Oppositzia

Never elected leader of his party, he stepped into the shoes of a more powerful, competent and successful figure who was sadly forced out of office. From this unelected position, he is about to go to into treaty negotiations which could have far reaching implications on issues of sovereignty and defence of the nation.

You’re thinking Olmert right?

Well, it could just as well be Gordon Brown who stepped into the shoes of a three-term prime minister who was evicted from Downing Street by what can only be described as a bloodless coup led by a band of leftist ministers opposed to the war in Iraq. Sharon’s eviction from office took an altogether different form.

As of about two months ago coattailers Olmert and Brown, looked as smug as economy passengers sipping champagne in free first class seats. And along with smugness comes arrogance. Olmert ready to sign away most of Judea and Samaria plus half of Jerusalem without consulting his own people, and Brown refusing a referendum on the signing of a new Euro-constitution ceding vital national powers to Brussels.

That was until last month’s Conservative Party conference. New opposition leader David Cameron delivered a masterful keynote speech. Without notes or an autocue, he spoke to the hearts of British people for 50 minutes. In return, they rewarded him with a sharp turnaround in the opinion polls. Buoyed by this vote of confidence, young Cameron set about mauling Gordon Brown at successive encounters in the House of Commons, taunting him to call the election from which he had run scared. Whilst many pundits were quick to declare Brown mortally wounded, it seems clear that he may never recover the authority he hoped to command by taking over Blair’s mantle.

All very interesting, you may say. But, what has this got to do with Likud and the price of tea in China?

Well, I come back to my opening paragraph; a tale of two unelected and unwanted prime ministers. But in a democracy, for every prime minister there must be a leader of the opposition. Whilst the leader of Her Majesty’s opposition has been doing a splendid job on Gordon Brown, I wish the same could be said of our own Bibi Netanyahu!

However inferior Gordon Brown may be when compared to Tony Blair in terms of charisma and debating skills, Brown has the look and feel of an honest and decent fellow. If Cameron were still able to make a laughing stock of Brown, how much easier should it be for Bibi to demolish Olmert in the Knesset? How easy to put down an unelected leader totally discredited for his conduct of the Lebanon War, cowering under no less than three police investigations for financial and political corruption, who lost his treasury minister to yet another fraud investigation and whose right hand man has just been re-hired after being convicted of sexual harassment.

Instead of attacking Olmert, Bibi sent him congratulations on the air force operation in Syria that non-one wants to talk about. And look what that got him? A chorus of Kadima abuse.

Come on Bibi! Do a Cameron!

Take the gloves off and show us some real opposition.