Anthony Barnett (London, OK): I think I know what the problems are with the Labour Party and perhaps I should write about them more. But I prefer to explore what I know don't understand, and I've just read this in today's Telegraph column by Simon Heffer, on the Northern Rock crisis:
If you aspire to prove you are fit to govern, you must also convince the wider world that, faced with such a crisis of this size, you could deal with it well.
He thinks that the Tories have not done so, whereas Labour did after Black Wednesday. If he is right, and his article is called 'Why the Tories can't Bury the Labour Party' then part of the answer lies in those three words, "the wider world". Not that I agree with Heffer's solutions: on Tory economic policy he is entertaining on the shadow chancellor and thinks the approach to Northern Rock by John Redwood (with whom I've had a small exchange in the comments to my recent post) is so superior it confirms that he should have the job. But there is something wrong with Tory strategy. What do you think it is - all abuse will be deleted.
PS: This graph from the Economist shows the Tories problem:
