Goodbye Blair, hello Brown

So, now we have a new Prime Minister. Heralded in unopposed, we now have a PM selected by default. What does this 'new start' to British politics presage? Well, the comments of Brown on taking up office seem clear - the dissolution of party politics. I have thought for some time that the only difference between a one-party state and a two-party state is simply one party (OK, we are a 2.3 party state, but everybody knows the liberal democrats will never get elected). Now Brown reveals that his ambitions for Britain are a government of national unity. Well, it happened before, under Churchill during the war, and I vaguely recall from my student days studying politics that under Labour in the 1930's there was a disastrous attempt at such a government.

So, Labour has drifted from socialism to neo-Thatcherism under Blair's New Labour, and now Brown hopes to extend this into a New Politics where parties are redundant. Sounds like a one-party state to me. Still, at least it will avoid the embarrassment of elections where most of the electorate don't bother to vote, and of those who do less than half vote for the part in power. In the one party state of New Britain, every vote will count - and the majority of votes will be for the party that is in power. Who knows, that sole party may even get to achieve a majority of possible votes - although I suspect even less people will bother to vote at all under Brown's New Britain.

Brown looks so serious, but when he attempts a smile, it looks more scary than that mask on 'Scream'? His must be the most scary smile in politics.

Mish