Brown’s decline is terminal

On Tuesday the must read column is Rachel Sylvester’s.  Today she gives Brown both barrels.

Here we go:

Across Whitehall civil servants are carefully pulling back from the Labour administration. I am told that it is getting harder to recruit fast-streamers for plum jobs in ministerial private offices - the bright young things don't want to become too associated with the politicians of what they assume to be an out-going regime. Ministers have a growing sense that officials are dragging their feet on policy. “It's as if they're playing for time until the next lot get in, and that creates some tensions,” an aide says. The meetings between senior civil servants and opposition frontbenchers that take place before every election are being conducted with “more seriousness” this time.

Now we get on to how Ministers are spending their time as the economy sinks.  On Harriet Harman:

Her demand for an inquiry into whether City bonuses discriminate against women was viewed as a cynical attempt to jump on to a populist bandwagon. “Harriet's positioning like mad,” one senior figure says. “She's written off the election and she's thinking about herself.”

Moving on:

Ministers claim that Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, is “on manoeuvres” with speaking engagements to party groups all over the country.

And onto the younger novices:

Ed Miliband's opposition to the third runway at Heathrow was interpreted by MPs (and No 10) as an attempt to appeal to Labour's green wing. Mr Purnell's pronouncements on child poverty are scrutinised for signs of modernising zeal.

Even Labour MP’s are not worrying about the economy:

The bars and tearooms of Westminster are buzzing with ever more bizarre rumours that Mr Brown could create a government of national unity with Vince Cable in the Cabinet.

If that wasn't enough:

“There is a massive sense of fatalism both among MPs and civil servants,” a former Cabinet minister says. “Gordon's lost all authority. How can this go on for another 16 months?”

Wonderful Rachel offers no solutions, because there aren't any.  Brown will stagger on, he won’t resign.  There is no alternative.  Even if he did, the consequences for the credibility of the Government would be fatal.  What are we to have?  A leadership election that rips the Labour party apart using the complex leadership rules?  I don’t think so.

Just as interesting is that civil service have virtually given up.  This must be very worrying for Brown.  No wonder he was keen to deny access to the opposition parties.

Even Mandy shows signs that it all over.  I will expand on this in a another post.

The game is up.  The long march to electoral defeat is gathering momentum.