Apres Moi Le Deluge

In yesterday's Guardian Peter Wilby (a former editor of the New Statesman) argues that Cameron will win the next election and that, for Labour, this is a good thing because a period of Opposition will allow the party to renew and reinvigrate itself, choose a younger Leader, and so on. I have no idea what Wilby's politics are, but this is an argument which obviously appeals to many uber-Blairites, and possibly to Blair himself (the idea that Labour cannot win without him would appeal to his vanity). The danger, of course, is that Labour will not, as Wilby hopes, bounce back and win the election after next, but instead find itself in a long period of Opposition. In the end-game between the Brown and Blair camps Wilby's article does, however, highlight the key advantage that the uber-Blairites possess: Brown needs to keep the party united and in good shape in order to win elections (hence his reluctance to strike); whereas the Blairites can opt for an "apres moi le deluge" strategy.