David Cameron: Best laid plans scuppered?

One wonders how David Cameron must feel on hearing that his best laid plans have been scuppered by the YouGov/Sunday Times poll, which puts the Conservatives only two-points ahead of Labour?
It is only one poll, but with all the publicity over Gordon Brown's bullying sagas and that on-going row with Alistair Darling, one would expect the support for a Tory government to be building momentum. In fact, with only weeks to go before an election, David Cameron should be dampening down expectations of a win in case of voter apathy, instead of having to rally his demoralised troops. Are memories of Neil Kinnock's disastrous defeat now haunting the Conservative front-bench?

Gordon Brown has made some really bad decisions, both as Chancellor and Prime Minister and, it has to be said, every accusation about his mental state, do appear to be on the right side of truth. Unlike his and Mandelson's denials.

However, Labour does appear to have got it right in its approach to the economy and the majority of the great British public is just relieved that the financial meltdown has not been greater.

Bully-boy or not, Gordon Brown is getting the credit for what many see as a soft landing towards recovery. (Of course, spending cuts, tax increases, further job losses and the like have yet to come, regardless of who is in power).

So why is the race so close at this stage? Cameron comes across like a reasonable chap, but some of his utterances have appeared to be spin over substance....promoting change for change sake, in place of real solid policies. His personal attacks on Gordon Brown have replaced genuine plans to address the issues worrying the country and there has been too much emphasis on grabbing one-off headlines. The Tory front bench lacks credibility and Mr. Cameron's utterances about "patriotic duty" to replace Gordon Brown smacks of Boy's Own elitism.

Nick Clegg must be busy on his list of demands in preparation for that knock on the door! But who will be behind it?

Lord Ashcroft: Targeting Marginals

The idea that Lord Ashcroft is piling money into targeting marginals on behalf of the Conservative party is not only worrying for Labour, but calls into question the whole idea of our democratic process.

Surely there is something not quite right about a party using the funds of a man who has failed to disclose if he does, or does not, pay tax in the UK? David Cameron can stand and deliver as many speeches as he likes on what is wrong with the United Kingdom, but until he addresses the issue of Lord Ashcroft's tax status, then he has no right to take the moral high ground and George Osborne has definitely no right to preach about us all being in it together.

By targeting margins and using his war-chest, it looks dangerously like a rich man is playing games in order to ensure the election of another rich man and his cronies.

The Labour Government, under Blair and Brown, have squandered money and opportunities over the years, but the activity of Lord Ashcroft is a reminder of the bad old days when the Conservative governments, of Maggie and Major, used their power-base to advance personal worth and that of their cronies.

The country is looking for strong leadership to take us out of recession and into growth, but on behalf of ALL of us, not just the chosen few. The Tories are looking like a party who can indeed deliver...but for the rich and favoured, while the rest of us make do with scraps.

Ashley Cole, footballer & The Media

It is unfortunate for Ashley Cole, footballer and husband of the beloved Cheryl, that he chose to sleep with women, other than his wife, at a time when the media has decided that the football world is the new rock n' roll.

Rock stars are boring and instead of wrecking hotels and marriages, now concentrate on saving the planet and avoiding the taxman. Footballers on the other hand, still spend their money on nightclubbing and bling and are unsavvy enough to assume that the girls they bed will not divulge the content of mobile texts. The media has realised that stories of our footballing heroes make for great reading on the front, centre and back pages. Any position in fact, so long as it sells. Just like the glamour models and others, who are happy to do whatever is necessary to share a bed in exchange for media cash.

Where once such activity was confined to the pages of the News Of The World, it is now covered and analysed by every media outlet and, of course, most of us protest at such an invasion of privacy, whilst devouring every last detail. Poor Ashley.

David Cameron: Will he wear the crown?

David Cameron must wake up each morning and wonder if he will ever wear the crown that is, in reality, the property of the serving prime minister. Regardless of Labour's shortcomings, the general voting public is still reluctant to hand ultimate power to the Conservatives, who should be much further ahead in the polls.

Mr Brown may have his mental issues, but one can't help but admire his solid performances when it comes to pronouncements on the economy and his tenacity in the face of criticism. The Conservatives, on the other hand, do appear to be led by headlines, uncertainties and small-print waivers when it comes to their own policies on a range of subjects. David Cameron and his team have had a long time to prepare for this moment and there is a lack of substance and a heap of opportunism in their current proclamations, whether about the economy, care for the elderly or shares in the banking system.

In many ways there is a class war going on and it is between the ordinary voter and the privileged class that many see as represented by Dave and his team. It is not that the public resents their trust funds and country estates, but worries that in this time of economic upheaval and job cuts, will they understand what it is like to have your home repossessed or your gas bill unpaid?

Of course, Labour has it share of multi-millionaires and country squires, but it is all about perception. David Cameron and friends have yet to prove they understand the common people and therefore worthy of the keys to No.10. Time is running out.

Gordon Brown: If you can't stand the heat....

Bullying is bad, we all know that, but if you are going to wince every time the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, throws a hizzy fit in the hotbed atmosphere that is No.10, then my advise is: if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

No one actually believes that Mr Brown behaves like the son of the manse and it has long been documentated that he has a bad temper, just like Alex Ferguson, other successful leaders and, dare I say it, media bosses and performing divas. That is maybe the reason even papers like the Daily Mail took issue with Christine Pratt from the National Bullying Line, who came across like a woman with an agenda and an organisation to promote.

Of course people at No. 10 got the "hairdryer" treatment, but surely that is part and parcel of that environment? Margaret Thatcher may have been polite, but she was no saint and there would be many who would have felt bullied by her, no matter how many times she said "please" or "thank-you".

There did appear to be a hidden agenda behind this story and Mrs Pratt has done the whole confidential services and hotline industry a disservice. It does look like the Prime Minister got away with this one.

What is more concerning for Mr Brown are the allegations that he gives a wink and a nod to the "dark forces" around him, to search for and destroy those who disagree with him. Alistair Darling's comments that the "forces of hell" were unleashed following his comments about the recession, are very damaging for Gordon Brown, no matter how many times he denies his involvement. Because, in this case everyone just KNOWS that such action would only happen if it was firmly understood that the Prime Minister approved.

David Cameron: Has he the qualifications to be Leader?

Has David Cameron the qualifications to be Leader of this country at a time when we need a steady pair of hands to guide us through difficult times?
Not so long ago, Gordon Brown and Labour were doing so bad that Dave was practically being gifted the keys to No. 10 on the basis that anything would be better than the Labour shower.
However, in the past few weeks we have seen a very badly organised and incompetent Conservative Party make some awful mistakes and one wonders if the current crop of Tories could actually govern the country, a task demanding greater skills than that required to organise a weekend party for the privileged.

Too many soundbites and too much backtracking on economic policy, when a sure hand is required, is not good; nor is massaging the crime figures, or getting your sums wrong about teen pregnancies. One wonders how many discussions Dave and his team have had based on incorrect information?

Just a few more weeks before the next election and David Cameron has still to convince the country that he has what it takes to be Prime Minister. There is still a suspicion that whatever action a Conservative government might take, it would never be at the expense of the rich and powerful, UK taxpayers or not.
The sordid behaviour and corruption of the previous Tory government has not been forgotten.
If I was the Labour Party, I would erect hoardings throughout the land, with photographs of John Major and his various cabinet members, many of them forced to resign due to one scandal or another.
Major was too busy at the time meeting Edwina Curry for afternoon teas to notice what many of his colleagues were doing, but they were definitely not acting in the best interests of Her Majesty's Government.

Perhaps it is a good thing that a hung Parliament is now considered a serious proposition? At least with the Liberal Democrats on board, whichever of the two main parties win, there would be a another hand on the lever. Used wisely, Nick Clegg could find himself a power for good.

Gordon Brown: He talks! He laughs! He cries! It's election time!

So, now we know, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown talks, laughs, cries...just like a human!
Actually, I wasn't half impressed by his performance on the Piers Morgan show and one wonders how much effort it took for him to appear "natural". I still haven't decided if it was right that he should feel the need to lay bare his most private pain for our entertainment. His advisers seem to think he needs to show the "real Gordon", when all I am looking for is someone to bail the country out and frankly I don't really care how grumpy or unreal he is. Competence would be a useful asset for our Prime Minister and, unfortunately, there are areas where Gordon Brown has not proved to be so.

He has made some ghastly decisions, like his raid on pensions, his sale of our gold when the price was so low, even arranging the Chilcot Inquiry to take place just before he goes to the polls. Now that was not the action of a competent man...and yet, dare I say it, his handling of the economy since the start of the recession hasn't been a disaster.

Unfortunately, one gets the impression that part of the current Labour strategy is not to frighten the people or the horses until after the election and then..let the heartache begin. But then one suspects the other parties are doing exactly the same.

Ashley Cole: What a cock-up!

Footballer Ashley Cole, married to the lovely Cheryl, is once again in the news, as nude photographs he took of himself, somehow found their way to a publicity-shy glamour model.

It seems that Ashley took the pictures on an unregistered mobile, then passed the phone to a mate, who passed it....anyway, it was a cock-up and it seems that Ashley's only indiscretion was to take the photographs in the first place and forget to delete them. Tell that to the Marines, or Cheryl for that matter. Will this finally prove too much for the nation's darling? Will Cheryl finally kick the self-satisfied, in more ways than one, footballer in his well-formed nuts and throw him out? Or have they a well-paid magazine spread lined up to explain it all away?

If Cheryl is going to make it big in middle-America, she can't afford sleezy Ashley's indiscretions.

Meanwhile, it is exactly as I said in an earlier piece, the tabloids are out there hunting down their next footballer victim.

Gordon Brown: The Crying Game

Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah were obviously devastated by the loss of their daughter in 2002 and her death must still be painful. I am therefore reluctant to pass comment on the PM's TV recording with Piers Morgan when he, with Sarah in the audience, shed tears when talking about the personal tragedy.

Mr. Morgan makes a big thing out of getting his guests to open up and cry on his programme, so I felt a great sense of unease when I heard that Mr. Brown had fulfilled the host's desire by producing the required tears, as if on demand.

It seems that the Prime Minister was coached for the programme by Alastair Campbell, who also showed a hint of human emotion when questioned by Andrew Marr recently. It would be awful and cynical of me to think that the PM's appearance was part of a "make Gordon human" campaign. Coming up to an election is perhaps not the time for a man, known to be dour and private, to be seen on television laying bare such a raw and emotional personal issue. Somehow it smacks of opportunism.

John Terry: If you've got to go, go now!

John Terry, the Chelsea player at the centre of much sexual shenanigans, has lost his position as Captain of the English squad for the World Cup. In recent days the papers have been full of his exploits and have betrayed him as a man loose with his morals and his financial arrangements.

England boss Fabio Capello, a good Catholic Italian, made the decision to replace him with Rio Ferdinand, who is now serving a four-match ban for violent conduct, after a three-month lay-off due to back injury. Not quite Roy of the Rovers then!

Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of England and former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge, who had a child together, is not planning to sell her story and there are suggestions her silence was bought.

Footballers beware! The newspapers are trawling the dressing-rooms and night-clubs for any discretions, past or present.

David Cameron: Oops, too many mistakes mate!

It is heartening when a politician apologies for mistakes, but it is a little worrying when, due to incompetence, it becomes a regular habit. David Cameron and the Conservatives have had enough time to prepare for government, so too many gaffes now looks like sheer carelessness.

Chris Grayling is a prat and it is frightening to think he is being lined up for Home Secretary. Manipulating official statistics to make violent crime look even worse under Labour, is not the way to gain the confidence of the public. Or at least not the way if you are going to be so easily found out.

David Cameron has been doing too much apologising when he should be focused and certain of what he wants to achieve. The country needs leadership, not a group of boys, playing games.

MPs Expenses: Got to pick a pocket or two....

It may have been morally wrong, but the majority of MPs did not commit any offence when they dipped their grubby fingers into the nation's pockets. If anything, the majority were just been greedy, using a system to line their pockets while preaching morals and virtues to the little people.

However, I must admit a certain unease that they have been judged guilty for offences which were within the rules at the time, even if the abuse of the system was obvious. I am still amazed that the officials of the Fees Office have not been held to account for their dereliction of duty in not doing more to halt the excesses.

The House of Commons is full of self-important men and women who wouldn't be capable of holding a job in the world outside. It is just sad that the public, especially the young, see Westminster as just another place for spivs and vagabonds to flourish.

Clare Short: Like a woman scorned

Like a woman scorned, Clare Short's evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry, sought to wreck revenge on the bad man responsible. It so happened that he was none other than Tony Blair, ex-Prime Minister and now pariah of the state. There was always going to be something a little tainted about her evidence. She may now claim that she, like all those other intelligent, independent, members of the cabinet, was "conned" into backing the Iraq war, but one suspects her outrage had more to do with her career frustrations.

Blair wasn't always kind to his female ministers. Mo Mowlan was also bitter that he brushed her aside during peace talks in Northern Ireland, accusing him of treating her like the tea-lady.

What Ms Short did do was confirm how impotent a Cabinet minister is when faced with a Prime Minister who rules like a president, with only a close circle of mostly non-elected cronies to advise him. But didn't Magaret Thatcher rule in the same way?

Jordon & Her Cage Fighter: This one is "forever"! Wanna Bet?

Jordon should be appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer immediately. That girl can turn anything and everything into a money-maker. Just look at her latest campaign. Not only has she hogged the front-pages with her latest marriage, but is likely to make a lot of money in the process.

Of course, her marriage to the the cage-fighter, the blank-brained Alex Reid, winner of the latest celebrity Big Brother, has nothing to do with self-publicity. No, they are apparently "very much in love". Jordon is quoted as saying that "we will be together forever".

I wish them well and will be taking bets amongst friends on how long "forever" means in Jordonland.

David Cameron: The first cut too deep?

It doesn't seem that long ago since David Cameron and his side-kick George Osborne, were behaving like hard men, warning all and sundry that when it came to the economy they were prepared to make tough decisions and cut public spending quicker and deeper than all the rest. Such bravery.

Now, either realism has set in or a focus group somewhere said that such fighting talk was losing the Conservatives those all important voters. So, to hell with the deficit, Dave and Georgie cried, let's get elected first, have a nice little honeymoon period and then slowly start to reduce that mountain of debt. Very slowly. A bit like Labour's plans. In fact very much like Labour's.

Of course, what looked like a u-turn on their manly promises, appeared weak and ill-thought once announced, so they rushed out an 8-point plan for voters to judge them by AFTER the election.

Whatever the problems with Gordon Brown and the Labour government, at least we have a fair idea which way the wind blows. As we get closer to the general election the Conservatives appear to be relying more on our frustration with Labour, than a vote for them on the basis of any real policies. It is beginning to look like the Conservatives will do anything, including nothing, to win power.

Their 8-point plan looks like it had been hurriedly written on the back of an envelope, in preparation for a school debate. The current crop of Etonians now leading the Tories are an unknown quantity. At a time when the country is desperate for an economic recovery, would it be safer with the tried and tested Gordon Brown? He may have got us into the mess but, maybe the devil you know......