You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone

A botched change to the 10p tax rate; the Northern Rock crisis and the credit crunch, have all contributed to Brown's poll ratings being the worst any PM has suffered since Chamberlain.
There are now growing calls from Labour MP's for Brown to go. Ironically, a number of the so-called rebels are the same people who were urging Blair to go last year.
But would a change of leader change Labour's fortunes? Well, not according to the polls. The only Labour figure that would close the current 20 point gap between Labour and the Conservative Party is - Tony Blair.
Indeed, should Brown be forced to resign, it is inconceivable that a new Prime Minister would not be obliged to go to the country immediately to seek a mandate. A General Election any time during the next six months would, in my opinion, see Labour pummeled at the polls.
And that is why, across the Parliamentary Labour Party, there will be little appetite for a leadership change. Many Labour MP's know that if Brown gets his P45 any time soon, they will get theirs too.
Odd as it may seem, Brown is Labour's only hope of revival. He is expecting the economy to get worse before it gets better. But, if he can hold on to the tiller until the time that economic conditions do improve, he figures he still has a chance of securing a fourth consecutive General Election victory for his party.
Unlikely as that may seem, it is absolutely right that Labour will have a much better chance of success in 2010 than it has in 2008/09. If I were a Labour MP, I would keep my head down, my fingers crossed, and pray that Brown hangs on.