Labour In Leadership Crisis

With Tony Blair saying he will not fight another election as leader the Labour party leadership succession was thrown into chaos tonight when bookies favourite to succeed Mr. Blair for the last 11 years, Mr. G Brown of North Queensferry, became a constituent of a Liberal Democrat MP.

Normally, I would not say that this should be a disadvantage to anyone become leader of their party however Mr. Brown was actively involved in the campaign for his home seat. However, as the Glasgow Herald reports:

"For Mr Brown, this is personal – because he made it so. With the death of Rachel Squire last month, Labour rushed into a brief campaign, with what seemed to be a safe bet that they could capitalise on the combination of her legacy, a big majority, and two rivals vying to establish themselves in second place.
Mr Brown swung into action as the neighbouring MP, eager to show his Westminster colleagues he is a vigorous election winner. It is by a measure of his own choosing that the chancellor has become an election loser.

"If anyone is harbouring plans to stand against him when Tony Blair stands down (John Reid, the defence secretary, for instance?) Fife voters yesterday gave him some powerful ammunition"

Mr. Brown took control of what he considered his own personal domain. Riding rough shod at times over the Scottish Labour party who have jurisdiction over a number of areas such as transport which Gordon took a keen interest.

Defeated Labour candidate Catherine Stihler can at least be thankful that she did not have to give up her day job as an MEP before losing. However, she appears to not even be heeding her own advice:

We have to listen to the people and we have to learn. We fought for Labour values and this time we lost. But we'll keep on fighting for them and we will keep fighting and we will win again.

Surely the people of Dunfermline and West Fife have told you that the values on which you stood do not appeal to them any longer. If all the people of Britain who feel the same way take the same courageous step and tell you so at the next general election whoever succeeds Mr. Blair as leader of you party may find themselves in for an even more torrid time and possibly even face some recuperation time on the opposition benches to a Liberal Democrat PM.