Is turnout going to be on the low side? It’s always quite difficult trying to make a guess at turnout at this stage on polling days. The big rush is generally between 5pm and 7.30pm. Even so the message that’s coming through is that the levels of voter participation are not going to be anywhere near the proportions that some were suggesting over the weekend. Above is the scene outside my own polling station – the refreshment hut at Bedford…
Will today’s likely drubbing be blamed on the plotters? Later on this evening I’m due to be taking part in BBC Radio 5 live’s election programme when the story is surely going to be Labour’s performance – first in the local results that will come out overnight and then throughout Friday – all this to be followed on Sunday evening, of course, when we get the Euro election figures. This is one of those occasions when, unless the polls have…
YouGov EURO ELECTION: CON 26 LAB 16 LD 15 UKIP 18 GRN 10 BNP 5 But could the Lib Dems push them into fourth place? The final YouGov poll for tomorrow’s election to the European parliament is out and has Labour at the lowest level it has recorded during the campaign – a bare 16%. These are figures based on those “certain to vote”. If you include the “non-100% certains” a very different picture emerges. According to the Telegraph ”…
Meanwhile the re-shuffle is “under-way” Within the past ten minutes the news organisation began reporting that Brown’s reshuffle is under-way. Maybe we will start to get news this evening. It looks as though David Cameron’s predecessor as MP for Witney is heading for Jacqui Smith’s old job at the Home Office. In recent months the former “That’s Life” researcher and colleague of Esther Rantzen has become very close to the PM. A job in one of the main offices of…
Can the old survivor do it again? Well the day has gone on and Number 10’s spin machine has been desperately trying to spin that the Hazel Blear resignation wasn’t timed to cause maximum embarrassment to Mr. Brown. Yet as was pointed out at PMQs – she’s the local government minister and there are local elections tomorrow. “It was just that she was fed up of being hounded by the media” – they say of her motives. “No – this…
Are we seeing a co-ordinated attack on Brown’s leadership The news this morning, barely an hour and half before PMQs is due to start, that Hazel Blears is resigning looks like it’s part of a plan to undermine Brown just before he takes part in what could be his most critical session. For with the growing noise about Mr Brown’s leadership it could just be possible that today will be the last occasion on which he takes PMQs. Next Wednesday…
Remember the headlines two months ago today? Exactly two months ago this morning I did a similar collage of newspaper front pages to the one here – and how different they all looked. For April 3rd 2009 was the day after the G20 meeting and Mr Brown got some of the best coverage of his premiership. Who would have thought then that only a few weeks later that the big political question politics would be whether Brown can hang on….
Have we now reached the end-game for Mr. Brown? In a long and powerfully argued main leader for the paper tomorrow the Guardian makes a strong call for Mr. Brown to go. In fact it is much more forceful than that – the message is that if Mr. Brown does not agree to step down then he should be, “cut loose”. There’s no need to spell out what that means. The leader concludes: “..Of course many people, who see the…