Gordon Brown seems unable to get anything right, maybe it is because he has lost most of his key communications team, maybe it is just his leadership ability, it is hard to tell. But every bit of news about Labour is essentially another nail in his coffin. Perhaps the current story is the most damning, that internal Labour party democracy has been ignored in order, it appears, to prevent a challenge to him as leader. What is surprising is that, if this was intention as opposed to oversight, this was thought to be a good idea :no:.

It seems fairly obvious the media would find out, that members of the NEC and others within the party who either value the democratic procedures or think Brown needs replacing are going to make noise about it. What has appeared offers the wider public a further piece of evidence that Brown is trying to hold on despite the tide being against him. Whatever the truth of the matter, and whether this was a deliberate strategy, it has been an almight PR gaffe that damages a brand that is already on its last legs. Brown seems to see campaigning as about elections only and perhaps he sees that nothing needs to be done for a while yet. But the reality of modern politics is that he is prime minister in an era of permanent campaigning. He may have wanted to reject the image of being over-spun associated with the Blair government, but his lack of any concern for image means he will find it hard to recover without his opponents imploding. This may not seem like it, but it is a serious nail in his leadership's coffin and lets face the top is almost tight down at the moment.