UK Politics

Alas Marshall Andrews and Smith

A new comedy double act has started, Geraldine Smith and Bob Marshall-Andrews.

on Radio 4’s The World at One, Smith said Miliband had been “trying to stir up trouble” in writing the article and ought to get on with his job, adding that if he was sacked he would return to being a “nonentity” on the backbenches.

“What has Mr Miliband ever achieved apart from furthering his own career?” she said

Marshall-Andrews accused Miliband of “pretty contemptible politics” and said his behaviour had been “duplicitous”.

“I think he should sack him,” Marshall-Andrews told same programme.

“If he doesn’t resign and mount a proper leadership challenge – in which case we will have a battle within the party; that is unfortunate but infinitely better than where we are at the moment – but if he doesn’t resign then the prime minister should sack him.

“And if he doesn’t, the danger is that he will compound a probably undeserved reputation for being indecisive.”

In fact, much of the above could have been applied to Gordon Brown throughout the Blair administration. If anyone deserved to have been sacked it should have been Brown in the later years of Blair’s administration. One might well ask Smith “What has Mr Brown ever achieved apart from furthering his own career?”

Apart from sinking the Labour Party.

As for “pretty contemptible politics” and “duplicitous” behaviour, is that meant to stop now the master of such dark arts is in number 10? Miliband may be angling for power, like all politicians, but he is doing so with a degree of competance that Gordon Brown lacks.

And the last sentence. “And if he[Miliband] doesn’t [resign], the danger is that he will compound a probably undeserved reputation for being indecisive.”

Well, it would be a terrible situation if we had an indecisive Prime Minister.

You couldn’t make this stuff up.