That knockout punch will land on Thursday when Labour loses almost half the seats it won in 1992, without anything like a comparable slump in its share of the poll. Suddenly Gerald Kaufman's suggestion will seem hideously relevant. The high minded will be disappointed, and the cynics not surprised, that it was political self interest which made the difference. But constitutional changes have always been built on the calculation of party interest. That is why Labour supported PR when it was the third party and why the Liberals support it now.
Politicians have a moral obligation to put their principles into practice.
Throwing away the chance is a dereliction of duty. Tony Blair knows that. The absurd system for the European elections was tolerable because he did not care about the outcome. But he cares about the outcome of general elections more than any party leader I have ever known. Proportional representation guarantees coalition and coalition ensures that a party of the centre is permanently in government.