Is Labour reconciled to possibly decades in opposition?
Have they given up on having a leader who’s electable?
It was perhaps too much to be hoped that Labour MPs would last night ditch the man they they gave the leadership to in June 2007 without him having to be bothered with all that stuff about facing an election.
They failed to stand up to the Brown Gang’s strong arm tactics two years ago and they failed again last night.
The result, let’s spell it out, is that they are now lumbered with a leader who has almost none of the qualities that are required to win elections in the modern age – someone who is so unpopular that he gets booed when he attends veterans events like the D-Day celebrations at the weekend.
Perhaps the party had been so battered by Thursday’s momentous defeats that it simply didn’t have the stomach for a move that would give it a fighting chance of saving the day next May or whenever Brown’s day of reckoning takes place.
Will we look back on June 8th 2009 and reflect that it was their lack of action that evening that destroyed the amazingly successful electoral machine that had been created under Tony Blair’s leadership?
What of the immediate future? Brown Central’s biggest problem is the media which they’ve managed to alienate big time.
The most significant moment in the past few days came at Friday afternoon’s press conference when Brown confirmed his reputation as Britain’s most unconvincing liar when he sought to deny what had become glaringly obvious – that the plan had been to move Alistair Darling from the chancellorship.
There was a visible hardening of attitude in the room which has continued to affect the way ministers are interviewed. They are all facing a tougher time of it and this looks like continuing.
Brown’s denial ranked alongside his statements in October 2007 that his decision to call off the election had anything to do with the polls. If you want to lie Prime Minister then at least give thought to what those listening are thinking. Ah sorry! Gord doesn’t do empathy – another one of his failings.
So there we are. Those like me from the baby boomer generation who are now in their 60s, ought to start reconciling themselves to living out the rest of their days under the Tories.