Home thoughts from abroad


by Paul Linford    
9:18 am - April 30th 2008

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I have been out of the country for much of this month visiting my sister in the States.  I purposefully didn’t blog during this time because I wanted to take some time for reflection on the current state of British politics. I have to confess to being somewhat depressed by this, and to be honest I have been for some time.

Like a lot of people of a naturally progressive bent, I did have very high hopes for the Gordon Brown administration, above all that he could impart some fresh moral purpose to Labour after more than a decade in power. Not only has he not done this, he has done the cause of the left terrible damage by appearing to surrender Labour’s hard-won reputation for competence.

I still believe Gordon to be a good and decent man. I will continue to vigorously oppose those in the blogosphere who seek to attack him on the grounds of his so-called “psychological flaws,” as if they themselves somehow have none.

But what I can no longer defend is the failure to set out some higher purpose for his administration other than simply remaining in power – a failure which risks handing the next election to David Cameron on a plate.

During my time away there has been mounting speculation about “civil war” breaking out inside the Labour Party if this Thursday’s local election results are as bad as currently expected.

In my view, the suggestion that Brown should make way for a new leader remains fanciful without a very much clearer idea of what alternative his critics intend to put in his place. Simply substituting him with Jack Straw or even David Miliband will have zero impact unless other things change too.

Nevertheless, it is already clear that a leadership challenge this summer would have a very much better chance of success than one last summer would have done.

Maybe, just maybe, that was the Blairites’ game plan all along….

* Crossposted from my own blog.

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About the author
Paul Linford is a regular contributor to Liberal Conspiracy. He is a digital publishing manager and former Parliamentary Lobby journalist where he was political editor of the Newcastle Journal for seven years. He has an 18-year career in newspaper journalism and lives in Belper, Derbyshire, with his wife and two children. A committed Christian, his faith informs his own belief in progressive politics and the view that a society must always be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members. His eponymous blog combines a mixture of the personal and the political and has become particularly renowned for its commentaries on liberal-left politics. He is also a leading voice in support of an English Parliament and other democratic reforms. Also at: Paul Linford blog
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Reader comments


1. cjcjc

I still believe Gordon to be a good and decent man.

I have a bridge you might be interested in buying…

2. ukliberty

Gordon Brown has been part of a Government that for eleven years has lied, cheated, and attacked our liberties. He is not “a good and decent man”.

3. thomas

I don’t want to be infected by this mad Labour disease that’s broken out, so I’m going to avoid them until they’ve been purged from office, at least.

‘Left’ is clearly not Labour except by default, and since we no longer know who the Labour party is for we’ve got to start asking what the Labour party is for.

4. Leon

Simply substituting him with Jack Straw or even David Miliband will have zero impact unless other things change too.

A new leader means a new cabinet, which means a new make up of government. Things will change by replacing Brown. The question is will it be for the better or not.

5. Sunny Hundal

Simply substituting him with Jack Straw or even David Miliband will have zero impact unless other things change too.

I definitely agree with this…

But then, it turns out today that Brown is vowing to press on with the 42 days detention legislation… and I think – why???
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/apr/30/terrorism.uksecurity

6. Alec Macpherson

==> Things will change by replacing Brown. The question is will it be for the better or not.

I couldn’t fail to disagree more. Much the same reasoning was going through the Labour Party about a year ago: as soon as we ditch Tony, everything will improve.

7. leon

But you didn’t read my point, I said it will change but the question is for better or worse. I never said getting rid of Brown will make certain things will get better.

(As an aside it might actually be that’s there’s nothing that can be done to steer the party back onto a better path while they’re in power. It may take a parliament in opposition to refresh their minds as to what they wanted to be in power for in the first place)

I just don’t get this demented ‘let’s all protect Brown’ mindset that seems to be gripping some so called leftists at the moment. Whatever happened to ‘speaking truth to power’?

8. Paul Linford

Leon

I guess one reason why many leftists are still keen to protect Brown despite his many shortcomings is the fear of who/what might replace him. The heir-apparent is David Miliband, and for many Labour people that would look like a Blairite restoration. In other words, we’d be back where we were a year ago, stuck with a leader who defines himself in opposition to the party’s traditional values.

I personally think Miliband’s politics are more complex than this, but that is how it would be perceived.

9. cjcjc

What exactly would Miliband do worse than brown?

10. Thomas

Miliband?

Isn’t he the one whose failure to stand up for democratic principles in the Labour leadership debacle has left his leadership credentials severely tarnished.

Or just maybe he wasn’t very popular in the first place.


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