Martin Bright

Labour Leadership Speculation is Back with a Vengeance

Rachel Sylvester’s column today provides more than the usual share of insight and high-level gossip — what more do you want from a political columnist?

The following paragraph is devastating about the Prime Minister’s handling of the Megrahi affair:

“Even members of the Cabinet who remain publicly loyal are privately scathing about Mr Brown’s performance in recent days. “We can’t go on like this,” says one minister. “It’s beyond difficult — it’s farcical. We’re going from one fiasco to another and Government by fiasco doesn’t work. I’ve never been a plotter but I feel total exasperation.”

Rachel is right to say that this is the Labour Party’s Groundhog Day.  As we enter the conference season all talk is of plots, conspiracies and coups. The difference compared with last year is that there is no obvious “Prince-in-Waiting” whose ambitions need to be crushed and no “Prince-of-Darkness” to ride to the rescue.

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