Brown, Miliband and a Poisoned Chalice

[Peter]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7534729.stm

You must be logged in to read this quote.

HAHA

[afleitch]

Yes. I laughed too

YouGov has not came through for Miliband either. Every other option put to those interviewed polled worse than Brown. Except Tony Blair. The fortunes of the Labour Party are less entwined with their leader than some of their own believe.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

BMA has jumped the shark

[The Man From G.O.P.]

I find this all hilarious, BBC had radio clips, a good listen.



"I promise it's not my mum!"


Your not that cute sir.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7528820.stm

Bit of a giggle to be had here at about 10 seconds, then it just continues. I'm beginning to feel sorry for these people.

[Serenity Now]

BMA has jumped the shark

Oh he's still got it.. But yes hearing this from BMA did make me laugh (in my head), I can't really see what his motivation is given his past..

[JohnFKennedy]

He's not standing for re-election so he doesn't really have to make an attempt to toe the party line anymore really.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

He's not standing for re-election so he doesn't really have to make an attempt to toe the party line anymore really.

Yes... but to call for someone to be disciplined for alledged disloyalty [qm]. Heehee. Smith has never been much of a loyalist either, fwiw.

---

General point; the media and so on seem to have forgotten quite how hard it is to oust a Labour leader who doesn't want to go. For a start a fifth of the PLP would need to nominate the challenger (not easy), and then the Leader has the right to ask the membership whether they actually want a leadership election...

[Peter]

There is another (short-term) option to ousting him as Labour leader. How about a replication of the Asquith/Lloyd George debacle in 1916, and force a replacement of Brown as Prime Minister, leaving Brown in an untenable position as Labour leader and thus needing to resign. Of course, if it became apparent Brown was about to be replaced as Labour leader, he would undoubtedly jump before pushed.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

There is another (short-term) option to ousting him as Labour leader. How about a replication of the Asquith/Lloyd George debacle in 1916, and force a replacement of Brown as Prime Minister, leaving Brown in an untenable position as Labour leader and thus needing to resign.

Don't think it's possible to oust a Labour PM as PM without also ousting them from the Party leadership. Not if the PM doesn't want, and can't be persuaded, to go.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

If the traditional Right were to turn on him (as they turned on Blair in 2006), then he'd probably do just that. If not, well, it's almost impossible to think of how he could be forced out without most of the traditional Right wanting him gone. The Left is divided (though not as weak as it was a few years ago) and the non-traditional Right has no base in the wider Party.