Scraping the barrel
Tomorrow, Members of Parliament will vote on the issue of 42-day detention. Whether Gordon Brown strings enough votes together to get the legislation passed or not, the Government’s political reputation has suffered badly because of it, and so has his.
The legislation was designed as a political calculation to outflank the Conservatives and make the Prime Minister appear tough on security. Political self interest was at the core of the exercise. Yet it has now backfired.
Faced with criticism from many quarters, and possible defeat, the Government has been offering potentially rebellious MPs concessions and compromises.
Gordon Brown once had the reputation of being a master political strategist. That reputation is now in tatters as a new poll published today shows that Gordon Brown’s leadership standing has fallen dramatically.
The electorate see the Prime Minister as a leader who has no big story to tell and is obsessed by short term gimmicks. Just look at the way he reacted to inheritance tax and the non-dom issue. It backfired royally. Extending pre-charge detention for terrorist suspects from 28 to 42 days is just another product of mere political calculation. It hasn’t worked.
He may win tomorrow. But the central objective of trying to push the Conservatives into a corner has failed, and his moral authority has been yet again impaired.