Labour's
performance appeared self-assured and sure-footed only days ago. The
mines primed to detonate in their path had been swerved with some
swagger and to the mounting incredulity of witnesses. Despite the
gaps in their presentation, Mandelson and Campbell appeared to have
presented Labour as the underdog, humanised Brown, erased a thirteen
year record and turned the attention of the media on to Tory
policies. However, this elaborate ruse required strong roots if it
was to be sustained until election day. It also depended upon
continued Tory disarray.
The
problem is that Labour can only rely upon presentation as they have
run out of time to take the initiative. They are at the mercy of the
economic and social forces that they unleashed: an iron pincer
tattooed with taxes and cuts. That pincer is closing and no longer
can the presentation be sustained without one eye on the markets.
Hence Liam Byrne rowing back on his Bush impression of 'no new
taxes':
But on Tuesday Mr
Byrne attempted to dramatically row back from that position, fearing
he had tied the Chancellor's hands just days before the vital pre
election Budget is delivered.
When he was asked
by the BBC about whether he stood by his comments about ruling out a
Vat rise, he said: “No, I mean Chancellors reserve the right to
come back to tax matters at every budget.”
U-turns
and disarray commit the same sin as the accusations they cast against
their opponents. Now the union revenant, Unite, under Charlie Whelan
is bringing further discord and division into the arena:
Privately,
however, Downing Street acknowledges that the rows, which have
erupted in recent weeks over the selection of Labour parliamentary
candidates, are evidence of a battle for ascendancy within both the
union and the party.
Cashcroft
may have provided a soft libel, but Mandelson and Campbell must be
hoping things do not get worse.