On the eve of the European and local elections, the Guardian is calling for Labour to remove Gordon Brown and replace him with a leader capable of reforming a political system in crisis and saving the party from oblivion at the next general election. It follows a call by Polly Toynbee several weeks ago to oust him by June 5th and the paper's recent endorsement of the Lib Dems at the Euros.
I recommend checking out the full editorial. It reads like a sad lament to a wasted opportunity. It is damning on Brown's personal failures as a leader, but has some generous words when it comes to his handling of the economic crisis (far too generous in my view, since it doesn't recognise the role Brown played in feeding the bubble). What the leader really brings home is the utter hopelessness of Brown trying to present himself as the right man to lead a process of constitutional reform when he is so tainted and the serious damage this could do to the cause. I've highlighted the key passage in bold: it's a message any reformers thinking of jumping into bed with Brown would do well to heed.
The tragedy for Mr Brown and his party is that his chance to change it has gone. Although he still purports to be a radical, he has adopted the caution of an establishment man. He cannot lead a revolution against his own way of doing government, and yet a revolution is necessary. Grandstanding on his claims to good intentions, the prime minister demands the right to carry on, even as the cabinet implodes around him. The home secretary, the chancellor, and perhaps even the foreign secretary may go, and Labour faces its worst defeat in its history on Thursday, but the prime minister does not recognise his direct responsibility for the mayhem...
The blunt reality is that, even if he set out a grand programme of reform now, his association with it would doom its prospects. Proportional representation would transform parliament, but if Mr Brown put a referendum on the ballot, it would be defeated because he backed it. A draft constitutional renewal bill was published more than 12 months ago - but what has come of it? This week Mr Brown announced a national democratic council that might (to see it in a generous light) form the basis of the sort of constitutional convention that led to Scotland's modern parliament. But it is too late. The chance for him has passed.. Read on.
