An incredibly telling paragraph in the Guardian obituary of Peter Snape

"He was also a skilful political tactician, a natural for the Labour whips’ office, in which he served in the difficult days of the Wilson and Callaghan governments before 1979. 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."