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Harry Houdini could not have pulled off a greater escape.
At midnight, every pundit on the 24-hour spin cycle said Gordon Brown was finished. By dawn, he was crawling from the rubble of James Purnell's suicide bombing very much alive, albeit bloodied and weakened.
Mr Brown is not yet safe — and in such a fluid situation he could be toppled any day — but if he survives this weekend and the toxic European results on Sunday night, he might start to regain strength.
This morning the senior ministers, one by one, came out to pledge public loyalty to the Prime Minister. They can hardly change their minds on Monday morning and the botched email plot is being binned.
Mr Purnell could turn out to be the new David Davis. The window for a leadership change before the general election is slamming rapidly shut, though a torrent of junior ministerial resignations could reopen it.
And once the Glasgow by-election is out of the way, pure self-interest will force Labour's panicky MPs to end their rebellion and stand together to save as many seats as possible.
Who knows, Mr Brown might even have a successful party conference and a blip up in the polls. It is the second assassination Mr Brown has survived. And once again a bold reshuffle was key to his escape. Yes, there are some things that Gordon does better than Tony — Mr Blair's reshuffles were a litany of gaffes that often weakened him.
And what now for the Blairites who have chosen to stick with their flawed leader when they could have unseated him?
Their struggle turns to the future, probably in Opposition to Prime Minister Cameron, when one of the Miliband brothers will almost certainly do battle with Harriet Harman and Jon Cruddas for the future of the Labour Party.
Labour appears to be choosing a long war rather than a quick fix.
Reader views (1)
They used to call Blair "Teflon Tony" well Gorgon Brown must be armour plated!
Even if the EU results are as bad as expected I have a feeling that this guy will survive. I mean now that he has given Johnson the powerful and lucrative post of Home Secretary. who is there to replace him before a General Election.
- Rosieinlondon, London UK, 06/06/2009 16:58
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