I've long thought that the worst thing that happened to Labour was the death of John Smith.
If John Smith had been leader in '97, Labour would have got a smaller majority, hopefully would not have been distracted by fanciful ideas that distracted the government from its core aims as there was more danger in losing at the next election (such was the majority in '97 that short of a catastrophe they were bound to get in next time). He, hopefully, would have reigned in Blair and Brown from their feud. He could have kept an eye on Brown at the Treasury, and, hopefully, would not have been afraid to sack him if necessary (and would also understand what was going on). Blair would have gone to the Home Office and may have been a more stable presence there, or Business Secretary, which would have left Mandelson in the comparative cold. He might have been less willing to appease George W (no 'Yo, Smith' that's for sure), and definitely less willing to appease the monied. Minimum wage would still have happened, the NHS would have been safe, he was wary about the shift to a service economy, he was safe on employment and the mixed economy (I suspect PFIs wouldn't have happened, or at least not in the manner they did).
A load of 'if's I know but I don't think I am alone in thinking his untimely death was a loss to the country.
