In Monty Python’s Life of Brian there is a famous scene in which Graham Chapman, pursued by a mob convinced it has found the new Messiah, turns on his tormentors and beseeches them: “You don’t need a Messiah. You don’t need anyone. You’ve got to work it out for yourselves”.
“Yes”, they reply in unison, “we’ve got to work it out for ourselves…tell us more!”
The desperation with which the Labour party is begging senior MPs to furnish it with “a proper leadership debate” has become Pythonesque. “Bestow a debate on us”, we cry. “Empower us.” (more…)