Farewell Old Jim

I only found out yesterday that James Callaghan (and his wife Audrey) died while I was away. Callaghan remains my great hate figure amongst ex-Labour leaders, and the extent to which he is admired and Wilson is not remains a matter of great puzzlement to me. Callaghan was the slimiest, most vascillating, procrastinating, prognosticating git ever to hold high office in this country. He failed to call an election in October 1978 (when Labour would have won) and instead tried to put it off to the last moment, via various "pacts" and "deals" to support a government with a majority of minus 1. He still tried to hang on, to the extent of bringing Labour MPs in to vote from hospital and, in at least one case, probably hastening an MP's death. All so that he could remain prime minister for another month or so. And he still lost, thus ushering in the Thatcher era. Of course, many people think that this might have been all for the best, but it certainly wasn't all for the best for the people Callaghan claimed to represent. It was Callaghan who uttered the phrase, without apparently seeing that it said more about him than it did the state of British policitcs, that "if lower taxes are what the people want, then lower taxes are what we must give them". In other words, I don't give a fig about principles; I will do anything to stay in power.

That he failed to stay in power perhaps says something for the taste of the British public, although I doubt it. Council House sales won it for Maggie in May 1979.