Self-Serving Loyalty

Some people seem to be in a state of shock that Gordon Brown still has his job after an abortion of a Cabinet reshuffle and delivering a set of election results that has given the EU a couple of fascists from our fair shores and a third place in a national election to Labour – behind UKIP. It is a pretty piss-poor performance, even for Gordon Brown – a man who has become the very definition of failure.

Yet if you think about it, of course Brown is still in place. If he was going to be ousted, then that would require some real courage from his MPs. And those MPs are just as cowardly as the leader whose most courageous act is writing about courage.

It isn’t a case of doing the right thing for the country. It is about doing the right thing for themselves. And whilst some MPs might think they would be better under a new leader, the reality is that a new leader would have to hold a General Election. And if there is a General Election, then a lot of the Labour MPs will be seeking alternative employment. And whilst that might happen anyway in a year’s time, this is the crucial point – this way, by keeping Brown no matter how badly he has performed, they get an extra year at the trough.

So there we have it. I believe the Labour MPs are keeping Brown not because they like him, or think he is right for the country, or that he has a chance of turning it all around. They are simply putting off the inevitable for personal gain. This shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone; yet the inevitably of their self-serving behaviour doesn’t make it any less depressing.