Sunday, July 27, 2008

I am doubting my doubts on Brown

I walked into the newsagent's shop near my house in London this morning and was hit by a tidalwave of headlines about Brown. My view til now is that there will be no challenge and he will not be turfed out of office. I am beginning to doubt my doubts. And it wasn't just the headlines today that have started a rethink.

Labour members I have spoken to are now more willing to stick in the knife. As one said to me, "We are desparate and desparate times need desparate measures." The mood has switched since Glasgow. Previously they thought they could hold on to that seat and the members I spoke to were expecting general election defeat but hoping their own local member could survive. Now they fear a complete wipe out. So Brown has to go, so they now say.

I am not convinced Labour will turn around their dire situation just by dumping their leader. The entire Labour brand is contaminated. Just as dumping Gerald Ratner did not save Ratners the Jewellers, so dumping Brown will not save Labour.

I am on my way to a birthday party now. There will be Labour members at it (the guy celebrating his birthday is a Labour staff member) so it will be interesting to hear what Labour people have to say about their predicament.

---
Sent via BlackBerry

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

There will no doubt be a record low Labour vote in Sunniside on thursday. The conversation among people is what Labour has done for this country apart from irreparable damage.