Democracy - Brown's Achilles Heel

My colleague Martin Bright makes this interesting point on his Spectator blog:

This really is a clever little wheeze from Geoff Hoon and Patricia
Hewitt. Why did no one think of a secret ballot before? People have
been fixated on Cabinet delegations and rebels instead of calling
Gordon Brown's bluff on this most serious of issues - democracy.

The Prime Minister whom no one has voted into office, who stood
unopposed for the leadership and who has surrounded himself with
unelected ministers is now offered the perfect opportunity to give
himself a mandate.