Day in, day out it seems everything is falling to pieces. Time has become a terrible dreadlock and no matter how Prime-Minister Gordon Brown tries do move on with his job, believing his duty is to remake a broken instituition, the fact is he has lost control over what he should have held as most important - the Government itself. Despite the mission - as he believes it is - of leading the country, as no other well prepared man before him, the fact is he, as a politician, has fallen defeated before his unability to cope with (modern) politics as a game, with politics as an image.
Gordon Brown's role in politics has been a life commitment, a job handled with technical skills and with a vision of equal development and justice for all. We may say he's not telegenic, but a politician cannot relie, or build, its position or reputation based only on a smiley face. There must be substance. And Gordon Brown has substance. For years he has shown proofs of dedication and working policies, and achieved objectives for the good of the UK and, most recently, even for the sake of world economic structure. Labour Party has brought Britain remarkable changes. His premiership has tried to continue to promote and pursue ways for a better country.
When he took office almost two years ago (amid rumours of months of plots...) his reputation and expectation was high. But ever since the step back on a snap election - that should have been held even before - several signs of misunderstanding the moments and the foreplays, and the proper way to lead a team such as the government have not been gone unnoticed. Has Gordon Brown been a good PM? But surely not a good leader. His authority within the Labour party is time and time again questioned. His skills in politics as a mind game, or even as dangerous game, has led the public eye to see him as blind, weak and unreachable. The thing is that his worth as a senior politcian has been broken because of his bad handling of situations and people, close in his team, or in Labour.
So the plotting season is open again. It may look akward, disloyal, horrible. But again, the PM is not seeing the full picture. Is remaining in power the best for the party and the country? What's at stake now is a new leader for Labour, and therefore, a new Prime-Minister. Why? Because of the crisis, the expenses scandal, the rising Conservative Party, the lack of vision for a new democracy. But can a new Labour leader fight against all these odds? Does a new Labour leader, in face of recent events, have the ability, power and trust to handle, shake and change things until an election a year from now? Is plot politics a good way to expell bad politics, or is it just a matter of character, or the lack of it?
Whatever we forecast for the next days, either way Gordon Brown has his days numbered. He may feel, and most certainly beleive his work is not over. But his plans so far - regarding a "new politics" - have not gone far enough. Real change must come, otherwise people more and more will think the worse of Westminster. Real change however, does not come with the Conservative Party. David Cameron is bright, clever and eager to kick off Labour, but his recent associations in Europe with some right-wing parties truely shows a very different and wrong path for Britain.
Bad luck knocked at Gordon's door. All his life he must have dreamed to be PM, and now, sooner or later he'll be sacked just like Margaret Thatcher. Isn't that strange?
At first I couldn't reach an opinion, but due to what has happend and what I have read, I find myself close to yesterdays' Guardian editorial position. A job done, missed opportunities, no future.
I have no way to know who would be best to lead Labour. How well do we know someone able enough to handle such a job? But it is a matter of character after all. That is what people see and feel. The challenge is to add that with substance, good ideas, transforming policies, transparent attitudes, leadership.
But with the current mistrust, can Labour deliver? Is the Labour Party able to avoid defeat in a general election?
So who's ready to take the risk?
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