a theory doing the rounds

I’ve wondered here before about that section of New Labour which specifically owes its loyalty to the dear leader, and he alone. Another datapoint in that direction from the New Statesman:

So why has the Labour machine gone so quiet? There is another theory doing the rounds in the Brownite camp. Apart from the obvious issues of resources, the Chancellor's people suspect a lack of political will because of personal connections between the Cameroons and the Blairites. A particular bone of contention is the friendship between Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, Blair's head of strategy, and Rachel Whetstone, a top Tory apparatchik who also happens to be the partner of Cameron's right-hand man and PR guru, Steve Hilton.

It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise if post-ideological politics generates a cadre of professional political managers with an occupational affinity towards each other and no particular loyalty to anything except the next exciting project. What happens when some of the people in the big tent decide to take the tent with them when they leave? After all, they helped to build it.

Comments

[Alex]

Oh God, I knew I should have paid attention to all those miles and miles and miles of Grauniad Diary toss about who "Oofy" Wegg-Prosser was drinking his pret with now. But I guess I just wasn't that boring.