The worst response to a political crisis is to pay lip-service to it. Doing nothing is far from ideal, but it at least allows the crisis to be played out to its conclusion- which is invariably coincidental with the punishment of the person/party failing to take action. It provides a deserved resolution at least.
Even ahead of the Crewe and Nantwich disaster, and don't let the Fabians convince you that it was anything but a disaster, lefties like myself were speculating on how the party should respond when the nightmare they awaited came true. I said and still say that taking the summer to install a new leader ahead of the conference would be the second best outcome of all- for Brown to get his act together would obviously be ideal. According to the Observer, however, it would appear that there are plans afoot to groom someone to be the leader at some future point. This is one of those 'lip-service' measures that I opened by talking about. If true, it means that either no-one has the nerve to face down Brown yet and they're hoping to ease him out (ill-health forces resignation?) or that Brown is trying to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. It also means that the public desire for change- if that's what it is- goes unsated and that any successor is tainted by association with a dying Brown regime.
It's unattributed hearsay- as the story indicates- but it would be a timid move and a huge mistake. And, on current form, both counts would make it all the more likely to be true.
The worst response to a political crisis is to pay lip-service to it. Doing nothing is far from ideal, but it at least allows the crisis to be played out to its conclusion- which is invariably coincidental with the punishment of the person/party failing to take action. It provides a deserved resolution at least.
Even ahead of the Crewe and Nantwich disaster, and don't let the Fabians convince you that it was anything but a disaster, lefties like myself were speculating on how the party should respond when the nightmare they awaited came true. I said and still say that taking the summer to install a new leader ahead of the conference would be the second best outcome of all- for Brown to get his act together would obviously be ideal. According to the Observer, however, it would appear that there are plans afoot to groom someone to be the leader at some future point. This is one of those 'lip-service' measures that I opened by talking about. If true, it means that either no-one has the nerve to face down Brown yet and they're hoping to ease him out (ill-health forces resignation?) or that Brown is trying to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. It also means that the public desire for change- if that's what it is- goes unsated and that any successor is tainted by association with a dying Brown regime.
It's unattributed hearsay- as the story indicates- but it would be a timid move and a huge mistake. And, on current form, both counts would make it all the more likely to be true.
