Labour humiliated
The European election results are a complete and utter disaster for Labour, and with a smidgen over 15% of the popular vote, this is much, much worse than Labour could have feared.
Beaten into third place by UKIP - a single issue party with no substance - is placing Gordon Brown's jacket back on a shoogly nail.
I thought that he had rescued the situation with his emergency reshuffle allied to the absence of any concerted moves to remove him. As one commentator wrote, James Purnell clambered out of the trench to begin the assault, and looked back to see his colleagues sitting there polishing their bayonets.
If there is one glimmer of hope - and it is a mere glimmer - it is that Labour supporters stayed at home in droves rather than voting for another party. Anyone who truly believes that there is a 'swing' from Labour anywhere near the headline results is living in cloud cuckoo land.
But, Labour are close to losing these voters - very close - or at best seeing them stay at home again come the next general election, and a huge number of sitting Labour MPs must be planning their exits from Parliament, and looking for jobs in 2010.
Without anyone of immense stature, and without The Big Idea, replacing the Captain isn't going to stop the ship sinking.
Will Labour MPs spend the next few months fighting in the lifeboats, or can they find someone who can find someone to mend the vessel?
Either way, a Tory Government is a racing certainty, and Prime Minister Cameron must be already writing his first speech.
Brown can only hold on for as long as possible in the vain hope that something - anything - might rescue him. Why go to the country early in these circumstances? I predict a February election, with the Labour vote being in the 20-25% range, and a massive Tory majority.
Beaten into third place by UKIP - a single issue party with no substance - is placing Gordon Brown's jacket back on a shoogly nail.
I thought that he had rescued the situation with his emergency reshuffle allied to the absence of any concerted moves to remove him. As one commentator wrote, James Purnell clambered out of the trench to begin the assault, and looked back to see his colleagues sitting there polishing their bayonets.
If there is one glimmer of hope - and it is a mere glimmer - it is that Labour supporters stayed at home in droves rather than voting for another party. Anyone who truly believes that there is a 'swing' from Labour anywhere near the headline results is living in cloud cuckoo land.
But, Labour are close to losing these voters - very close - or at best seeing them stay at home again come the next general election, and a huge number of sitting Labour MPs must be planning their exits from Parliament, and looking for jobs in 2010.
Without anyone of immense stature, and without The Big Idea, replacing the Captain isn't going to stop the ship sinking.
Will Labour MPs spend the next few months fighting in the lifeboats, or can they find someone who can find someone to mend the vessel?
Either way, a Tory Government is a racing certainty, and Prime Minister Cameron must be already writing his first speech.
Brown can only hold on for as long as possible in the vain hope that something - anything - might rescue him. Why go to the country early in these circumstances? I predict a February election, with the Labour vote being in the 20-25% range, and a massive Tory majority.
26 comments:
Brown will try and hang on until 2010 - its the 100th Anniverary of the Labour Party and he thinks it will help. Well Broon and Darling you aint Ramsey MacDonald or Keir Hardy! They were real Scottish Socialists. This neu Labour shite is just a liberal wing of the Tory Party.
You are right in predicting the Tories winning in Westminster and one party who will be happy to see them there will be the SNP who covertly will support such a move. They after all need a real enemy to fight and whilst all our fellow Scots are ruining - sorry running, the county down south there is a reluctance to take on the Westminster BUT replace them with Eton educated Toffs and well now theres an enemy worth taking on. Tory and English.
Good fight with the Tories in 2010, more support for the SNP gained for an election in 2011.
An actual majority achieved and then the real SNP will show its true colours. No more mister nice guys just great big bullies.
Be afraind - be very afraid.
Who said Monday mornings were always depressing?
What a thrashing!
A comment left on Iain Dale's blog on Friday evening was disappointment that one of the Neville brothers were not in the re-shuffled labour cabinet. Personally I was surprised that one of the Marx brothers had not been selected.
It can't be too long before Jamie Oliver is asked to advise on economic policy and Katie Price is put in charge of Defense. Surely it is time to call the 'hurry up' van of Mr Brown?
"Send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee, Broon."
(with apologies to John Donne)
It's not all bad news. Only 27% voted, and we did return 2 MEP's along with 3 councillors in Glasgow. Also looking forward to the demise of our toblerone MP.
Anonymous 11:58 - I think you'll be waiting quite a while. You do realise that the Western Isles actually produced the best SNP result in Scotland?!
Cant hear you Mr MacSween.........
12:21
Thats because the SNP have yet to break their promise to save us from major on shore wind farms. But that said with a healthy majority in 2011 they might just do that.
Anon 11.58 - It's people like you that are driving people like me away from Labour - you are so much up your own backsides that you just don't get the message.
11:58
Is that you, a Dhomhnuill Iain?
If this now means that the SNP Government thinks this gives them a mandate to ride roughshod over us and impose 2 industrial scale windfarms - as an SNP voter,I will be voting Macsween at election time.
Make no mistake, if the mandate on which the SNP were (recently) elected into the islands is ignored they will be out at the next round of elections.
I am not normally one to raise my head above the parapet,but I do feel strongly about this- as do many others I meet daily but feel their voices aren't being heard - but I hope it's not too late for our currently elected to consider the effect any such 'Gung Ho' attitude will have on us Islanders.
Is that you, a Dhomhnuill Iain?
Hello 2.21 was it not NuLabour who started the 'industrial size' windfarm plans for the island. Maybe 'Man of Principle Macsween' was against it tho'? Although he kept quiet about it and let Callum and Alasdair and Brian take the flack. Poor reason to vote for DJ assuming there will be a Labour Party next year
11:58, what a pathetic attitude. NuLabour has had it, with or without Broon.
2:21, if Labour got back in here, they'd have industrial scale windfarms everywhere they could put them. Their full intention to do so a few years back was largely what got both MP and MSP booted out in short order. The council was in Labour's pocket at that time, but they're having a bit of bother now against a Scottish government with a bit of integrity.
You can imagine how much 'consultation' there would be between the council/Labour and the public. Same as last time, none whatsoever.
The SNP got about 12% of the electorate vote, that's hardly a glowing endorsement!
The phrase best of a bad bunch comes to mind.
but they're having a bit of bother now against a Scottish government with a bit of integrity
Ha de ha de ha de ha de ha, chortle chortle. That's the best one I've heard in a long while.
£400 per month food expenses whilst not turning up for government, allowing serious prisoners to escape and forgetting to mention it during question time not forgetting our own "heavy petting" two teenage girls supposedly under one's care whilst heavily pregnant / just given birth wife back at home, booze swigging, toblerone buying (on expenses of course), five houses most of which are rented out whilst I stay in an hotel MP. Hey you have a lot of integrity. All you need now is to recruit a spikey hair, (not so) closet homosexual and you'll have the whole package. Integrity doesn't come better than that.
Let us not forget that the SNP still only has as many euro seats as the BNP. They aren't exactly a majority party making majority decisions. They may celebrate but when it comes down to it they are a small fish in a very large pond.
8.13
SNP only stand in Scotland.
If you want more MEPs to represent Scotland, as the SNP do, then remember to vote "YES" in the independence refferendum. This will increase our share of MEPs as Scotland will be a full member state, and can therefore have a stronger voice.
Good to see another who agrees with the principals of Scottish independence.
8:54
I think you mean referendum. I know how to spell it. It's probably worth learning too if you are going to try to practice what you preach.
By the way, no thank-you, if Mr Salmond ever has the balls to have a referendum on Scottish Independence, my X will be clearly in the no box.
"Send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee, Macsween."
(with apologies to John Donne)
I love the Labour Party, I love Donald John Macsween, I love Calum Iain Macmillan, I love Alasdair Morrison, I love Gordon Brown, I love Lord Mandelson, I love Michael Martin,I love Hazel Blears in fact I love every back stabbing, twisted individual in that sorry excuse for a political party lacking in principe and morals.To be honest I do feel sorry for Gordon Brown because he is being dragged down by by the baggage he is associated with.
On the windfarm front I see absolutely no difference between Labour and SNP. Calum Macdonald always said that the Lochs windfarms would be needed to justify the interconnector so that north Lewis could get away with loosing the AMEC scheme and have community windfarms instead. Anyone not up to speed should read the SNP gov commissioned Halcrow report which says... So absolutely no change except that both MacNeil and Allan willfully mislead the people of south Lewis and Harris when they said that they would stand by the community view.
Domhnall Iain tha u done
7:28, you're a sad case. Time for your medication now...
5:49
Could not have said it better. This council is held in check by the present SNP government if not we would have had the Western Isles Government led by Gruppenfeurer Campbell bullying us.
This council is held in check by the present SNP government if not we would have had the Western Isles Government led by Gruppenfeurer Campbell bullying us.
Ha de ha de ha de ha de ha, chortle chortle, grunt and snort. That's the second best one that I've heard in a long while.
The local council are putting two fingers up to our elected politicians. In case you hadn't noticed they are still going to close the schools, agree to build the windfarms and the interconnecter, piss our local taxes down the drain, pay extortionate wages to incompetent staff who strike when there is a sniff that they might not be able to retire at 50 on a full pension, recruit their friends, family and anyone who doesn't rock the boat too much and Messr. Campbell is in CHARGE!!
But our SNP elected politicians probably don't mind this because it makes their own failures not seem quite so significant.
Off to take the drugs now. Just bought it down the Co-op by a nice lad - incomer with skinny head haircut with patterns in the back in the shape of a swastika and accompanied by his pet rottweiler / pit bull cross. He said that the council had given him a lovely house down in the Cearns and it now meant that he didn't have to get a proper job ever again. Didn't even need to join the queue in the basket isle......
Aye the Western Isles is a fine place to live.
Post a Comment