The increasingly impressive James Purnell mooted some pretty well trodden ideas last week. The former Labour MP had the audacity to question whether millionaires should really get a pensioners free bus pass and state supplied fuel. A long overdue debate, but Labour grassroots have whipped themselves up into a fury of self-righteousness, that only they do best. The pitchforks and iPads have been out in force, culminating in one of the greatest headlines on LabourList that Guido has seen in a long time:

“Purnell is a heretic, and he’s in the wrong party”

He should then of course be burnt at the social-democratic stake right? Sentiments like that go a long way to explain Labour aren’t being taken seriously. A well deserved Order of the OTT…