Senior Consensus: Brown Stays
Harman has joined the chorus in favour of Brown remaining in power, that consists most notably of Straw and Prescott. In other words, everyone that is important save Miliband. No major Labour MP has moved against Brown, with a pair of back-benchers speaking out in favour of him leaving but any movement against Brown seemingly having no leader and limited support. Not least because a less than negligible number of Labour MPs would lose their seats were present polls correct.
My prediction is that nothing will come of any plots that may be bubbling at present towards the end of deposing Brown. However, the political oblivion which faced the Labour Party will be even more difficult to avert with a lame duck seated as its leader. The best than can be hoped for is Brown somehow manages to turn around Labour’s fortune and that the next two years see an economic upturn little short of miraculous.
The recent policies announced by Brown were a good start: although they’ll doubtless agitate business, insisting as they do that they stop exploiting workers as thoroughly as they were once allowed to, they reduce the amount of ageism mildly (although not enough) and reduced some of the absurdity of PFI schemes in hospitals. More of this would be welcome and although it is almost certainly too late now that Brown is effectively free he can focus upon leaving a pleasing legacy behind him.
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