As the Labour infighting starts to get ever more precocious you can't help wondering when the real knives are going to start to come out. Right now Blair is well and truly on the ropes, but no one is delivering a devasting uppercut.
As the level of disquiet turns to anger amongst the PLP it's really isn't just the usual suspects making noises now. Yesterday the former Work and Pensions Secretary, Andrew Smith, said that "the leadership issue has to be sorted out sooner rather than later", and, as Iain pointed out, Geoff Hoon gets in on the Brown-nosing on GMTV.
With just a few weeks to go until the Labour Conference it seems rather clear now that it will be defined by internal civil war. The question is how apparent will that civil war be to the wider audience? Might Labour revert to Conference type?
It seems there are two ways that the Labour Conference can go and it puts them between a rock and hard place. Either it's a slick, and massively locked-down stage managed event, resulting in headlines such as "Blair closes down debate to avoid leadership challenge", and ever growing cynicism from the electorate that they desperately need to hold on too.
Or, it's a classic "Old" Labour Conference with open insurrection at the platform, blatent leadership challenge gamesmanship from the Left, and headlines such as "Labour Conference descends into chaos and leadership blood letting". That will simply turn off the middle Englaqnd voters they need rather than nurturing cynicism like the former scenario.
They really are in a bind aren't they? In comparison the Tory Conference will be happening to a backdrop of having hit the "psychologically significant" 40% mark in the polls, massive successes in the local elections, and a membership that, whilst having worries and concerns about direction, is united in it's self-belief once again.
I imagine in the years to come, the 2006 Labour and Tory conferences will be a matter of study for students of politics just as the 1985 Labour conference - where Neil Kinnock infamously went after Derek Hatton - is at the moment. We could be about to witness Blair having to address a hostile and heckling Labour conference for the first time. Now that would make compelling television wouldn't it?
6 comments:
Even at their dullest, I find party conferences of all 3 main parties to be compelling television. It probably goes back to my pre-school days, when there was nothing else on TV (other than schools programmes) during the day other than Play School and Pebble Mill. Pity that live conference coverage on the main channels is now a shadow of what it was...but we do have BBC Parliament now, of course.
The Lib Dems take themselves far too seriously, whilst discussing totally irrelevant motions to (often) a virtually empty auditorium. But I find this quite amusing, coupled with contempt for their self-righteous posturing. Labour's control-freakery and descent into self-loathing is becoming ever more entertaining.
I don't watch the Conservatives on TV as I'm usually in the Imperial or Highcliff bars!
While Blair still has Murdoch's backing he can last as long as he likes. The heavy breathing is the sound of Labour MP's and trades unionists realising how irrelevant they have become.
I guess there will be lots of rallying of the disgruntled troops. Charles Clarke has said today in the local press that he will be speaking at fringe meetings and will have some announcements to make. He is a bit of a loose cannon at the moment and has more than a grudge to bear, so watch this space!
Blair needs to set a firm agenda at the conference - until all this squabbling is confined to a firm timetable, it will be impossible for Labour to pursue any political agenda.
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Perusing today's rent-a-quotes it appears that the Labour Conference is on course for disorganised chaos.
These Socialists are proving once again that they can't organise a proverbial piss-up.
Does anyone know if Kinnock's 1985 speech is online anyehere. Does not seem to be on You tube.
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