Well, any hopes that GB had of putting the debate about his position to bed following the local elections look somewhat dashed. This morning's Times makes pretty grim reading and is reminding me rather too much of the dying days of the Major administration in 1995. Perhaps the most worrying things is that, according to Populus, Labour is losing trust of public trust on issues such as the NHS - which is frankly disastrous. I'm fairly sure that this is now our ERM moment, since when coupled with the shaky economy and the frankly stupid withdrawal of the 10p starting rate, all the government is left with is a lot of soundbites about 'working for Britain'.
What also makes matters worse is the appalling communications strategy currently employed by both the party and the government. The Conservatives under Cameron have been careful to learn the lessons of Labour pre. 1997, they are generally the first to comment and they ensure that there is a consistent Tory message even if they are often lacking in hard policy ideas. We need an Alastair Campbell back, or at least someone who will dare to tell the PM what the public mood is and how present the government case more succinctly, otherwise we are going to find ourselves losing elections not just on the current state of the economy but the Labour crown jewels of the NHS, education and social provision.
