The Early Day Motion tabled by Labour MP Geraldine Smith which opposes the Government's proposals for selling off part of Royal mail has now managed to secure 85 signature at the last count. Compass, the left wing think tank predicted that it would attract around 100 signatures and it is close to achieving that.
The list is full of ex-Ministers and former Secretarys of State so it is by no means a list of the usual suspects anymore. The question is when will Mandelson U-Turn? Will he try to ride it out and persuade some of them to abstain rather than see the Government defeated, or, worse for Brown, have to rely on the Tories.
The latter is an important consideration, Blair had to rely on Tory votes for his education platform. The question is, will Brown, an instinctive tribalist, be able to stomach relying on the party that he says will "do nothing" doing "something" for him?
I reckon there will be a U-Turn but it will be spun as something of course.
3 comments:
He'll have Brussels to answer to if he does. Of course, Mandy is Mandy, and he may think he can square it with the Colleagues. Frankly, I don't see it. More likely Brown will swallow hard and ask for help. It'll be a tough one though, if that petition gets any longer. Mind you, what does he have to lose at this stage?
"Petition"? What was I thinking? EDM, of course.
What Sam Duncan said.
Mandelson being an ex-commissioner will know only too well that he has to dance to Brussels' tune.
There will be no U-turn.
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