Gloom has crept over 10 Downing and all of Labour

[dArKeR]

A crisis is occurring in Britain's Labour Party and simply removing the prime minister isn't going to solve the problem
By Martin Kettle
THE GUARDIAN , London
Monday, Feb 16, 2004,Page 9

In all, there have now been six periods of Labour government in British history. The most striking common fact about them is that each has been relatively short-lived. Indeed, as the Blair government approaches the relatively modest milestone of its seventh anniversary this spring, it already has the distinction of lasting slightly longer in office than any of its five predecessors.

This is because, in the lifetime of every Labour government, there has always come a time when the electorate looked at the government, stared into its own soul, and decided it had had enough.

The failure of short-lived governments is one of the repeated realities of Labour's history. If you are old enough to remember any of these years of defeat, you know what they feel like. If you are not, take my word.

The great question of the moment is whether history is again repeating itself this year. Many of the signs are that it is.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2004/02/16/2003098998

[el_gato]

1. blair should resign

[Manix]

2. Blair is a liar and the British should kick his sorry ass.

nt

[KoKo]

3. But, is this article written by a Tory? The fear of the Labour Govt. was

that for Blair to "go down" might be a resurrection of a "Maggie Thatcher" to Parliament. At least that's what I thought from reading our DU Brits comments here on DU?

Is this just a play by British conservatives to say there's "no hope" for Labour, they just can't govern?

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Martin Kettle has written for The Guardian for years

you can check his articles on their website (www.guardian.co.uk); a random selection don't look Tory. It would be surprising for a Guardian correspondent to be a Conservative.

Also this bit:
"If you are old enough to remember any of these years of defeat, you know what they feel like. If you are not, take my word."
sounds like a Labour supporter speaking.

Remember that the current Labour party is effectively a coalition of the 'old' Labour party, which is fairly left-wing; and Blair's 'New Labour', which is centre-right, and whose main purpose seems to be to be in power, whatever policies it takes. It's quite possible to be a long-standing Labour supporter, and feel that you've made a pact with the devil by letting Blair lead it.

[kenny blankenship]

5. what can you say ?

Labour had ample opportunity to prune this little weed out and re-new itself. They had their chances to stop Blair from joining in the war and their chances to hold him accountable for the fraud and the mass murder...

But the blairites thought they could finesse it all with spin. As ye reap.