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How brutal is the political life. Survey that cabinet table: every minister is facing near impossible portfolios lacking the resources to do what they know is needed.

The legacy they received was more disastrous than expected: they were left with traps, deceptive pitfalls and gaping holes. Leaving the European Union is emerging as more economically devastating than expected, currently costing the exchequer £80bn annually.

The Obstacles Accumulating

They face bad luck: the Trump destroyer coincided with their watch. What worse mishap than a jail staff member setting free a rejected refugee sex offender? Channel migrants feel relentless.

A poorly timed deputy leadership election right now was bound to give Keir Starmer a setback. The minimal electoral backing at the Caerphilly Senedd by-election might not even be their worst performance.

They anticipate brickbats, but they are human. As often, the Labour MP dares say what everyone observes: that we're experiencing "deep disillusionment in this country at the moment" and "a growing sense of despair about whether anyone is capable of turning this country round".

Voter Perception Confuses

Yet, even so, the current vitriolic state of public opinion is puzzling and worrying. The Prime Minister is the least popular prime minister ever. Truly?

He is a honorable, committed person of positive aims, without undue arrogance or ego. Compare that with the former Prime Minister, the brief Conservative leader, or the relaxed confidence of the ex-Prime Minister, each achieving minimal to explain their overconfidence.

Governing Difficulties

But, say the people, the Labour leader is more ineffective. As the nation's leader, he lacks personal magnetism, according to critics: more seriously, he doesn't possess policy adaptability, innovative approaches or instinct for public sentiment.

Labour blundered concerning decreases for retirees and individuals with special needs, offset by generosity elsewhere. Unsure which demographic to target, the party has left positive initiatives uncelebrated, including employment protections to environmental funding, housing projects and employment assurances for young people.

Governing Philosophy

Numerous close advisers continue to believe conservative-leaning voters needs wooing, when significantly more electors have leaned liberal since the government formed. Survey specialist John Curtice cautions leadership to cease pursuing Reform voters: they're lost.

The Prime Minister is failing; the evidence is clear when pollsters suggest no politician would bounce back from these record-low ratings.

Yet, during unprecedented territory of remarkable instability, history may be no guide. Starmer pulled Labour from the aftermath of the previous leadership slough of despond that history said couldn't be fixed in one term.

Potential Scenarios

Would anyone else perform more effectively, or have we reached a virtually unmanageable, insatiable public state of mind? Any government may be opposed with similar speed after taking office, however great its landslide victory, except if it comes in a gilded chariot offering substantial benefits for underfunded government departments and financially strained households.

Unsurprisingly, concern within the parliamentary party will make talk of leadership change rife if the spring local elections go according to negative projections – or, various commentators argue, earlier.

Future Directions

Here's ministers' paradox: Labour's only hope emerges from difficulty. Prepare for being wiped out whatever, so use this massive majority for four more years to follow their natural social democratic instinct: make radical tax reforms, raising plenty.

Prepare for opposition the next election, so implement all policies immediately. Forget opinion polls and voter research; enable the public to witness authentic dedication. The only way to restore some respect is to implement openly what they think most right and fair.

• This credibility has become crucial to rescue the country from disaster
• The clear signal from Caerphilly showed the powerful "stop Reform" impulse
• A substantial majority of remarkable voter participation rallying to prevent Reform success
• Such strategy demands strategic electoral support for the strongest progressive option

The Chancellor rightly calls Reform "the primary risk" to our way of life. As the opposition effectively combine with Reform, an electoral pact of some kind looms.

Labour's duty is to take all necessary measures to block this outcome. Prepare for coalition, remain palatable for like-minded parties when political labels matters less than the fundamental boundary against a governance risk unseen in contemporary politics.

This represents a mission to overcome hopelessness.