Who is stoking the early election speculation?

Prodicus

Who? Fraser, on P 10 of today's magazine: 'January'.

strapworld

June is far too far away...I think if anything it will be spread over a weekend in january.

Jburford

According to the ES poll next to this story, 84% think he would lose said election.....
...although didn't he say he never looked at the polls....?

George Laird

Dear All

I believe that Brown will want to go at the last possible minute.

He will claim he wants to be getting "on with the job", but the reality is that he knows that he is getting kicked out.

He is getting kicked out.

There is no support for Labour and many MP's will lose their seats unless they have a good personal vote based on their work in their areas.

This talk of election played badly before for Labour so if any "allies" or pals of pals coming sliding up to the Spectator, tell them, I want the organgrinder not the monkey.

Labour needs a new plan, a new narrative and a new sense of direction, they can't have that under Brown.

He is the man who is to be defeated and the clock is ticking down.

Labour needs a deep cull.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

James

Some more election speculation, which will no doubt end up in nothing happening just like last time. Brown is afraid of the public and the public are not stupid, they know they are being conned. He will hang on to the bitter end - he knows no other way.

coops

The tory PBR response should be this...(late entry for y'day's competition perhaps)

"you (GB) have destroyed the british economy through your mismanagement and incompetence, and with every passing week you are making the situation worse for your own personal gain. so i ask you, call this election and call it now. you have neither the mandate nor the skills to govern, and the country deserves an untainted, steady hand. give the british people the choice"

that would send the bottler scuttling away, and provide some nice tv. it's also absolutely true

Fairminded Fred

But Coops: what happens if Brown takes the gamble and calls the election?

Rhoda Klapp

Whose stoking it? You bloody are!

Peter Wilson

The Westminster village may think it's good for Brown to call an early election, but the fact is he will still lose heavily if he does.

The polls still show most people want a change of Govt even if they think Brown has done better over the economy.

Too many political commentators make the mistake that it's just the economy that makes Labour unpopular - it isn't.

coops

i think the recent polls (two of last three) are rogues (relatively - for sure brown has bounced, but not much i reckon). i refuse to believe that the vast majority of the country wouldn't want to give brown a kicking.

Ian C

I think Peter Riddell in today's Times is sound on this. If he calls an election he will be seen to be cynical and lose it. May 2010 is the likely daate and for the first time in a year it is best for all. The markest have taken over, a new governemnt now would have no influence and get caned asa result of the 2008-10 Depression.

If you don't belive me about Depression, corporate bond yields are priced at economic activity 15% below present levels according to the piece in Lex yesterday. That is much worse than just gloomy and will take hard evidence of being way out before it rallies. And the evidence is missing.

Fairminded Fred

"Who is stoking the early election specualtion? [sic]"

An Edukation minister?

JONNY

Sorry James but there you go again. And all the rest of your luvly tribe.
So we're off are we.
Another load of early election bullshit when a child of eight would tell you that the polls are so volatile Gordon would be playing Russian roulette if he even dared think about it. Out on his ear like poor old Ted Heath when he still has another guaranteed year to stamp his boot all over us.
It's a no-brainer.
The chances of him getting a majority like he has now being frankly nil.
I suppose it keeps the commentators like you in bread. But watch out. There is a thing called overkill.

graham

But Robinson was only Paymaster General...Was that a cabinet position in 1997-1998?

TGF UKIP

For reasons posted elsewhere, I think he'll go a lot earlier than June 4th 09 but I agree with James'post of a few days ago that the Tories need him to go longer than that preferably to 2010.

To box Gordon in, and here I agree with James, the Tories have to talk about this non stop but every Tory in every interview must use that wonderfully evocative word "scuttle."

Their best chance of delaying till 2010 is to make "Brown" and "scuttle" synonymous.

Dave B

@TGP UKIP

I don't see why the Tories *should* want Labour to hang on till 2010.

Lets have the election ASAP. Tomorrow is fine with me. The sooner we have an election, the sooner we'll have a Conservative government.