A tiny crack in the facade. posted by Richard Seymour

When there is trouble at the top of government, the BBC seems to take on the role of a Greek chorus, advising the audience as to the secret motivations of the characters (as when some pillock stands in Downing Street and tells us what Blair "genuinely believes"), offering general commentary and demonstrating to the audience what their ideal reaction should be (astonished gasp, applause, shriek of horror, laughter, intense admiration, fascination... etc etc). Today's conference was, for your information, "an emotional Labour gathering", which is to say that the upper middle class Westminster media village, frequently derided by the Blairites in public, are sorrowful at the passing of a leader so dedicated to them and people like them.

But, amid the faithful retelling of soundbites from today's predictably dull tara from the tyrannical bigot who still gets to call himself Prime Minister, there was one small admission: