Blairwatch (part 2)
, now Martin Salter has raised the Blair factor.
The (and no serial rebel he) has just come on the programme and declared "we need a clear timetable for the transition" and said he wanted to know that the new leader would have time to bed in.
When Tessa Jowell responded by saying that wasn't necessary I could see - though viewers couldn't - him shaking his head in disagreement.
Many around the Prime Minister say it would be destabilising to say anything else on this issue, because they believe it obsesses the media.
And yet what we are seeing tonight is an MP who has supported the government in tricky patches (for example, over the education bill), saying in effect - 'I need to know when Blair is going'.
I'm 
Comments
I get a strong feeling that Blair will be pressured to go quite soon. Could the knives be out for Tony?
Is there anything they could bring him down on?
The head shaking was perfectly visable Nick, i thought it perfectly illustrated the position of this government, the front bench so out of touch with reality they are flatly denying reports from the doorstep from their own MPs.
Its not even that they aren't listening, they are actively ignoring the opinions of the general public.
Mageret Hodge, will she be in a job tomorrow? And what is with all the police behind her?
I too need to know when Blair will go, and I have done since Iraq.
I am a Liberal Socialist for whom the exact party has not been designed, but until Blair goes, the Liberal part of my agenda, and especially that put forward by Charles Kennedy, most unjustly deposed, will be foremost.
Blair going would be a nightmare for the Labour party.
Three years of Brown would be enough to open every one's eyes to what he's really like and hey hoy Labour lose the next election...
Tessa Jowell has just unbelievably tried to assert that no-one is bothered about Tony Blair resigning. Who's she trying to kid?
Most of this country wanted Tony Blair to resign many years ago. We're just waiting for the media and the Labour party to notice.
After all, it is the media who called the 1997 election win a 'landslide' for the Labour party, when in actual fact the party won with _less_ votes than it used to _lose_ with.
In other words, the trend of unpopularity began a long, long time ago, and it continues to this day. The majority never wanted 'New Labour' and the majority still don't. Wake up Tessa, and wake up ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳.
Tessa, we don't want you, we don't want your boss, and we don't want your party. You're not welcome here. Now clear off and resign and take your brash attempts to brainwash us with you.
PS "Comments ....will not appear on this weblog until the author has approved them." I am the author of this comment, not you!
What does Tessa Jowell know about the reshuffle? As she is on the late shift does that mean she doesnt have an early morning call to number 10?
It's rare for British politics to produce 'lame duck' PMs along American lines. I'd say that it's particularly dangerous when it happens, because there's not the separation of executive and legislative powers to allow government to run smoothly when the leader is doing nothing other than racking up hours on the job.
Contrary to what the front benchers say in public, it's destabilising to have a time-server in place of a prime minister, especially with stirrings against Iran on the other side of the pond setting up a potential crisis in the autumn. And a 'transition' isn't sufficient, since it has no real place in British politics: Blair needs to go, and go soon.
Could that be the ultimate reshuffle....Tony takes over the Olympics leaving Gordon and co to move on into Downing Street.
Why does Tessa Jowell think the electorate has the attention span of a goldfish? I had made my mind up on who I was voting on well before the last fortnight, frankly I doubt many people have been dwelling on the mental image of the John Prescott hunched over his secretary.
The labour party officals seen tonight are patronising and full of self-importance. They ignore the issues and act independently of the sentiment of the population. Like most right minded pepel I abhor teh BNP but approx 350,000 migrants from east europe in 18 months says it all, I read that figure could rise to 1,000,000 after the other eu countries tightened up their immigration policy. I live in Crewe and the council have been given £316,000 to ease their transition to life in Britain yet teh pensioners and young get no extra help. In fact three pensioners froze to death last winter because they could not heat their own homes. I abstained as a objection to all parties. The Tories are as smug and condescending as ever the lib-dems is a wasted vote and labour push through so called reforms against popular opinion, schools, health, immigration etc etc. Labour ministers appear to be using their positions to feather their own nests. Tessa needs to get back to the real world insted of dimissing Mr Dimbleys questions over reality and £7,000 hair cuts. Ignoring questions does not make them go away
Ahhh what happened there?
NOOOO
The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ election special just disappeared! Tell DD he's not on air any more, you can eat your Mars Bars in peace.
'ere. You've vanished... the screen went blank and now I've now got ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News 24 banging on about Israel!
Tessa Jowell saying that it wasn't necessary to have a clearout of the Labour leadership comes from a desire to save her job and the jobs of her fellow cronies, while Martin Salter's comments come from the truth that this is needed for the benefit of the Labour Party and the country.
Hang on, Martin Salter didn't back the government over the Education Bill - he resigned over it!
To be exact, Salter resigned his post as a parliamentary aide in protest at the proposed education reforms, last December. He was parliamentary private secretary to Schools Minister Jacqui Smith.
Yes, yes Blair must go immediately, but he won't until he has finally sold out everybody in the UK and NI to the IRA,the EU.devolution and ensuring England has no national parliment. He has successfully turned over the UK to the world. He must go before it's too late.