It’s déjà vu time for the Tory Party. Their hunger for power knows no bounds. Since the Second World War no Labour leader has been voted out by his comrades, still less successfully challenged whilst in office. The nearest it came to the latter was the challenge by (frankly speaking) utter nonentities against Corbyn in 2016. Labour’s record:
Attlee—resigned, election loss Gaitskell—died Wilson—resigned, ill-health Callaghan—resigned, election loss Foot—resigned, election loss Kinnock—resigned, election loss Smith—died Blair—resigned, worn out by Brown Brown—resigned, election loss Miliband—resigned, election loss Corbyn—resigned, election loss Starmer—yet to resign Most of these resignations were precipitated by election losses, which seems to be the only way the Labour Party gets to be rewarded with a new leader. Compare that record to the Tories: Churchill—clung on until 1955, left because of ill-health Eden—resigned after Suez, pushed Macmillan—a carefully staged resignation, Profumo, ill-health, age (71) Douglas-Home—resigned, election loss Heath—forced out Thatcher—forced out Major—resigned, election loss Hague—resigned, election loss Duncan-Smith, forced out Howard—resigned, election loss Cameron—resigned, Brexit loss May—resigned, forced out Johnson—forced out (eventually)? It is therefore generally the pattern that Labour leaders only resign after losing an election, whereas there have been several successful Tory leadership putsches mid-term. This may explain why Labour has been in power for only 30 of the past 77 years. Each party may have its own tribal instincts, but Labour members should perhaps shake themselves out of their habit of slavish loyalty to their leaders. It is interesting that Blair is the only Labour leader to suffer a mid-term fate similar to some Tory leaders. I wonder when Blair and Brown last spoke to each other?
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