THERE comes a tipping point in the lives of all governments where no matter what it does it is unable to regain the initiative and ensure both that it can get its policies through the Commons and maintain a healthy lead over the Opposition.
For Gordon Brown that point came when he suddenly changed his mind and decided against the snap General Election which until then had been widely speculated about. Following that humiliating loss of nerve, he was never able to escape the impression that he was a vain and entitled man who had been all consumed over the previous years by his grudges and resentments against Tony Blair. It seemed that having spent so much time and energy scheming to get himself into Number 10, he had little idea what to do once he got there.
Theresa May always led a febrile and unruly Tory party, but her tipping point came after the snap General Election that she did go for, only to lose her Commons majority. She was determined to continue as though nothing had happened. At that point she attracted the contempt of much of the public as well as her own Brextremist back benchers.
John Major likewise had his problems. Despite a slim Commons majority and pro-Brexit backbenchers who held him hostage, his real problems with the public came when the Conservatives were hit with a series of scandals concerning sleaze and allegations of impropriety. That sounds familiar doesn't it. In hindsight, Major's defeat in the General Election of 1997 was inevitable.
Now, once again we have a Tory party that is mired in allegations of sleaze and improper behaviour. Despite winning a landslide majority just two years ago, there are signs that the Johnson regime has already reached the point of no return…
This piece is an extract from today's REAL Scottish Politics newsletter, which is emailed out at 7pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Wee Ginger Dug.
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