Labour goes into a bitter sulk!

The Liberal Democrats are better off without Labour. I once went to a Labour conference. It was like walking into some time zone. Admittedly it was in the comrades days and everyone looked like they'd forgotten their cloth caps (a sort of dress down Friday) and were trying desperately to be ever so fraternal. A lot of smoking, too, I remember. Now, the Mandy and Campbell duo might have changed Labour into some new kind of spivs lottery business, but the same old mean, grudging, sometimes spiteful opinions of others remains.

After the second world war ended and Labour was propelled into office, my grandmother was confronted by her housemaid with a brutal "Now it's our turn!". Talk of opinion worms on electronic polls. This worm turned with a vengeance rather like the Icelandic volcano. Not entirely unexpected but a shock nevertheless when it happens. When Labour got into office, Nye Bevan led the charge. He called Tories vermin. They don't change much if they stay Labour. Shirley Williams seemed to blossom in the SDP. As Labour, she always appeared world-weary, and she was a heck of a lot younger in those days.

Bringing it up to date we have Dr.Kim Howells speaking as a true Labourite. He says of the failed Progressive Coalition - "I tell you why it's been rejected by most Labour MPs - because they know that they're a bunch of opportunistic toerags, who'll say anything to anyone in order to get power. And they've done it this time, they've got power." No love lost there. The LibDems can wave such commentary aside. It just shows Howells up to be the bitter man he often is. And if he hasn't ever been an opportunist politician, well I'm a ........................