Thank you for your answer, Richard.

The only way forward that I can see (apart from the emergence of a truly popular and competent left wing party) is root-and-branch reform of the Labour Party. At the moment I despise that shower of self-righteous, hypocritical shites and will not vote for them again in their present form. It is they who lost the last election - and let the Tories in again (it's truly lucky for us all that they didn't get an overall majority).

I suspect that the LP can only be reformed by their rank-and-file. But they're all still fantasising about being noble, horny-handed sons and daughters of toil (in site of the fact that most of them are teachers, chartered accountants etc.) whilst letting the likes of Blair, Mandelson, Brown et al. walk all over them. I have a horrible feeling that the LP actually LIKE being in opposition - especially in opposition to a rabid, right-wing Tory government. Then they can come all over self-righteous and censorious without actually having to do anything sensible.