Does Gordon want to win the next election?

[Meltingpot]

Gordon doesn't mind, he will be well rewarded for his services. If I were him I'd probably go for the 'fall guy' option, because when history is re-written after the current economic war is over it is probably the best he can hope for. Personally he will be financially secure, so it might be nice to sit back and watch Davo age as quickly as Blair did while giving him the odd tweak from the opposition benches.

Fair points, but if these were normal times I think he would mind. As weitwelt said he joined the Labour Party to try and make a difference. It's only because we're in a very severe crisis that he might wish to let go of the reins and let someone else struggle with the situation.

 

[weltweit]

.. There isn't anyone near the top of the party with any credibility at all except Alan Johnson, and he's ..........

I am amazed at the number of people that cite Alan Johnson as a possible future leader for New Labour. To my mind he is a political pigmie, a nobody, a charisma bypass.

If he were to emerge as leader of New Labour in opposition then I think a second Conservative victory would be more than likely.

 

[Haller]

I am amazed at the number of people that cite Alan Johnson as a possible future leader for New Labour. To my mind he is a political pigmie, a nobody, a charisma bypass.

If he were to emerge as leader of New Labour in opposition then I think a second Conservative victory would be more than likely.

Johnson was the only serious possibility if Labour had dumped Brown at the time of the Euro-elections - as a caretaker, elected unopposed, he could have called a quick summer election, and led Labour to a marginal defeat, from which recovery would have been possible. But, no, he's not a realistic option anymore.

But who is? Is David Miliband really going to bring about a revival in the party's electoral fortunes? Or Ed Balls? Or any of them? I can't see it.

I can see Purnell winning the election after the election after next. But that's a hell of a long time away.

 

[Haller]

Gordon doesn't mind

I'm not convinced. The humiliation of being a prime minister who never won an election will be psychologically hard for him to take. Much more so than it was for Callaghan.

Not that I'm suggesting he warrants our sympathy, of course...

 

[trevhagl]

Johnson was the only serious possibility if Labour had dumped Brown at the time of the Euro-elections - as a caretaker, elected unopposed, he could have called a quick summer election, and led Labour to a marginal defeat, from which recovery would have been possible. But, no, he's not a realistic option anymore.

But who is? Is David Miliband really going to bring about a revival in the party's electoral fortunes? Or Ed Balls? Or any of them? I can't see it.

I can see Purnell winning the election after the election after next. But that's a hell of a long time away.

Purnell is quite possibly the biggest cunt ever to walk the eartth, what chance do you think Labour would have with an outright nazi in charge?

 

[newme]

Purnell is quite possibly the biggest cunt ever to walk the eartth, what chance do you think Labour would have with an outright nazi in charge?

well it might pull in some of the bnp vote.

 

[Zabo]

I can see Purnell winning the election after the election after next. But that's a hell of a long time away.

MP for my area. Twat first class. Check out his background. The only thing he knows about Labour's roots are what he's read.

As Rod Liddle says:

"He is a public school-educated monkey whose career, prior to him becoming a useless MP, comprised various vapid and pointless media consultancy positions, culminating in him being appointed to the job of lickspittle to the BBC's worst-ever director-general, John Birt, in the BBC's most useless and counter-productive and overpaid department, corporate affairs. Later, as an MP, he was the most avid supporter of Lord Hutton's whitewashed inquiry into the death of the scientist Dr David Kelly, and the most vociferous critic of his previous employers, the BBC."

Given that the twat is in a predomninatly working class area it was a bit rich of him to spend thousands on extra meal expenses and £250 on fridge magnets when he was a minister.

Strange how Brown is revered outside of the U.K. but cursed within.

 

[Haller]

Just for the avoidance of confusion: I'm not for a moment suggesting that it would be a good thing if Purnell became Labour leader. But I have a feeling that he's more adept at playing the game of modern politics than most of his rivals for the job and that, given another five years or so, he'd be capable of defeating Cameron. Whether anyone would actually notice if he did is much more doubtful.

 

[Quartz]

There's also an argument that those Tories were right in 1992, that if Labour had got in then, they probably wouldn't have survived more than one term.

I think this is a very astute observation. I'm not sure the argument is correct, but it does bear consideration.