Cui Bono?

The Telegraph are leading on further revelations of the long held view that during the Labour Years, Brown & Blaire were engaged in an ongoing battle for the keys to Number 10.  Although constantly rumoured at the time and confirmed later in memoirs, today's news takes it a step further with the publication of memos.

The BBC's take on the story was that this was really only of interest for historians.  For me this analysis is shallow in the extreme because I think it is very telling. I would also question if it is of such inconsequence, why the BBC are running it near the top of the news.  I suspect their view is the story behind the "story".

Although I agree with few of his opinions, Tony Benn once offered a sound piece of advice in a documentary on spin.  His advice was that when you hear or read a story, ask yourself who benefits from that story being told in that way.

As this story tells about the Brownite plot to take over No10, the current top two at Labour Milliband and Balls are implicated.  However, Balls seems to be positioned as more of a key player, especially when one looks at the graphics placing Balls right at the centre of this plot.

The relevance?  Well Milliband is taking something of a kicking at the moment.  His honeymoon period as Labour leader is over.  Rumours grow that the party has lost direction and has reverted to the class war model to cover up their paucity on policy.  Milliband needs a distraction from those stories.

Step forward Ed Balls.  Reports are emerging reports that some of the hatchet men of the dark days of New Labour are starting to return to the fold.  The jungle drums also seem to be raising the question of whether Balls is back into his mode of briefing against key figures for his own aim.

How timely therefore that a story appears, highlighting Balls previous plotting activity.  How beautifully barbed that it shows his willingness to engage in this sort of behaviour in the middle of a terror crisis and the subtle implication of what a cold hearted plotter he must be.

To politicians, this or something similar is probably closer to the real story. 

But for us, it still isn't the real story.  Salacious though it might sound to politicians and the press we the great unwashed get more dejected for what passes for democracy in this country.  For the public, the real story is why in the midst of some of our big challenges, do we have politicians spending time plotting their own paths to personal power.