Westminster is convinced that Gordon Brown is the political beneficiary, at least in the short-term, of the current financial turmoil. Brown looks more energised and confident than he has in a long time, the rebellion within the Labour party has been quashed, and the Tories are in a bind. They have to be supportive of the government lest they be accused of playing politics with the situation but this leaves them looking like they have no ideas of their own as David Cameron found to his cost at PMQs.
But the Populus poll in today’s Times, obviously taken before today’s bail-out, suggests that there is less of a Brown bounce than you might expect. The poll finds the Tories on 45 percent, 15 points ahead of Labour. Admittedly, Labour is up three since August but the Tories are up two since then. This implies that the crisis hasn’t, at least yet, significantly altered the balance of power between the parties.
The internals of the poll offer further encouragement to the Tories. Cameron and Osborne have maintained their 38 to 31 lead over Brown and Darling on who would best handle the economy. While a whopping 65 percent of voters think that it is time for a change.
Today, probably, marked the high-water mark of the crisis for Brown. He took action and looked like a leader. But now Brown is faced by another problem. If the package works, then the dramatic nature of the current meltdown will be replaced by the drudgery of a recession, something that will allow time for a reassessment of Brown’s economic record. While if it fails, Brown’s claim to be the man who can guide Britain through this crisis will be dashed on the rocks.
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