speechless

the new labour party is having its conference this week, (it was the liberals last week and next week it will be the turn of the conservatives).
i have been able to catch the two main beasts in the new labour jungle give their speeches, and i was impressed by both. yesterday brown's speech was a clear call to arms - his clarion call one of "you know it makes sense, i am the man to lead you to another term..." today tony blair got up and pretty much showed that when push comes to shove there is no one better than him in british politics (and it could be argued world politics). a cleverly constructed speech - pushing all the right buttons, a few laughs, a few self deprecating barbs, a reminder of what labour used to mean (i am sure the audience clapped because they remembered those days fondly), a warning that the old ways won't work and the usual baiting of his political opponents.
all in all a bravura performance.
and it was all for nothing.
what do you mean pat? do you mean it was pointless because he will be gone in a few years (well maybe and maybe not, i wouldn't want to bet the farm that he finds a way to stay on...).
no i mean all that work, all that effort to show how slick, how professional, how caring and forward looking is wasted when their nearest rivals just keep blowing it.

the conservative party has a lame duck leader, he has said he wants to go and many others have said they want to take his place.
seems simple really.
but the party that used to be electorally unstoppable seems incapable of working out how to elect their leader. the recent proposed method has been thrown out by the conservative party’s electoral college.
how blair must have laughed. brown must be chortling away to himself thinking “shoo in, it’s a shoo in”.

so i propose we all put our thinking caps on and help the tories get over this hump by suggesting other ways that they can discover who should lead them to their fourth successive defeat.
perhaps a sudoku championship? perhaps a scavenger hunt ? see who can eat the most pies in the quickest time?
it doesn’t really matter. in a sense i have been fortunate to see the party who ruined so much of britain become a farce of a political party. it is just a shame that it means that there is no longer and consistent and effective opposition to new labour.