Friday, June 13, 2008
The blowback for the Tories on the Resignation
OK lets try to get a grip on what’s what. Might help to do a thought experiment – suppose the frontbencher resigning to fight a bye-election on 42-Days was one of our frontbench team. Say Chris Huhne. What would be the various reactions to this?
First off I suggest most party members would feel somewhat pissed off, even betrayed. Just at the point where the Labour government has made an utter and pig-headed prat of itself a massive smokescreen has come down on the key issue in question.
It would be seen as a stunning vote of no confidence in the leader of the party, and directly question the sincerity of the party’s official position on the detention issue.
It would be easy to make allegations of an unbridgeable legacy of bitterness from the last leadership contest.
The Resignation Star’s closest political friends would be embarrassed and defensive.
The party would find itself even more at the mercy of other people’s timetables and agendas than it does normally.
After the excitement and praise over the point of principle, other issues relevant to the politics of the Resignation Star would seep into peoples minds over the next few months – and how long will the by-election be delayed anyway?
What happens in the Resignation Star stands as an independent – would that free any party member to stand against him without penalty under party rules? The barrack room lawyers in the party would be in permanent session.
And what a wonderful united Party Conference the press would be expecting come the autumn, with the story being on how the party was wholly focussing on preparing the upcoming national elections. Er, possibly not.
Just imagine the uproar and bitterness we would be living through now, and what crowing would be coming from the direction of I*n D*l* and allied blue door commentators.
Just imagine ourselves in that uproar this morning, how we would be feeling.
OK so the position for the Tory Party is different… how?
First off I suggest most party members would feel somewhat pissed off, even betrayed. Just at the point where the Labour government has made an utter and pig-headed prat of itself a massive smokescreen has come down on the key issue in question.
It would be seen as a stunning vote of no confidence in the leader of the party, and directly question the sincerity of the party’s official position on the detention issue.
It would be easy to make allegations of an unbridgeable legacy of bitterness from the last leadership contest.
The Resignation Star’s closest political friends would be embarrassed and defensive.
The party would find itself even more at the mercy of other people’s timetables and agendas than it does normally.
After the excitement and praise over the point of principle, other issues relevant to the politics of the Resignation Star would seep into peoples minds over the next few months – and how long will the by-election be delayed anyway?
What happens in the Resignation Star stands as an independent – would that free any party member to stand against him without penalty under party rules? The barrack room lawyers in the party would be in permanent session.
And what a wonderful united Party Conference the press would be expecting come the autumn, with the story being on how the party was wholly focussing on preparing the upcoming national elections. Er, possibly not.
Just imagine the uproar and bitterness we would be living through now, and what crowing would be coming from the direction of I*n D*l* and allied blue door commentators.
Just imagine ourselves in that uproar this morning, how we would be feeling.
OK so the position for the Tory Party is different… how?
Labels: 42 day detention, Tories
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