The latest ComRes poll for the Independent confirms the clear trend of the past three months, last registered a fortnight ago in the Times by Populus and the Telegraph by YouGov before Christmas – that the Brown surge was a dead cat bounce. That speculation about an 09 general election now looks as stale as last month’s loaf.
By Andrew Grice, the Independent’s Political Editor
The Conservative Party lead over Labour at the opinion polls has rocketed from five to 15 points in one month, with voters turning against Gordon Brown as the recession bites.
Adds Brown ” fat” row.. But here’s a guy who’s still hasn’t given up on his image.
Dave Brown, of the Independent, said that had briefly met the Prime Minister.
‘He said, “You draw me far too fat. I’m not that fat.”‘
The Guardian’s Martin Rowson met Mr Brown when he was chancellor, and recounted a similar conversation.
‘He replied to my various points of policy by saying, “Why do you draw me so fat?” I think I said it was because he was fat. He made his excuses and left.’
Matthew Taylor, former Blair head of strategy and sounding more and more like a freelance commentator these days, recommends Brown to behave like the Forlorn Hope, the regiment of lags and criminals forced to launch the first assault on an enemy’s citadel, in the certain knowledge they’d all be killed.
How about declaring a unilateral political ceasefire? Brown’s implicit message could be ‘we are reconciled to the possibility of losing the next election, what matters now is not the political skirmish but the battle against the economic crisis.
Taylor must know that for Brown, a non-partisan approach to politics is as impossible as straighforwardly admitting he’s ever done anything seriously wrong.
Former BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former London Editor Belfast Telegraph. Hon Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, Univ Coll. London
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