…behind the ‘Brown bottles it’ headlines, the widespread expressions of surprise and outrage at his decision not to go for an autumn election seem a bit naive. Nobody should be shocked to discover that Brown and New Labour are not up for a fight (or be fooled by the Conservatives’ displays of empty bravado, either). The election-that-never-was fiasco fits into the pattern of unprincipled manoeuvring, indecisive leadership and mistrust of the public that characterises contemporary British politics…