A New Michael Foot: Gordon Brown's long walk on a short pier

[Apparatchik]

BBC political editor Nick Robinson says privately some ministers have expressed concerns about Gordon Brown's leadership - one minister had compared the party's plight with that under Michael Foot's leadership.Graham Stringer earlier became the first Labour MP to call for Mr Brown to go, telling the BBC News Channel: "Is it more damaging for the party to change the leader or cross our fingers and hope that things get better?".He said it was time for a senior Cabinet figure to mount a leadership bid to save the party from a "disaster" at the next electionMr Brown reacted to Thursday's crushing by-election defeat in Crewe and Nantwich by stressing his economic record and pledging to listen.But Labour MP Graham Stringer said the party needed a new leader to save it from "disaster" at the next election.And Alan Simpson said he had until the end of the year to "turn things round".
The Cabinet has been rallying round Mr Brown after the Tories' historic by-election victory - and brushing off suggestions that he is not the right person to lead Labour into the next general election.Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said the vast majority of Labour members were "solidly behind" Mr Brown. Simpson said voters were fed up with "cheap politics" and warned Mr Brown had "until the end of the year to change direction ...or I think it's the end of the pier".Surely Cowen can't fail to see the folly of funking an early poll before Fine Gael ditch Kenny?

[Fr. Hank Tree]

At least Foot was unelectable because of his policies. Brown is unelectable because of his own stupid gaffes, such as the election that never was and the abolishment of the 10p rate, things which have cause people to lose all trust in him. If these silly things weren't so botched, Cameron would not be leader of the conservatives and the they would be disarray.

[Apparatchik]

Brown is unelectable because of his own stupid gaffes,

Damage control: so important in a leader. I wonder if Biffo was on the blower to Mandy Johnston today.

[Barbarian]

Mr Brown had "until the end of the year to change direction ...or I think it's the end of the pier".Surely Cowen can't fail to see the folly of funking an early poll before Fine Gael ditch Kenny?

I was wondering when the Kenny reference would come...I thought you were in danger of making your first contribution without a reference to the FG leadership...seriously, if I were Enda I'd think of having you registered as a stalker.

[The Earl of Desmond]

Mr Brown had "until the end of the year to change direction ...or I think it's the end of the pier".Surely Cowen can't fail to see the folly of funking an early poll before Fine Gael ditch Kenny?

I was wondering when the Kenny reference would come...I thought you were in danger of making your first contribution without a reference to the FG leadership...seriously, if I were Enda I'd think of having you registered as a stalker.

The major difference is that people are voting against Labour not for the Tories and it's alot easier to do it in a bye election or at locals. Doing so in a general election is a totally different thing. Also Brown will not be removed as leader no matter how badly he does as there is no way it would be acceptable for their to be 2 people unelected to the office of PM one after the other - a new leader would have to call an immediate general election and there's no way Laaour can do that.

Also, now the spotlight is on Cameron people will see him differently as well and will be reminded what it is about the Tories that is so repugnant no matter how bad LAbour is doing at a moment in time.

[Barbarian]

Also Brown will not be removed as leader no matter how badly he does as there is no way it would be acceptable for their to be 2 people unelected to the office of PM one after the other - a new leader would have to call an immediate general election and there's no way Laaour can do that.

You obviously know as much about the British electoral system as you do about the Irish system

[Apparatchik]

?

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The major difference is that people are voting against Labour not for the Tories and it's alot easier to do it in a bye election or at locals.

Locals and European elections coming up sharpish here next year. If FG change leader in the Autumn as I believe is now inevitable, FF might get a pasting which would prove terminal for Cowen. He needs to act boldly, swiftly and now.

[NotDevsSon]

?

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The major difference is that people are voting against Labour not for the Tories and it's alot easier to do it in a bye election or at locals.

Locals and European elections coming up sharpish here next year. If FG change leader in the Autumn as I believe is now inevitable, FF might get a pasting which would prove terminal for Cowen. He needs to act boldly, swiftly and now.

Oh look, our resident p.ie, turd, appararsehole, has floated to the top again.

[The Earl of Desmond]

Also Brown will not be removed as leader no matter how badly he does as there is no way it would be acceptable for their to be 2 people unelected to the office of PM one after the other - a new leader would have to call an immediate general election and there's no way Laaour can do that.

You obviously know as much about the British electoral system as you do about the Irish system

Are you seriously suggesting that there could be yet another new leader of Labour who would become PM and still no election? There's no way that could happen as the new leader would have absolutely no mandate from the public and would have no time at all to get bedded in or be able to control events so the only option would be to call a snap election while at the Palace getting their seal of office.

[hiding behind a poster]

The major difference is that people are voting against Labour not for the Tories and it's alot easier to do it in a bye election or at locals.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Normally what you're saying does happen - and that's why the Liberal Democrats tend to do so well in by-elections and local elections. In other words the Labour voter who's p*ssed off with Labour, but can't bring himself to vote Conservative, registers his protest by voting LibDem. Likewise, when the Conservatives were in power, soft Tory voters who couldn't bring themselves to vote Labour tended to vote LibDem as a protest. What's now happening is different. Labour are slumping, in both the locals, the Mayoral election, and now Crewe and Nantwich - but the LibDems are flatlining, and the Conservatives are gaining, big-time. That indicates that votes are indeed going straight from Labour to the Conservatives - which is Brown's big fear, as it suggests the pre-1997 period is now far enough into the past for people to trust the Conservatives with government again.