Delusions of Grandeur

Apparently, Gordon Brown could win the next election, according to Margaret Beckett:

Gordon Brown can win the next general election for Labour providing he changes course, former foreign secretary Margaret Beckett has said.

I don’t know about changing course. It’ll take more than a change of tack, nor will a nudge of the tiller suffice. Even beating to windward will likely leave him short of his desired goal. This man has been complicit in an incompetent regime that has systematically undermined our education system, our economy and our civil liberties. It took a blatant and cynical tax fudge for the electorate’s anger to reach a critical mass. Although we should not place too much emphasis on by-elections, the outcome from Crewe and Nantwich showed a swing to the Tories of over 17%. That’s pretty big by anyone’s measure – and the disaffected Labour voter did not turn to the Lib Dems for a protest vote; they switched directly to the Tories as they did in local elections earlier in the month – and, although it went largely unremarked, in last year’s council elections, too. Our three Labour councillors were all replaced by Tories last May – and given the results this week, Roger Berry had better start career planning pretty sharpish. His declining vote since 1997 looks like it might collapse completely in a year or so.

Ms Beckett said Labour had to learn from the electorate’s “clear desire to see a change of course”.

Mr Brown has said he can steer the UK through “difficult” economic times.

It’s this kind of delusional thinking that amuses me. And this:

Ms Beckett told BBC Two’s Newsnight programme that Mr Brown had a track record of success.

I must have blinked, because I missed that one.

“There is absolutely nothing to say that provided we listen to the electorate, and learn from their clear desire to see a change of course, there’s nothing whatsoever to say the result of the next general election is set,” she said.

Beckett and Brown may be trying to convince themselves that they have been sent a message. To an extent, they are right, the electorate are, indeed, sending Gordon a message. It’s just not the message they want to hear.  That message is not “please change course” it is “pack you bags and be gone, you pox ridden stain on public life”. We are not talking about beating to windward here, we are talking about scuttling the boat and going down with her. Preferably sooner rather than later.