It is getting worse
If you as a Member of Parliament talk to most Westminster journalists about what is being said in one’s constituency, a sort of glazed look very often descends. What happens within the M25 is reality, not outside.
Towards the end of last week various commentators wrote about the problem of the Tories being stuck at 40% conveniently forgetting the dramatic move away from Labour only weeks before. However yesterday, surprise, surprise, a poll suggested that the Conservatives were up to 45%.
The latest edition of the New Statesman had a leader entitled ‘After a traumatic start, is Brown starting to show courage?’ The answer is a definite ‘no.’ On Friday afternoon I went cycling with a police officer in a very rural part of my constituency. We went to a village primary school when the pupils were going home, so I had the chance to talk to parents and the head teacher. The school head made comments about Ed Balls’ ten year plan for young people that he would not have enjoyed hearing.
Everywhere I went in West Suffolk people expressed their personal distaste for Gordon Brown, and his shambolic Government. Could anybody imagine a more ridiculous lack of judgment as Gordon Brown’s manoeuvrings over the EU treaty? If he wanted to avoid drawing attention to his signing the treaty, he dramatically achieved the reverse effect. He made himself look ridiculous to both the British people and his fellow European Prime Ministers and Presidents. Who is advising him? Whoever it is ought to be sacked.
What I am trying to say is that on Friday I already knew what the weekend poll would show. I did not need a sophisticated poll to tell me. If the adage is true that Governments lose elections, then barring something quite extraordinary, Gordon Brown is proving to be a major vote loser. Weak and indecisive, the word hologram springs to mind.