Hazel Blears resigned from government this morning, just before PMQ's. Credit where credit's due, Mrs Blears left the cabinet in style and with conviction so often missing from Labours front bench.Yet it leaves this saga turning into Murder on the Orient Express, but to what end? A leadership challenge is being spoken of the most. I'm still doubtful about this idea, Labour are more of a dictatorship than the Tories, so it isn't easy to draw comparisons. More importantly none of them really know what public reaction will be if they change leaders again. Paul Waugh has a post about it being a problem in terms of the party rules to. Although it didn't stop them with Brown, I don't suppose it will stop them without Brown.
My own feelings on yet another non elected PM, is that I'd rather have an election. Partly because Brown didn't face any vote to become PM, both nationally and within his party. I would feel cheated if I didn't get a vote after 2 years. The other side is with Brown leading there is a strong possibility of Lib Dems in opposition. Which will move parliament into a more central governing position. Reducing the state's grip will be important after Labour tightening it to a ridiculous level.
There is a sense of poetic justice surrounding this, the man who divided Labour into Blairite and Brownies finds his leadership undone by those he's stabbed in the back, with the sleazy headlines Labour pledged to rid parliament of and against the back drop of bust he said would never happen. They certainly made their bed, yet the election results are still to come, that will really set the cat among the pigeons.
Update: Matthew Norman has written an entertaining article in the Independent. I particularly liked:
overpowering the scent of Gordon Brown's terminal gangrene, all one can safely do is unleash a barrage of ifs and then qualify them.
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