Lessons for Labour from its Leader - 1

Let's not fool ourselves. Our Leader says he's listening...so it's all going to be alright? He says he is going to give us a say...so it's going to be alright? Much of the media commentary implies that we (mere mortals) are hapless bystanders of the bubbling Westminster cauldron.

There are three issues arising from me as refusenik-bystander:

1) he is not listening

2) he is not really going to give us a say

3) we are not helpless bystanders

Parliament reassembles tomorrow. In the morning there should a Cabinet meeting. I have no idea what's on the agenda. But what we can deduce is that this meeting offers any member of the Cabinet who has got what it takes to be the next Leader of the Labour Party an opportunity to show their mettle.

The litmus test remains the 10p tax issue. For any keen student of our Leader the transcripts of PMQs since the CHX wrote to John McFall MP, and his pre-election BBC Radio 4 Today and post-election BBC TV 1 AM programmes all show that GB is mouthing the word "mistakes", but doesn't actually understand their nature, consequences or the necessary remedies. In short, he is in denial. Gordon Brown does not believe that he could have made such a calamitous political error.

So here's the challenge for those leader-wannabees at tomorrow's Cabinet.

Political Betting is citing Miliband D at 5/2 as leading the field - the vast majority of whom are members of the Cabinet. So whose got the guts to lead the charge? Miliband D was keen on the BBC Radio 1 World at One programme yesterday that there has to be collective responsibility. So let's be hearing it in PMQs on Wednesday, if not before. Memo to the Leader's PMQ coaches and script-writers:

Labour is committed to compensating anyone on £18.5 per annum pre-tax income who is losing out from the abolition of the 10p tax band. No ifs, no buts.

I'm not holding my breath. But every Labour Party member should be taking note for the next Leadership election, if and when it comes, as it surely will if we go on a day longer with the present stubbornness. Any more weasel words on this subject and no member of the present Cabinet deserves to be on the Leadership ballot paper. PLP please note.

FYI the keenest odds on a non-Cabinet member are being quoted for Jon Cruddas. He's speaking in the House of Commons tomorrow night at a post-election Compass event. I'm not expecting him to mince his words.

Comments

[Adrian]

Peter

It's not too long since there were mutterings about Cameron facing a leadership challenge. Political reporting is a fast-moving and fickle business.

I don't dispute the obvious difficulty of our situation, but let's try and shift the debate more to policy than leadership. I'm not convinced that things would be very much better with another leader - Milliband? Clarke? Straw? Nor am I convinced that any individual is going to see it as to their benefit to launch a leadership challenge this side of a general election. So it is quite likely that our present leader will be in place at the next election.

Personally I've never been much of a fan of our leader, but with the constant sniping, we risk the worst of all worlds - a leader in place constantly under attack from his own party. And then we surely would lose. The point is that we need to believe that we can win.

[Peter Kenyon]

Dear Adrian

Sounds like we are in agreement. Belief in winning implies belief in policies, as well as the politicians leading the Party.

We need to use the policy review now supposedly underway to reassert Labour values. Don't you think?

[Robert]

I like the photo, Brown is saying Brown talking to elderly lady.

She says are you Mr Bown, he say nope I saw him down in Cardiff .

Or she says do you know where my post office has gone, he says I think ones about 100 miles that way.