Tony or Gordon, Labour or Tory-Is There Really Any Difference at All?

Western Mail › September 15, 2006

Linked as:

Summary

'He had been, he said, an unconscionable time dying; but he hoped they would excuse it.' That was what Macaulay said about King Charles II. It was disarming of His Majesty to offer an apology for hanging on so long. I doubt if we'll get one from Downing Street when Tony leaves. But we mustn't speak ill of the dead, and it's in pretty bad taste to speak ill of those on a life-support system. Now that Tony's clearly on his way out, it's easier to remember the good things he did, instead of being exasperated into a frenzy by his performance in recent years.

I'm afraid the turmoil's not over yet. His pet formula, 'Let's forget this and move on' entirely misses the point. Move on which way? That's what it's all about. More and more, party members have been telling him he's leading them in a direction they don't want to go, but he wasn't listening. He's convinced that anyone disagreeing with him must be stupid or ignorant. What he came to ask of his followers wasn't so much loyalty as blind subservience - the attitude that brought Thatcher down.