Even loyal supporters are deserting the field of battle

Above: at every stage Labour has been outwitted by the Conservatives (quote is from today’s Guardian).

Lunchtime, and I went into the Conference Room at twelve o’clock to watch the return of Andrew Neil’s Daily Politics.

As the Conference Room has three glass walls I felt a bit exposed sitting there watching the television until Terry (our MD) came in to join me.

Andrew Neil’s Daily Politics has a unique approach to political stories, treating all issues with a mocking and satirical interpretation that exposes pomposity and deceit in a way that only a genuine “insiders” can. “All power corrupts” Lord Acton said in 1887, and Daily Politics looks for the corruption that inevitably underlies political decisions and manifestations of government power. As someone who mistrusts politicians (especially the messianic saviour types, whether Left or Right) it is reassuring to know they are being watched in this way.

The programme is presented by Andrew Neil, Jo Coburn and Liz MacKean, who work very well together as a team.

Ostensibly reporting from the Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth, the programme cross-referenced this with the continuing demise of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In a discussion with columnists from The Times and The Independent the Prime Minister was described as “staggering” towards disaster. Liberal Democrat spokesman Vince Cable, in a speech shown live on the programme, called Gordon Brown a “twitching corpse”.

Like Richard III at Bosworth, support for “Gordon” is ebbing away. Even loyal supporters are deserting the field of battle. Traitors and arch-traitors are all around him (in a sensational betrayal at the start of the summer recess, a smiling Foreign Secretary David Miliband published an article and fronted a press conference that completely undermined and marginalised “Gordon” and effectively treated him as a non-person).

Later in the programme Andrew Neil interviewed Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who said the “Whitehall machine” was too big, and promised tax cuts if the Liberal Democrats get into government (possible if there is a hung parliament).

David Cameron has also started to talk about tax cuts.

Terry interpreted these tax-cutting promises:

“They intend to dismantle Labour’s empire. They could probably cut quite a lot by only targeting the claques and cliques Labour has embedded in local and national government. Just by stripping political correctness out of the system they could save a hefty sum for tax cuts, and without antagonising ordinary people.”

There has been a lot of talk about the “fatalism” of the Labour party, and the “inevitability” of their decline. Commentators struggle to understand why the decline should be inevitable. Possibly anthropology can provide an answer.

We are witnessing the playing-out of an age-old myth that has recurred in western Europe since pre-classical times. It is a variation of the cult of the Golden Bough in the grove at Nemi, discovered and analysed by Sir James Frazer over ninety years ago (the king who slew the slayer and must himself be slain). This is the way (sub-consciously) we choose our leaders, and the story must play out to its end.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/dailypolitics/andrewneil/