So Neil (sorry Lord) Kinnock has spoken out against Charles Clarke for encouraging a heavyweight contender to Gordon Brown for the leadership of the Labour Party. I really can’t understand how we have come to position where it is considered heresy to want a proper open contest for the leadership. I can’t understand why Minister after Minister trots out to speak on behalf of Gordon and to warn against any challenge. Have they all become so inept at politics that they fail to see how this is playing out across the country?
Before I moved to France last year, I was chair of Thornbury and Severn Vale Labour Party. We often discussed the leadership and I can tell you while there were distinct pro and anti Blair camps, there was no great enthusiasm for Gordon Brown as leader. Some of the most vocal critics were our older members who felt that he had done little for pensioners, others felt that being Prime Minister was quantum leap from being Chancellor and being good at one didn’t necessarily mean being good at the other. My contribution (and a rare personal criticism of the Prime Minister) is that he had been too cautious with his reshuffles and had been too slow promoting newer younger talent. (And yes before his bandwagon began rolling I did cite David Miliband as an example).
It is commonly said that the reason for the sickening fawning and genuflection towards Brown is to ensure continuity of employment in their existing cabinet role. I offer an alternative hypothesis; the Labour machine have realised that the game is finally up, the British people have become bored with Labour and have no interest in what Labour has to say and that we are definitely going down at the next election. With this knowledge they feel duty bound to allow Gordon his place in the sun, if only for a few years. Despite what he may say, Brown will step down and then we can have our proper debate about the leadership and direction of the party. Not now, but in two year’s time. So that’s why Neil Kinnock is telling Charles Clarke to shut up.