That’s progress forya…
1994: John Smith died on Thursday 12 May. It was agreed that the contest to find his successor would not start until after polling day in that year’s European parliament elections, held on 9 June. There then followed the largest democratic exercise ever attempted by a single party in modern political history. Every party member and every trade unionist paying the political levy was balloted.Tony Blair was announced as victor just six weeks later, on 21 July.
Six weeks.
2010: Gordon Brown announced his intention to resign as Labour leader on Monday 10 May. The following day he resigned as Prime Minister and party leader “with immediate effect”. By the time our new party leader is elected on Saturday 25 September, 137 days will have passed since that day.
Nineteen weeks and four days.
At this rate of “progress”, the next leadership contest, whenever it’s held, will take the best part of a year.
