General Election 2010: Was car crash symbolic? No, said Mandelson. Tersely

Published on Friday 30 April 2010 23:03

IT WAS a moment that seemed to encapsulate an election campaign which has at times looked like a slow-motion car crash spread over four painful weeks.

• Labour attempts to get their election quest back on track were undermined by a bizarre car crash near where they campaigning yesterday. Picture: Getty Images

Just as Labour activists were thinking nothing else could go wrong – it did.

At 9:30am, an embattled Gordon Brown hauled himself up for another day of campaigning to unveil a new poster in Birmingham. As he was about to make a speech, surrounded by many of the most senior members of his Cabinet, a refuse van passed by with the occupants leaning out hurling abuse at the Labour contingent. So far, so bad.

But then, preoccupied with berating the Prime Minister, the van driver failed to see an oncoming VW Golf whose driver then swerved into a bus stop. Smash.

As one Labour source noted: "You just couldn't make it up."

In the aftermath, as Labour supporters rushed to the scene of the accident to help, Lord Mandelson was asked if the crash was a metaphor for a campaign which has stumbled from one disaster to another. "No," he replied, tersely.

Having in many people's eyes destroyed any hope of salvaging his campaign by calling Rochdale pensioner Gillian Duffy "bigoted" on a live mike, Mr Brown found himself faced with another furious grandmother yesterday on a visit to a school.

The woman was enraged because her grandson, who has severe behavioural problems, was removed from Blidworth Oaks Primary School in Mansfield by the school authorities without the knowledge of Mr Brown ahead of his visit.

It provided more footage of an enraged voter screaming abuse at a man who is now trying to salvage second place from the Lib Dems.

BUT even though yesterday's events were outside the Prime Minster's and Labour's control, plenty of other incidents could have been avoided. Instead, they have brought the party to the brink of an "historic meltdown", in the words of SNP leader Alex Salmond.

For many, Labour has been on a one-way road to defeat and humiliation since Mr Brown became party leader in 2007 and effectively managed to stop any possibility of a challenge.

One Labour MP told The Scotsman: "The faults were always there – the grumpiness, the inability to listen to different points of view, the bullying, the inability to take a risk or make a decision – but the party sleep-walked into just letting him become leader".

Those faults were first badly exposed when Mr Brown bottled his chance of winning an election by calling a snap poll in the autumn of 2007. From then on, Labour's position in the polls never properly recovered, despite the dip in Tory support just before the election was called on 12 April.

However, despite being on a one-way road, the party had opportunities to steer off and take a different route.

At least three attempted coups came to nought despite ministerial resignations including David Cairns from the Scotland Office and, last summer, James Purnell from the Cabinet. The infamous lack of bottle appears to have been equally true for the likes of Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Home Secretary Alan Johnson, the most likely challengers.

After the last attempted coup in January, instigated by disgruntled former Cabinet minister Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt, one Labour MP told The Scotsman that Labour had meekly accepted defeat to avoid the short-term difficulty of changing leader.

With no further challenges likely, the party let its leader be ruled by his legendary caution and he waited until the last possible moment to call an election.

In the meantime, though, Mr Brown seemed unable to match his more nimble opponents David Cameron and Nick Clegg to tackle the crisis of the expenses scandal.

And the issue haunted him on the very day he asked the Queen for an election when the Labour Expenses Three – Livingston's Jim Devine along with David Chaytor and Elliot Morley – were given legal aid to defend themselves in court.

Beleaguered, he needed to perform strongly in the historic Prime Ministerial debates – but here, despite being a former television journalist, Mr Brown had a weak first outing, allowing the fresh-looking Mr Clegg to steal a march and see the Lib Dems surge ahead of Labour in the polls.

MR BROWN and his colleagues, whose strategy was focused on the dangers of a Tory government, seemed unable to confront the new challenge and looked stuck between going for a coalition government or an all-out win.

But as he limped through the campaign and a second TV debate, Mr Brown was to meet his nemesis in Rochdale – a lifelong Labour supporter, former care worker for disabled children and grandmother, Mrs Duffy, whose crime was to ask him about the economy and immigration. Mr Brown's mistake was to not turn off his mike but the live feed of him describing this core Labour voter as a "bigot" led many activists to admit defeat.

The incident left him even more tired and battered and ill-prepared for his last big chance: a television debate on his favourite subject – the economy. The snap polls showed that he flunked it again.

The image of his wife Sarah as he tried to rouse the troops in Birmingham one more time after the debate showed a woman close to tears.

Yesterday, Mr Brown wheeled out his old rival Tony Blair as a last-minute weapon like Marley's ghost. But the former PM's words of Labour having "every chance of winning" were not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Mr Brown said yesterday that he would "fight until the last second" for victory, but perhaps Labour's best hope is that, in the next five days, he does not do anything that will make their prospects even worse, and the party can damp down the civil war which defeat would bring on 6 May.

Bumps in the road – the signs of a likely election disaster

24 JUNE, 2007:

Gordon Brown elected leader, squeezing out all possibility of a challenge

OCTOBER 2007:

Bottles out of calling an early election when he could have won after the Tories see a boost in the polls

24 JULY, 2008:

The historic loss of one of Labour's safest seats, Glasgow East, to the SNP severely damages Labour's standing and Mr Brown's authority

16 SEPTEMBER, 2008:

First attempted coup on Gordon Brown includes resignation of Scotland Office minister David Cairns, but fails

4 JUNE, 2009:

Terrible council results lead to a rash of ministerial resignations, including high-flier James Purnell from the Cabinet, but likely contenders such as David Miliband and Alan Johnson step back from removing Mr Brown from office

5 JANUARY, 2010:

Last attempt at a coup initiated by former Cabinet ministers Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt fails

6 APRIL, 2010:

Gordon Brown lets slip the worst-kept secret in British politics and announces 6 May election

12 APRIL, 2010:

It emerges that the three Labour MPs in court for alleged fraud over their expenses, including Livingston MP Jim Devine, will receive legal aid for their defence just a day before Gordon Brown calls the election

15 APRIL, 2010:

First prime ministerial debate exposes Brown's shortcomings in the modern political arena. His party is overtaken by the Liberal Democrats after Nick Clegg's performance

22 APRIL, 2010:

Gordon Brown emerges from the second debate still trailing Conservative leader David Cameron and Lib Dem chief Mr Clegg

28 APRIL, 2010:

Calls grandmother and lifelong Labour voter Gillian Duffy "bigoted" when he thought he was in the safety of his own car. Mr Brown had left the microphone on

29 APRIL, 2010:

Labour's Twitter tsar Kerry McCarthy faces jail after revealing secret postal ballot returns on Twitter and Mr Brown badly loses the final TV debate on his favourite subject, the economy. Ends the debate with another forced smile