Are we being played? This is the question that has preoccupied most of us here in the Bournemouth press centre today and continues to eat away at us in the bars tonight. I've recorded today some of the bizarre ebb and flow of this election story. Brown Central has chosen, quit deliberately, not to to calm the frenzy. Mr Brown - or those acting for him - wants us to record that the likelihood of an election is increasing. His letter to the NEC was even presented to us as a "draft manifesto".
The danger is that, by allowing the speculation to continue unchecked, the Prime Minister may actually be cutting off his options. Day by day, it will be become more and more difficult to rule out an election without him being accused of seeking to flee from the verdict of the people.
1 comment:
Yes it does look as though there is a self-fulfilling 'game' being spun, if it is being spun. It may have seemd clever to unsettle the Tories (and, incidentally, the SNP) by allowing October election speculation to run.
But now there is a real danger for Brown of a repeat of the Callaghan disaster whereby he left everyone thinking 'up to the alter' that there was about to be an election before postponing it.
It has been generally agreed that the consequence was that the electorate, at least in England, took umbrage at being toyed with and many voters voted Tory at the subsequent election.
But did you hear Wendy's speech at the conference today? OMG! She apologies on 'behalf of the Scottish Labour Party' to an audiance that included a clearly baffled number of delegates... and then she pleaded for 'your help' (i.e. you in England). I mean it wqas just so ill-judged and cultural cringe of the most craven sort.
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