Over at his blog, Nick Robinson has put together a useful digest of the different attitudes towards Brown’s premiership inside the Labour party. Putting it briefly, he thinks Labour MPs fit into three distinct “camps”:
1) The plotters: “…believe that Mr Brown is taking their party to certain oblivion and are still desperately searching for ways to remove him and to install a new leader by January.”
2) The quitters: “…agree with [the plotters’] analysis but have given up hope of installing a new leader who just might do better.”
3) The fighters: “…are beginning to hope that a recovery might just be possible.”
It’s a neat outline, albeit one which is pretty intuitive. But the main reason to mention it is because it throws up three supplementary questions; the answers to which could determine whether Gordon stays or goes:
i) How many MPs are actually in these different camps? ii) How many are likely to shift from one to another between now and the election?
iii) In what direction will they move?
I know it’s a pretty pointless exercise, but I’d still be keen to hear CoffeeHousers’ thoughts.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in