This appears to be serious: Is Gordon Brown about to fall as Prime Minister of Britain? It very well could happen, literally overnight.
After being snubbed for a promotion, Caroline Flint, the Europe Minister, delivered the most personal attack yet on the beleaguered Prime Minister, accusing him of using her as “female window dressing” and of operating a “two-tier Government”.
In a move designed to maximise the damage to Mr Brown, she announced she was quitting his Government just as he faced the cameras to insist he would not walk away from Downing Street following Labour’s worst performance at the polls in 30 years.
Less than 24 hours earlier, she had taken to the airwaves to support his leadership in the wake of the shock resignation of James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and his demand that the Prime Minister go for the good of the party.
But her departure was just one of a series of ministerial walk-outs which undermined Mr Brown’s hurried attempt to reshape his Government and relaunch his premiership.
Geoff Hoon, John Hutton, Paul Murphy, Margaret Beckett and Tony McNulty have all quit the Government.
They followed Jacqui Smith, Hazel Blears, Mr Purnell and Beverley Hughes out of the exit door.
Sinking ship and all that? An awful lot of career politicians have rather suddenly disassociated themselves from Brown just when he is reeling from other political problems. This looks – a lot – like a government about to auger in at full speed.
Jacqui Smith is gone? Rats! Well Gaius – there goes our chance to make her blacklist.
Just back from England and the daily funnies (front page news) in all the papers were the scandals over the Members (that’s Members of Parliament)use of expense claims. No party was immune from the anger and ridicule. Brown may fall but his opposition is not in any great shape either. New PM may not be as supportive of US and BO.
If you have memories of Britain being a civilized place forget it. Today it is far different than it was in the 70s and 80sw. Its people are rude, the streets are three times as bad as NYC during its heyday as a crime center, taxes are off the scale, service is awful. The major centers look like a Bombay bazaar.