“The hand that wields the knife shall never wear the crown.”
Pontypridd Labour MP may well be musing on the often quoted saying though oddly it's origins see, the be recent than Shakespeare.
Pontypridd MP Owen Smith well be musing over this as considers whether to stand for for the Labour leadership against Jeremy Corbyn
He has said he stands ready to do “anything” he can to save the Labour party.
The former Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary is the bookies’ favourite to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader but he called on his colleagues to give talks to “restore unity” a chance.
What he means by this s clear does he want Corbyn to quit and then present himself not as the man who stabbed his leader in the back or even front.
Or does he seek Corbyn anointing him as heir as he accepts that he cannot go on leading a Parliamentary Party.in the hop that there will be no contest and he will not face the wrath of of the grassroots members?
Leading Labour figures, including Mr Smith, have quit Mr Corbyn’s frontbench team and last week he lost a vote of no confidence by 172 votes to 40.
He said,
“Over the last week, I have been contacted by hundreds of Labour members and MPs deeply worried that the Labour Party is truly in danger of splitting apart. I share those fears and call on everyone in our movement to do all we can to avert such a disastrous outcome.
“I stand ready to do anything I can to save and serve the party. Yesterday, I spoke directly with Len McCluskey of Unite and met with our leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to explore what I can do to try and heal the rifts that have opened up in our movement. On behalf of the trades unions, Len has reassured me that the talks he has opened up between Jeremy and Tom Watson have been productive and has asked that they are given more time this weekend to see what further progress can be made towards a resolution.
“Jeremy has also reassured me that he is engaging in talks with an open mind. I believe that all of us whose priority is to restore unity in the Labour movement and give us a chance to defeat our only true enemy, the Tories, should give these talks every chance to succeed.
“That is what I intend to do and I urge all my colleagues to do likewise.”
Mr Smith and Labour should beware. A Welshman as leader will face the same "racist" scorn of the London Media that Gordon Brown and Neil Kinnock met and the Tories will use the argument that some of his own used against Strphen Crabb that because of the English Votes for English Laws (EVEL) procedure in Westminster having a leader or PM setting a legislative agenda on which swathes of it he or she cannot vote is inconvenient at best
Indeed Mr Smith would probably have to defer to his Deputy to speak on English legislation .
If Mr Smith was to succeed without a contest getting the backing of nearly all 172 rebels with Corbyn or another left candidate from the 40 loyalist putting up a Candidate who loses n the membership vote , Then will he unite the party.
Probably not there may well be many who think that this was as the intention of the Blarites alll along setting up Angela Eagle as a sacrificial Lamb . So that "Mr Clean" can emerge without causing to much discontent.
Is this the case will it work something in me thinks both.
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