[Alex]
These are entertaining times for fans of political discord and infighting. The Labour government in London seems to be the funniest farce in town right now (or, granted, if your point of view is more elevated than mine, the most depressing).
If Tony Blair and Gordon Brown don’t actually hate one another right now, their supporters certainly do. The Mail on Sunday had the scoop on the latest, breaking the news of a secret Blairite memo that contemplates stabbing Brown in the back in one final, glorious moment of betrayal:
"The Government is seen as a shambles. It is not just Labour internal conflicts but a lack of grip and competence on key issues. Iraq is a potent and raw issue, so is the NHS, immigration and crime. We have lost control of the big issues and are not delivering,’ the memo states.
Nor is the trend likely to change. "This view is deeply held and entering the bones of the electorate. The public are clearly preparing to shift to the Conservatives if they prove themselves credible and likable."
That’s not all, folks!
Extraordinarily, the document reveals that No10 actively contemplated dumping Mr Brown in favour of a younger successor.
"We can rally round…or we can go for total renewal, moving to a new generation, effectively forming a new government while still in power."
It does not name the potential alternative successors but it is no secret that Mr Blair once hoped Environment Secretary David Miliband would mount a challenge against Mr Brown.
Similarly, despite being slightly older than Mr Brown, Education Secretary Alan Johnson, a relative Cabinet newcomer, was also seen as a way of providing a ‘break with the past’.
But the memo warns this tactic could backfire: "Trying to completely renew in office may look as if we are trying to cheat time. And worse – that we are disavowing our record in government.
"Gordon Brown is part of our record. If we disown him, we run the risk of disowning our record. The public will recoil from evidence of disloyalty towards Gordon.
"Whatever people think of him as a [potential] Prime Minister, they still greatly respect him as a Chancellor."
But it shows Mr Blair has serious doubts about allowing Mr Brown to take over without a leadership contest.
The public are ‘not stupid’, says the memo. "They will not forgive us if we foist an unpopular leader on them without a proper democratic process. They just won’t accept it."
Catching up with all this first hand will be one of the pleasures of this holiday season.
The Dish 