We're near the end of the 2006 party conference season. After a decade of Labour dominance, politics is getting interesting again.
Stuart Bruce wrote an interesting post on his political soapbox blog, expressing his doubts about Gordon Brown. He also linked to a fascinating Times article by the pollster Frank Luntz on Labour voters' reactions to Brown.
It's going to be fascinating watching how the Chancellor performs under intense media - and voter - scrutiny over the coming months. Until now, he has disappeared from view whenever Tony Blair has been under pressure. He won't have that option in future. My instinct is that voters don't like the way Blair and Brown's supporters have been fighting over the leadership of the country without a care for how we, the voters, might feel about it. They may well punish Labour as a result, especially if Cameron continues to capture the imagination.
I don't agree with the view that Blair's successor should call an immediate election to get a mandate - we have a parliamentary not a presidential democracy. (Neither John Major or Jim Callaghan felt the need to go to the country.) But Labour's tribalism could cost it dear when the country gets its say.
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