How Low Can They Go?

I still remember one lecture from the early days of the John Major government when one of my lecturers said 'suppose Government policy is this...but going on current form it might be when we leave this room.' However, similar things are now happening to Labour. Only this time it is suppose this Governemnt minister did this, I came back from an afternoon canvassing in Linlithgow to find all sorts of things going on.

Headline grapping it may be but 85 pence worth of cannabis resin found in John Reid's guest room, which may have been there for years, fortunately for Tony Blair is not going to turn into a resignation issue. John Reid was one of the various Northern Irish Secretarys during my time in the civil service there.

However, more revelations about John Prescott are about to hit tomorrows papers. His former mistress Tracey Temple has been paid over £100,000 to reveal more details of the affair.

Meanwhile the race for which Minister may go first has not been slack on the Charles Clarke front either. The news from here in Scotland that one of the 79 most dangerous of the 1023 foreigners released without being considered for deportation was last known to be in the Grampian region. First Minister Jack McConnell has already gone against Westminster Labour's line defending Charles Clarke by expression frustration and anger about being kept out of the loop on this situation. With tensions already high between Holyrood and Westminster this may be a positioning move by the Scottish Labour leader.

This month's and week's revelations may be too late for Labour in England facing next weeks elections but the Scots may be trying to distance themselves from the failures down South in an attempt to shore up their support ahead of next year's Scottish elections. If the result of the Moray by-election is replicated next may it would be a disastor for McConnell. So maybe the confidence Labour tried to show on Thursday night isn't fully being shared behind the scenes.

However, Labour does appear to be starting to splinter just like the Tories did under John Major all those years ago. The response I was getting from the few Labour supporters I've found in Linlithgow would also seem to bear this out. The New Labour message is stagnating, alienating their supporters and they are looking for an alternative something that the Liberal Democrats are proving to be all across the country.