Amanda Platell in the New Statesman reminds us that leadership of the Tories isn’t a job for life if you’re failing to make a dent in Labour’s hegemonic political grip. Here she is reminding us of the gossip about the latest young pretender:
In his Sunday Times column Portillo, having thoroughly buried Boris Johnson after his ludicrous sacking, placed the Tory leadership crown firmly at the feet of the excellent Gove, currently assistant editor of the Times.
Journalist Michael Gove is a regular on Radio Four’s Moral Maze . Listen to the latest programmes on the website if you want to experience him and Melanie Phillips do a convincing impersonation of a pair of velociraptors stalking their prey and moving in for the kill. You can almost see their nostrils twitching as they detect the whiff of a hapless polytechnic lecturer who considers logic an outdated bourgeois construct.
He’s got the killer instinct all right but what do you expect from someone from Aberdeen ? The interesting question is whether there’s room for one more high profile Caledonian at Westminster.
Can you imagine a couple of years into the future Gove being Tory leader ? Kennedy will probably still be leading the Lib Dems and Gordon Brown is hardly going to give up his political career to spend more time with his family once Tony Blair meets with that unfortunate political accident some are predicting.
With the Scottish Nationalists all sewn up that just leaves Plaid Cymru in the hands of namby-pamby Southerners.
With a certain moustachioed Dundonian making an important announcement on his political future tonight who knows if Dafydd Iwan’s job is safe for much longer.
It might be time for all aspiring politicians to take elecution lessons from Michael Martin.
