Compromise candidates only last so long, as Alex Scott found to his cost last night.

Pushed forward by the Jennifer Smith wing as the man to stop Ewart Brown in 2003, he always knew it was only a matter of time before his number two took another shot at the top job.

And this time the challenger, buoyed by a stellar performance in Tourism, had the momentum behind him.

Against him Mr. Scott, 66, looked like a tired-looking man leading a tired-looking government ? older than the six years that separated him from his challenger.

Keen to placate the Brown wing he had sought to promote its candidates to Cabinet and keep those already there.

Yet he was cruelly rewarded when two of them openly coming out in support of his challenger.

Keen to appease the radicals who had been frustrated by the conservative nature of the Jennifer Smith years he put Independence on the agenda.

But the bid stalled while his social agenda seemed like pure Alex Scott spin ? nice sounding but lacking any substance.

Sustainable development sounded like a great idea, but was discredited when his Government initially seriously suggesting building a hospital on one of Bermuda?s most prestigious chunks of open land?

Backtracks on Independence and the hospital were needed, but only gave the impression of a man going around in circles rather than taking the Country forward.

Beyond that, Mr. Scott?s programme seemed to be a lot anodyne stuff which sounded well and good but hardly helped those in chronic need who had waited patiently during the UBP years but were wondering why making ends meet had actually got worse under their own Government.

While the PLP remained slightly ahead in the polls, a worryingly large amount of voters were backing no one and Mr. Scott?s personal approval ratings were stuck well below 50 percent.

Not a healthy state for a party which had scraped in last time with some seats being decided on single digits.

He may have given one of the best speeches of his life on Wednesday, but a drab performance last night when he needed to sparkle confirmed to them that he had run out of steam.

Delegates were hungry for meaty politics and dynamism which would put clear distance between them and the UBP breathing down their necks.

Ever affable and humble Mr. Scott said earlier this week that losing the Premiership would not be a such a tragedy.

And he certainly would not be storming off in a huff.

?If I lose I will be in central committee on Monday, and the parliamentary group Wednesday.?

Mr. Scott, who said he had worked his way up the political ladder, said: ?I don?t mind retracing my steps going down.

?I am PLP. Cut me and I bleed green.?

Last night the PLP cut Mr. Scott loose from the Premiership ? but it is unlikely to leave him in the wilderness for long.