Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Blunkett is cast into the outer darkness

There was a time when David Blunkett entertained serious hopes of becoming Labour leader and Prime Minister. More recently, after he realised that Gordon Brown is unbeatable, he appeared to make his peace with the Chancellor, and indicated that he might be interested in succeeding him in that post.

Today, however, those hopes are in ruins. As the controversry over his diaries continues to rage, the Brownite camp in the shape of Gordon's First Lieutenant, Right-Hand Man and Vicar-on-Earth Nick Brown has delivered a death blow to any lingering prospect of Blunkett resuming his frontline career.

"Newcastle" Brown does not normally do on-the-record quotes. He is the kind of politician - and all parties have them - who prefer to operate in the shadowy realms of thinly-veiled hints and off-the-record briefings, generating the kind of stories that end up being attributed to "close friends," and "key allies" rather than any named individual.

Yet here is the former Chief Whip telling today's Times: "Politics is a team game. Politicians on the same side have to stick together. I cannot understand what David Blunkett thinks he is doing except disqualifying himself from consideration as a serious politician."

This comment will need no deciphering among the ranks of Labour MPs who are used to Nick's ways. He could have chosen to employ his usual, less direct methods, and still got someone to write a story along the lines that "key allies" of Gordon Brown were warning Blunkett as to his future behaviour - but he didn't.

It can only mean that Gordon is sending a clear an unambiguous message to the former Home Secretary. "You're out."

unique visitors counter

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank god he is in no major position in Government anymore, he has amazingly managed to call entirely in to question his own judgement on pretty much every issue.

Nick Brown is justsaying what eveyone must be thinking... and even worse than that thinking how on earth did this guy get so far.

The Casual Observer said...

What a shame, after all he did a great job at the home office...just think what he could have done as Chancellor... (sick humour!)

Anonymous said...

The most unfortunate characteristic of the book is the tetchiness (if that's what it's like after heavy editing, possibly after advice from m'learned friends...) He wasn't always like that - I'm told that, when asked what someone looked like, he replied equably 'Good question'.

Last week's parody in the Eye was excellent ('I have suffered more than anyone else has suffered')