Beat Surrender
‘OF all the front-page words written on Tony Blairs heart murmur, no word is made of what his chattering organ might be telling him.
| ”God, I just hope Euan’s up to the job” |
Tony often talks from the heart, but now the heart is talking, or at least murmuring at him, no word is mentioned of what it might be saying.
But whatever it is, Tony doesnt like it, so, as the Telegraph says, hes booked into hospital to have his heart gagged.
But dont worry, because the procedure is not too arduous and Tony says that he wont be retiring from his top job until after a third term in office has been completed.
This is somewhat presumptuous, and though it finally opens the door to No. 10 for Gordon Brown – albeit one election victory and five years down the line – it suggests to some that the PM is something of a ”lame duck”.
The Telegraph spends a large part of its editorial debating that point, positing the idea that as soon as Tony gave voice to his plans, he allowed the smouldering struggle for his succession to burst into flames.
The Guardian remembers John Prescotts cryptic remark about the tectonic plates moving within the cabinet, a shifting of power that is often followed by an earthquake or volcano.
Even the Labour-supporting Guardian mentions the phrase lame duck on its front page, saying the danger now is that Blairs final period of power will be marred by Labour in-fighting.
Not that Prescott is worried by such things. As the Independent hears him tell the Labour party conference, the only important thing is that Labour triumphs.
Old Labour or New Labour, real Labour or in Labour, skimmed, semi-skimmed or full-fat Labour, said he to party delegates.
I dont care what you call yourselves as along as you are Labour, as long as you care enough to want another Labour government.
To paraphrase a well-loved commercial, the message is not to worry what it says on the tin, so long as the contents are red.
Only, with modern Labour, the packaging is so often the beginning and end of things…’
Posted: 1st, October 2004 | In: Uncategorized Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
