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Written by Austin Mitchell
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03 October 2003 |
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Woe is us. We should have told Tony he`s on probation. Instead folk wanted to comfort him after his battering and overdid it into a Nuremberg frenzy of approbation.
Ms Bishop told me off for not standing for the ovations. It was my responsibility as an MP. I explained I was next to Bob Marshall Andrews who has a heart condition and only one leg. This didn`t satisfy. She went to report us to the Arrangements Committee.
Tony gets away totally unrepentant and Labour`s in a Popemobile with only forward gears, no reverse and no steering wheel, stuck in the middle of the road.
Tony`s theme was that he`ll carry on doing what the party doesn`t want. “Love me or f*** off” as Alistair put it. Gordon says “I`m getting on building a Labour society while that bastard`s off f****** up the world”. The rest of us milled round wondering what will be handed down next in our top down party.
But at least we`re going to listen, though I can`t tell what on, or to whom. Not the Party. Not the Unions. Not the PLP. Not the Cabinet. Not the nasty Media.
It`ll be the Chums. Like before. Tony`s a brilliant listener. An even better explainer and he means it, how he means it. At the time. But hearing isn`t his forte. |
