When once just isn't enough

The major parties are already beating the war drums in anticipation of the general election set to occur within the next five months. Already Tory leader David Cameron unveiled a draft section of his party's manifesto (complete with him pictured at least twice in the preface) where the Tories make themselves out to be the party that will best support the National Health Service. Labour, meanwhile, might not wait until the election to pursue a new leader.

Two former Cabinet ministers, Leicester's Patricia Hewitt and Ashfield's Geoff Hoon, have circulated a letter calling on Labour MPs to conduct a secret ballot to reaffirm the leadership status of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In the letter, the two express concerns about Labour in-fighting distracting the party from getting their message out to voters, which could made the difference between a hung parliament and an outright Tory majority. Hewitt and Hoon add that supporters of Brown should sign onto this as a way to solidify Brown's role, and if those opposing Brown fail to unseat him, they would have to grudgingly support him as a result of the majority support.

While the press might present this as an inherent sign of weakness in Labour, such a vote would actually show that the power of democracy - the very thing that brought Labour to the forefront of British politics when enfranchised working class voters, tired of shifting rhetoric and fence-jumping by the Conservatives and Liberal parties, backed Labour candidates in increasing numbers. For Labour to go through with this would be to allow democracy to do its things. (Granted, it's just MPs sitting on Labour's benches voting on it, but at least it's better than leaving it to an elite cabal of champagne socialists.)

If Brown emerges from this challenge with majority backing, he will have a boost of confidence that could cause The Sun to embarrass itself akin to "Dewey Defeats Truman". But if Labour rebels have their way and oust Brown, they may bring about a fresh helmsman akin to John Major taking over the Conservatives after Margaret Thatcher failed to secure enough support to remain Prime Minister in 1990. However, that leadership contest occurred two years before the polls. An eleventh-hour change at the top for Labour would, while assure the election as occurring on June 3 (as this would not be a vote of no confidence in the government as a whole), have a monumental task of re-establishing itself on short notice in a hostile political and economic climate.