Labour's Bad Day

A ridiculously bad day for the Labour Party.

First we have the lingering story of the crisis in the NHS. (Crisis? What Crisis?), yesterday we found out all about the foreign criminals roaming the streets (it's great, two Daily Mail hatreds in the one story), and now today John Prescott's affair(s?) come to light.

The first two are definitely resigning issues, Patricia Hewitt doesn't think it matters that thousands of NHS staff are losing their jobs and Charles Clarke just doesn't know anything that is going on. There are serious departmental and leadership failures in two of the most important departments of government and the Ministers are refusing to accept their responsibilty.

I don't think John Prescott has to resign over his affairs. I don't believe that infidelity is a resigning issue, although I do take on board the argument that if you ask the country to trust you, you must be trustworthy. But I don't fully agree. An affair is an issue for a couple to deal with. There is part of me however that is feeling smug, this is the man who lambasted the Conservative Party pre 1997 for being sleazy. He used Steve Norris as an example of the sleaze of the Tory Party, while (allegedly) being a well known serial adulterer. When Greenpeace invaded his roof and Chumbawumba chucked water over him, he screamed blue murder because of how it had upset Pauline. He's a nasty little hypocrite and I hope his wife leaves him. And takes the Jags.