9% and rising
I can't remember the last time I bought a copy of the Daily Torygraph - unlike some of my relatives I am neither a football nor crossword fan, so its undoubted strengths in reporting the former and publishing the latter would not counterbalance having to wade through multiple pages of reactionary drivel.
This morning though they got my 70p because I wanted to read about this poll.
41%-32%-16% sounds remarkably like the outcome of the 2001 landslide to me.
I understand the PLP are being encouraged to help canvass Tory marginal constituencies.
I have cleared Thursday October 25 in my diary.
Feels quite good to be Labour at the moment, doesn't it?
posted by Luke Akehurst at 8:00 am
14 Comments:
I really don't think Gordon wants to push for an early election, despite the polls
8:22 am, July 27, 2007
Dear Luke
Opportunist snap election, restoring trust in the political system, don't seem to mix very well.
There is more serious work to be done, as suggested here:
http://petergkenyon.typepad.com/peterkenyon/2007/07/left-manifesto-.html
9:42 am, July 27, 2007
Would kill Tory allegations that Brown has no mandate though, wouldn't it?
9:47 am, July 27, 2007
Dear Luke
Valid question. But do we have to pander to Tory opportunism when we don't elect Prime Ministers in this country? Brown has managed an extraordinarily smooth transition. I would prefer him to sort out the relationship with the electorate/party at all levels of government and go to the country in May 2009.
However, a commitment to fixed term parliaments as part of the constitutional package, party re-engagement/renewal and an earlier election could be convincing.
10:29 am, July 27, 2007
Yes God forbid a Labour leader would try and maximise the political representation of the Labour party.
Some form of constitutional amendment to prevent this is necessary.
Perhaps you could draft a model resolution for branches.
12:02 pm, July 27, 2007
It definitely feels like a good time to be in the Labour Party. 11 years in power, ahead in the polls, progressive reforms on the agenda. You've never had it so good. I just wish more Party colleagues realised this.
1:57 pm, July 27, 2007
Everyone should calm down. A week is a long time in politics let alone a day! People need to get their heads down and get campaigning and no one should stop campaigning until 10pm on general election day. For what it's worth I'll be putting money on next May. London will be the electoral battleground of the next general election. Putting the elections together would raise Labour turnout beautifully.
2:30 pm, July 27, 2007
There's no doubt 'its good for Labour just now'.
Luke, on you buying the Torygraph... during my recent stay in London I was supplied on my first morning with a copy of the Daily Mail. Since it was free, I thought "well let's have a look".
It was the most inane, petty, poisonous, endless drival I've had the misfortune to read in years.
Maybe this type of coverage explains the Tory's detachment from reality.
It almost spoiled my "traditional English Breakfast". You could tell it was "English" because it was the same as the "Traditional Scottish Breakast" (i.e. fry-up)but with a glass of fresh range juice.
3:14 pm, July 27, 2007
Cameron must be kicking himself over these policy forums. They act as independent interest groups all claiming to sing from the same hymn sheet yet as coordinated as a chimpanzee orchestra. Because he was so limp wristed over the Grammar School issue he looks weak and isolated. Further to this his trip to Rwanda during the floods make him look even worse. They had the tory shadow enviroment secretary on Newsnight and he claimed they were expecting a Brown bounce. To be honest I was not expecting it to be this good, and by the sound of it neither did the tories. I still think it would be ill advised to run a General Election. Finacially, thanks to the loan scandal we are in a bit of a mess.
3:20 pm, July 27, 2007
I buy the Daily Telegraph and the Morning Star on a regular basis. The truth must rest somewhere in between. I take the Telegraph because my wife does the crossword and I do fantasy football and fantasy cricket, whilst glancing at its fantasy politics. I take the Morning Star mainly to work out how to stay on the left whilst avoiding the traps they keep falling into.
6:16 pm, July 27, 2007
"Feels quite good to be Labour at the moment, doesn't it?"
Smiles all round.
"Opportunist snap election, restoring trust in the political system, don't seem to mix very well."
Sounds great.
2:58 pm, July 28, 2007
How many CLPs (safe and unwinnables mainly I guess) have yet to select a candidate?
what about Lib Dems and Tories, might throw a spanner in the work
PLP should be canvassing in marginal Tory seats from time to time anyway for my money !
11:40 pm, July 28, 2007
The Tories seem close to imploding. Last night on Newsnight one of their "A listers" said that Cameron needed to stop his gimickry and concentrate on substance (whatever that means in the tory party!!). And what about Lord Sacchi? If both his traditional and his modernising wings are against him he is as much use to them as a chocolate teapot.
I wonder how Gurcharan Singh feels now?
9:12 am, July 31, 2007
No harm in keeping the Tories guessing. And these recent polls are obviously wonderful news. But I really hope we don't get a snap general election, mainly for the following reasons:
1. We have no money. A snap election offers little time to raise money.
2. October election = lower turnout than May election. Lower turnout = worse for Labour.
3. No time to appoint organisers in key seats that don't already have them, thus lower turnout in maringal seats than we could manage with a few months' prep.
4. I've never thought David Cameron had wide enough appeal to win a general election unless the Labour party implodes, which looked a possibility at one point but is looking less likely now. That won't change in 2 years; let's use the time we've got to govern then call a less risky general election that we should still win. 6 years = better than 4 years.
5. If Cameron isn't as much of a threat as a lot of people seem to think he is, the urge to finish him off with a snap election is less compelling.
12:06 pm, August 06, 2007
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