Better news for Brown in the Indy poll
Wednesday’s Indy poll is interesting reading. It reduces the Tories lead from 11 points last month to 4 points. This is the first poll which really takes onboard last weeks budget. Although the Times came out with a poll last week, it really takes a while for the potential effects of the budget to filter through. Perhaps its not looking that bad for Brown.
The best thing for the Blairites to do is not field a candidate
In another day of speculation about the Labour leadership contest, the Guardian tells us that the Blairites are scrabbling around to find a viable candidate to face Brown to prevent his “bandwagon running out of control and sweeping up more Blairite ministers in a canvassing operation.” They may yet find themselves a willing sacrifice candidate. However, the best thing for the Blairites to do would be not to field a candidate.
Brown is currently being trouced in the polls. There may be a bounce when he is finally crowned king, but it will be short lived because voters have already made up their minds about Brown’s ability to run the country. Brown also faces the challenge of renewing the Labour party whilst still in power, a difficult feat that no one has achieved before. Under these conditions it appears he will lose the next election.
The next election will be the equivalent of the 1992 election: the one Major should have lost. It is the one Labour should lose. We have a Tory party that under Cameron is beginning to change and become electable again. But this is presently all spin, there is little or no substance in the way of policy. Cameron’s Conservatives will not have made the fundamental changes needed to prepare for government by the time an election is called in 2009. If Cameron does win, it will be on a wafer thin majority without the necessary ideological direction needed to bring about fundamental change to the British political landscape. Cameron will be in government but not in power and it will not last long.
Brown supports Mandelson on Europe
It seems that Gordon is keen to show his unifying side this week. According to the Sunday Times, Gordon’s going to launch a new document on Thursday, signed by 50 business men, urging for greater European unity on business.
What’s interesting about this, is not just that Brown is eurosceptic yet wants to promote greater EU integration on business issues, but the fact that the organisation launching the document is Business for New Europe, a group with close ties to Peter Mandelson (the group’s Chairman Roland Rudd is a close friend of Mandelson). It is, in fact, widely believed that this organisation was set up one year ago to counter the threat Mandelson was facing from the more right wing eurosceptic organisations.
Given Brown and Mandelson’s history and after a weekend in which Mandelson openly attacked Brown and urged Miliband to stand, its surprising Brown’s willing to support them. But I suppose, if the Indys to be believed, Mandelson’s “botched coup” has actually helped Brown’s campaign.
Mirror regurgitates exclusive
Today’s Mirror has an exclusive on David Mili-Me. The headline screams “Exclusive: I do not want to be PM,” yet no where in the article is Mili-Me actually quoted as saying this. The article is in fact a regurgitated story found in almost all of today’s papers. In the article Miliband’s only comment (which can be found almost everywhere else) is what a wonderful job Brown will do as PM.
Although I am convinced Mili-Me will not stand, someone still needs to ask him a question such as this one, suggested by Iain Dale.
“General Sherman once said: ‘If drafted I will not run. If nominated I will not accept. If elected I will not serve’. Lyndon Johnson said something similar: ‘I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my Party…’ Do these quotes sum up your position vis a vis the Labour Party leadership?”
Let’s see him wiggle out of that one!
Brown gives up his Kit-Kat
No wonder Brown’s getting peckish during PMQs. In an attempt to lose weight he’s given up his three daily Kit-Kats.
Sky’s budget coverage
Sky’s graphics teams got far too excited over Brown’s budget last wednesday. Watch the clip below. Especially look out for Ministers in Dinner Jackets and those “great” sound effects.
Busy budgeting….
Apologies for the lack of posts in the last few days, i’ve been busy spending next year’s savings on income tax to fill my SUV with petrol and stock up with fags and beer before this year’s taxes increase.
Budget Day - Every little helps
In a budget which marks the longest period of growth since the Stone Age, Gordon Brown will today announce:
- A further reduction of civil servants
- Higher taxes for high emission cars such as SUVs
- Investment in new technology to tackle climate change - such as £600m for carbon capture and storage (CCS)
- Increased tax on fags and booze, and incentives to encourage people to give them up
- The privatisation of the Student Loan Company and greater investment in education, especially academies
- Lower corporation tax
Picture hat tip: Landfill
Preparing for Budget Day #2
Budget Day is only 24 hours away. Not only do budding chancellors need the official look, they also need to decide on the changes to the budget. Can you manage things as well as Brown?
Try fiddling with the economy using this model.
More poll gloom for Brown
The Guardian’s ICM poll is reporting an increase to the Tories over last month’s poll. It gives the Tories a 15 point lead (13 points last month), when participants were asked to choose between a Brown or a Cameron government.
keep looking »-
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Keeping an eye on Gordon Brown's quest for the top job in British politics.
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