An incredibly telling passage in the Guardian obituary of Peter Snape

'On one occasion, he was profoundly shocked, when sitting on the government bench as the “duty whip” during a late-night debate, to be unexpectedly joined by the prime minister, James Callaghan, who asked him conversationally (and sotto voce) if he had ever thought of emigrating because “this country is finished”. Snape was still a relatively new and young MP and discreetly kept this exchange entirely private.'