Comments on: Brown: back him or sack him, but definitely do not dither http://www.jonworth.eu/brown-back-him-or-sack-him-but-definitely-do-not-dither/ At the intersection of the EU, UK politics and tech Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:21:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: M http://www.jonworth.eu/brown-back-him-or-sack-him-but-definitely-do-not-dither/comment-page-1/#comment-125529 M Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:48:20 +0000 http://www.jonworth.eu/?p=3057#comment-125529 They've all gone mad. I am not a Brown fan as you know but I really can't understand all of this useless manouvering. Either remove him properly or stop trying. I also don't understand why Brown doesn't just allow a "put up or shut up" leadership ballot as Major did in 1995. That was his problem in the first place in not allowing a proper contest for the leadership (and I was not not one of the Compass people who backed him - I felt we should be neutral). Why would anyone want to be leader knowing they weren't chosen democratically? I feel sorry for all those Labour PPCs at the moment. The current cohort of MPs are making them a laughing stock on the doorstep. They’ve all gone mad. I am not a Brown fan as you know but I really can’t understand all of this useless manouvering. Either remove him properly or stop trying. I also don’t understand why Brown doesn’t just allow a “put up or shut up” leadership ballot as Major did in 1995. That was his problem in the first place in not allowing a proper contest for the leadership (and I was not not one of the Compass people who backed him – I felt we should be neutral). Why would anyone want to be leader knowing they weren’t chosen democratically? I feel sorry for all those Labour PPCs at the moment. The current cohort of MPs are making them a laughing stock on the doorstep.

]]> By: James Burnside http://www.jonworth.eu/brown-back-him-or-sack-him-but-definitely-do-not-dither/comment-page-1/#comment-125527 James Burnside Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:49:54 +0000 http://www.jonworth.eu/?p=3057#comment-125527 The Hewitt/Hoon move appears to be an attempt to unseat the rider, then cross their fingers that the horse keeps going in the right direction, and that an as yet unknown jockey can clamber aboard and bring the horse home. A yes/no ballot on Brown leads nowhere good for the party (never mind the country). A serious challenger for the leadership, with a clear result for one or the other, could possibly allow a regrouping before the election. But would it be on standard rules (MPs, unions, membership) or some kind of "emergency" rules with just the PLP voting? Any sort of campaign would divert resources, energy and focus away from the general election. Of course, at the heart of all this is David Cameron's continuing inability to swing the polls his way. While anything more than faint hopes of a hung parliament or even a sneaky Major 1992 style win remain, there are too many in the party who aren't prepared to bury this issue until after the election. The Hewitt/Hoon move appears to be an attempt to unseat the rider, then cross their fingers that the horse keeps going in the right direction, and that an as yet unknown jockey can clamber aboard and bring the horse home. A yes/no ballot on Brown leads nowhere good for the party (never mind the country). A serious challenger for the leadership, with a clear result for one or the other, could possibly allow a regrouping before the election. But would it be on standard rules (MPs, unions, membership) or some kind of “emergency” rules with just the PLP voting? Any sort of campaign would divert resources, energy and focus away from the general election.

Of course, at the heart of all this is David Cameron’s continuing inability to swing the polls his way. While anything more than faint hopes of a hung parliament or even a sneaky Major 1992 style win remain, there are too many in the party who aren’t prepared to bury this issue until after the election.

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