Skipper

When I was a postgraduate student attending interviews for academic jobs, we had member of our coffee room group who used to question us eagerly as to how each interview had gone. When he heard it had not been successful, he used to pause and then ask the one question one did not want to hear in the wake of such a disappointment: 'So....what now then?' No doubt the ramifications of the same question are resounding around Gordon's mind right now, as indeed, they are for all members of the Labour Party. The options, however, are none too welcoming:

1. Carry on as we are and hope things will improve This is the option Brown urges, together with sustained loyalty, belief and patience. But the assurances Brown made yesterday at the Warwick policy forum about being 'fully focused on the job' and doing 'whatever is necessary to over the next few months to help hardworking families through these difficult times', sound so empty as to cut no ice whatsoever with either voters or supporters. This approach seems to offer a meandering progress to electoral wipeout.

2. 'Delegation of Greybeards' tell Brown he has to go. This is an attractive idea but is predicated on i) Gordon being prepared to walk and ii) a believable substitute being available. As I see it neither condition is present at the moment. Gordon is one of those limptet-like political obsessives, convinced he has what it takes, whatever the situation and will not walk unless pretty shoved pretty vigorously. And of the credible younger candidates- Miliband, Balls, Johnson, Purnell- there may not not be one who wants to squander the better chances which the future might hold for a brief interlude before defeat crashes through. The 'Greybeard' solution whereby an older, senior figure might stand in until the election is a possibility and Straw the most likely candidate but he seems to have dismissed this idea for the present at least.

3. A revolt by Labour MPs to get rid of Brown, possibly at the conference in September The Manchester MP Graham Stringer has called for this as well as one or two union leaders but it might prove difficult to organise such a coup during the holiday season and the consequent blood-letting and extended leadership contest might make a bad situation even worse.

So, which option is most liklely to be taken? I think option 2 is the most likely to happen as marginal MPs consider the fact that only 20 Labour MPs would survive a Glasgow swing repeated nationwide. A new leader might limit the damage and save many seats so it will be eagerly explored by the more marginal MPs. A voluntary standing down by Brown, followed by an uncontested lection would miminise the damage and it could be that a united group of seniors might convince Gordon the game is up.

However, both options 2. and 3. would involve installing a new PM unelected by voters as a whole and this would not go down well. At the moment, faux de mieux, option 1. looks the most likely and this is the really depressing aspect of the present situation. Labour is stuck with their 'loser' as getting rid of him will be even more harmful than sticking with him. Perhaps I should have indicated a 'Micawber option': something might(just) turn-up.