls again. A renaissance is upon them although I think it is more likely as a result of a poor performing government than the brilliant leadership style and innovative ideas of Mr. David Cameron.

Labour has had a rough time lately and is doing what the conservatives did after too long in power; it is imploding. It's seeming invincibility is being crushed by it's own previous success. This was a government which was held together by an uneasy but iron partnership of Blair and Brown who despite all the media waffle about hatred and fighting between them, always backed each other unfalteringly on every occasion. It was in fact a very successful marriage. Now that Blair has left his political wife, the power of the marriage has vanished along with him.

With the power seemingly gone, together with any credibility it held for Gordon, those amongst the party who, drunk with power and full of ambition appear to be sharpening their knives for a bit of old fashioned political back-stabbing and assassination. I think that Lord Desai took the first gouge earlier this week, likening Gordon Brown's leadership style to porridge or haggis and even suggested a replacement, David Milliband. Suddenly, confronted with the prospect of becoming the next leader of his party, Milliband came out in the papers today undermining his leader in the process, calling for unity over the tax debacle and saying that it was important to admit mistakes when mistakes had been made. He obviously believes Lord Desai that he is going to inherit the earth and thinks he's up and ready for it. He also obviously believes that Gordon has made mistakes otherwise he wouldn't be suggesting apologies to the nation.

Gordon is obviously a different man to Blair and certainly much different to Thatcher but he is going to have to be as strong as both of them here if he wants to survive. It is too late to start apologising for things now and I don't believe that he would want to, after all where and when would it ever end. He has a bigger problem though because he has dissent within his ranks to deal with and if he fails to deal with it appropriately he will look feeble and more will follow. I think Milliband young, niaive and ambitious as he is, may have been duped into being offered as a sacrificial lamb here by other yet unseen shadows in the party. Brown really has little alternative than to sack Milliband or at least discipline him publically for his public criticism. If he does he will look like a brute but the vultures will be less keen to descend and feast upon his carcass for the time being. If he lets this go then his party will tear him apart. From the conservative point of view, it looks like things can only get better.