Over at Politicalbetting.com they are musing on the fact that for the last twenty-six years whoever has been the Prime Minister has sat at Westminster for a seat on the A1 trunk road. Margaret Thatcher’s Finchley rests at the southern end of the main route to Edinburgh; John Major’s Huntingdon is on the A1 as it goes through Cambridgeshire and Tony Blair’s Sedgefield covers both sides of the highway in County Durham. Looks like good news for Alan Duncan, William Hague or Alan Milburn then...
Strange to say,all of those you mention as PM's are,or were at the end of their time as party leader,regarded as an electoral liability.
ReplyDeleteWho was it who said that all political careers end in failure?
ReplyDeleteEnoch Powell,Iain,but I'm sure you knew that!
ReplyDeleteI believe the full quote was "all political careers end in failure, except those cut off in their prime." People always miss out the second bit which is a shame because it is the more interesting part.
ReplyDeleteDo I qualify for the second part?!
ReplyDeleteYes. Small club - you, Enoch and JFK.
ReplyDeleteJohn Smith as Labour Leader would have led to a slimmer Labour victory over the Tories, say around 60-80, in 1997 followed by a similar size victory in 2001 (I don't think Hague could have done it) and then a Tory win this time - assuming the Tories chose all the same leaders.
ReplyDeleteBTW Interesting article on the Modernisers and their choice for the leadership in the Times. Concludes Willetts should be the logical pick.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1071-1610037,00.html
Andrew