Two noteworthy entries, today, in the will-they-won’t-they game of coalition government. The first from Nick Clegg in the Sunday Times: “You can’t have Gordon Brown squatting in No 10 just because of the irrational idiosyncrasies of our electoral system.” And the second from Paddy Ashdown speaking to the People: “Nick Clegg cannot work with David
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Really, what’s happened to the Labour campaign? You know things are taking a turn for the worse when you read that Gordon Brown is taking a more high profile role to save his party from a third-place finish. But then you see that high profile role in action, and, well … First there was an
Planting seeds, that’s what the Tories are doing – they’re planting the seeds of a Lib-Con alliance. Yes, it’s a subtle process, and is couched in terms of denial and defiance. But it’s still going on. I mean, look at Cameron’s interview with Jeremy Paxman past night (video on Spectator Live), where he declined to
Centurion 15, Nationwide You know how it is. There are two sword-and-sandal films opening in cinemas, and you just can’t decide which one to see. Will it be Alejandro Amenábar’s Agora, which looks poised, if a little sterile? Or will it be Neil Marshall’s Centurion, which is all about the action, action, action? So you
Just to flag up an eyecatching poll from PoliticsHome, asking the public to pick the members of their ideal coalition government. Methodology and details here, and the results pasted below. Two things strike me: i) Alistair Darling once again proves he’s popular, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect of a Chancellor who has presided over a
A neat election-time spot from the Guardian’s Haroon Siddique, who brings us the above photo of Brown’s speaking notes from the TV debate last night. Turns out – surprise, surprise – that the “two boys squabbling” line was prepared in advance. As were a few other clunkers that we thankfully didn’t hear. I mean: “You
Now we know: the official preliminary estimate says that GDP grew by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of the year. So the double dip looks to have been averted (for now) – but not by much. The figure is at the low end of economists’ estimates and lower than the growth experienced in the
So, like last week: what’s changed? And, like last week, it’s probably too early to judge. The insta-polls may have Cameron and Clegg on level footing, but, really, we need to wait for voting intention polls before coming to any firm conclusions. As we saw the day after the first debate, they can work in
Gordon just can’t help himself, can he? There can’t be a simple dividing line – oh no. It has to be one built on exaggerations, half-truths and plain lies. So it has always been with his brand of government, and for much of the time – think cuts vs investment – it has worked in
Well, one thing was clear: Brown and Cameron have both been at the textbooks, staying behind for extra classes, and learning the lessons of last week. They came into this TV debate prepared. Not just for the very fact of Nick Clegg, but with strategies and soundbites to slow his advance. The result was a
2130, PH: And that’s it. I’ll be posting a verdict shortly. 2129, PH: Clegg tries to repeat his Amazing Memory Feat from last week – but this time it’s the issues discussed, and not questioners’ names. Not as impressive. After that, he talks “change” and delivers a few jibes about the “opponents of change”. 2128,
The strange thing about last week’s TV debate is that, for all its transformative power, it doesn’t seem to have changed Labour’s campaign strategy in any fundamental way. Team Brown were hoping for a hung Parliament, and courting the Lib Dems, before last week. And, as Peter Mandelson demonstrated earlier, they’re still doing the same
One thing’s for certain: the Lib Dems are coming in for greater scrutiny and attention from the media. The covers of the Telegraph, Sun, Mail, Express and, yes, The Spectator are testament to that – even if some are less substantial than others. But the question is: will this derail the Clegg bandwagon? And, like
How valuable was the TV debate to the Lib Dems? Well, we’ve seen the poll numbers, of course. But the Electoral Commission has just released some figures which shine a different light on proceedings. They show that the Tories received party donations totalling £1.46m in the first week of the campaign. Labour, nearly £800k. And
This feels like a first for this election campaign: a poster which gets quite specific on policy – and not another party’s policy either. It comes courtesy of the Conservatives, and, as you can see above, carries the message: “Let’s cut benefits for those who refuse work”. You can expect plenty of handwringing about whether
Another day, another TV debate – only this time it was Alan Johnson, Chris Grayling and Chris Huhne behind the lecterns, talking crime on the Daily Politics. Just like yesterday’s debate, the questions were incisive and insistent. But the politicians conspired to turn proceedings into a mush. There was very little clarity, a sizeable dollop
Gordon, meet disillusionment. Disillusionment, the Prime Minister. Ask him questions on whatever you want: the economy, jobs, immigration, expenses – the ball is in your court. Make him squirm, if you like. Confront him. He is, after all, here at your pleasure. For that was the set-up of Radio One Newsbeat’s interview with Gordon Brown
Things have clearly moved on since I wrote this back in March. From Rachel Sylvester’s column today: “…those close to Mr Clegg have made it clear to senior Labour figures that it would be difficult for the Liberal Democrats to do a deal with a Labour Party led by Mr Brown. ‘The whole notion of
Only defuse. That seemed to be the approach of all three participants in the Daily Politics’ foreign affairs debate this afternoon. The frequent questions from Andrew Neil and Mark Urban put David Miliband, William Hague and the Lib Dems’ Ed Davey on the collective back foot. It was all they could do to take some
