The Spectator is not my favourite magazine (for very obvious reasons), however, their Coffee House blog can sometimes be an interesting read.

This headline in particular, made me smile tonight: ‘Labour Conference abolishes Britishness’.

Apparently, journos filling in application forms to attend this year’s Labour Conference, are shocked at their inability to declare their nationality as ‘British’ on the form. They have to choose from English, Northern Irish, Scottish, Welsh or a foreign nationality, instead.

This is an interesting administrative ‘oversight’ by the Party, given Gordon Brown’s neo-Unionist crusade of recent years.

In 2006, in an article for the Daily Telegraph (yes, I said the Daily Telegraph), Gordon Brown said, in a completely over-the-top statement: "It is now time for supporters of the Union to speak up, to resist any drift towards a Balkanisation of Britain." Bold words indeed from the man who rightly and immediately, recognised the new state of Kosovo, earlier this year.

Undeterred by this contradiction, Gordon has ploughed on, reiterating his message via another recent article for the Torygraph.

Two years on from the launch of Gordon’s ‘big-idea’, I think it is safe to assert that Britain - and importantly, England - has responded to his clarion call, with all the enthusiasm of John Terry being appointed Chelsea’s principal penalty taker.

In short, Gordon’s crusade on the Union has failed in message, direction and purpose. In the words of John Cleese in that famous sketch - "I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I’m looking at one right now".

Like John Major’s ‘Back to Basics’ policy that failed to connect with voters in 1993, Gordon’s neo-Unionism is of no relevance to the punters either.

Whether its Usk, Ullapool or Uttoxeter - neo-Unionism is proving to be an electoral turn-off, at a time when Labour needs turn-out.

Its time to find policies for the moment, not the past.

(This post first appeared on the Evidently Chickentown Blog on 23rd May 2008)