We Apologise For Late Blogging Today
But we just don't know where to start. Well, let's take aim at the fish in the barrel:
Prescott, the party animal of the cabinet is exposed as being a serial groper and incompetent. If that wasn't enough a second mistress has appeared. A third is expected shortly.
Of course he does fulfil one important role. He's the go-between for Brown and Blair. This government is so dysfunctional that they need Prescott to act as a referee between them as they don't trust each other at all. It is this dysfunction that corrodes New Labour from within.
Clarke, is on his way out as soon as the elections pass. His will be a death of a thousand cuts, or rather headlines.
Hewitt, sinking below the fold at the moment, but she's lost the unions and the nurses. As more job cuts come, she'll be in danger. The only debate about her is if she's more patronising than Ruth Kelly. At least Ruth was the brains to avoid meeting people.
Brown, well you know when the shit's about to hit the fan because Brown suddenly disappears. Where is he hiding?
Blair, is in real trouble. His attempt to grin his way out of trouble isn't going to work. Because he turned down Clarke's offer of resignation, the question should be when is Blair going to sack Clarke, not when is Clarke going to resign.
He's going to reshuffle the deckchairs of the Titanic, but who can he bring in? There aren't too many eager young Blairites left. could he go for the nuclear option and sack Brown? I think he's too weak for that and there are dark mutterings and plots behind his back.
Still they have one outstanding achievement: People now think they're more sleazy and incompetent than Major's bunch were, which brings us to the Quote Of The Day:
The party does not
The party does not understand this, but Blair is never going to resign EVER. He will lie that he's about to, and duck out as planned at the last second leaving those that were helping him to get out in an orderly fashion reeling and ready to be stabbed in the back.
Remember Charles Kennedy of the LibDems? THAT'S how hard it will be. Probably much harder, because there is no functional democratic system in the Labour party that can do it.
This could go on for another ten years if he lives. Blair does not care in the slightest about the damage he does to the party or the country.
As Rachel reveals in Lazy
As Rachel reveals in Lazy and deceitful part 2: the cover-up, the problems for Clarke reach back to another of "Tony's Targets" where his brand of Tabloid Government has had consequences that he didn't imagine.
He surely can't grin his way out of this one.