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It's on. But when will Gordon go?
Scrapbook got word that, on Saturday, PPCs had been briefed to expect Brown to visit the palace at around 3:30pm today. Although some very senior Labour people were, at some point over the last few days, working on the basis of an afternoon announcement, the thinking seem to have changed by Bank Holiday Monday with a number of other rumours circulating:
- Brown would see the Queen after a political cabinet meeting at 9:30am, with Buckingham Palace indicating she was available after breakfast.
- Around midday was also mooted as an option. At some point staff at Labour HQ were told this was likely. Scrapbook knows of at least one Labour MP making travel arrangements on this basis.
- Yet another suggestion was that Brown would make the trip at some other point in the afternoon in a bid to keep the Tory response off the lunchtme bulletins.
Late last night, however, Kevin Maguire tweeted “Mirror expects Brown to go to Palace tmrw 10am, election announcement 11″.
The smart money is now on the morning.
UPDATE 07:55 Brown’s schedule now confirmed as 9:15am political cabinet meeting; 10:00am to Buckingham Palace accompanied by permanent secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood; back to Downing Street by 11:00am.
His bicycle helmet can't save him now!
So you’ve slapped Nick Griffin?
Now you can punt baseballs at Cameron and Clegg (and Brown)!
Hat-tip: Sophy Ridge
"Take a second look at us and a long hard look at them"
The joke about airbrushed posters is a little weak but Brown does impress in this clip:
Hat-tip: LabourList
Pawns in the game: The Sun has form for putting words in people's mouths (whether they agree to it or not)
The point when your newspaper outflanks Nadine Dorries is arguably a good one to pause for reflection. Opinion appears to be crystallising around the view that The Sun newspaper’s coverage of the prime minister’s so-called “insulting” letter of condolence to the family of a soldier killed in Afghanistan has rather less to do with that conflict and ‘our boys’ than, in the words of The Independent, “a vicious and unfair personal attack”. Next Left has a rundown of coverage on the blogs and the media – even The Sun’s former political editor has reservations.
This whole debacle reminds Scrapbook that The Sun has form for putting words in people’s mouths whether they like it or not. Media lecturer John Tulloch was astonished to see his bloodied face alongside a supposed quotation of support for new anti-terror legislation.
“It’s incredibly ironic that the Sun’s rhetoric is as the voice of the people yet they don’t actually ask the people involved, the victims, what they think” – 7/7 victim John Tulloch
The newspaper has already pointed to the fact that they were approached by the bereaved mother, rather than the other way around. But this doesn’t change the fact that they are using this woman’s grief as cover to pursue a vendetta against Gordon Brown in the most crass and tasteless way possible.
Nice headlines, shame about the truth.
Tories hit Brown with new banner ad campaign
The Tories have taken out the banner ad above with Messagespace, linking through to their new social media campaign and microfinance site, myconservatives.com.
While Conservative hacks might squeal with delight at such attack ads, this demonstrates that the CCHQ are operating on the basis that many swing voters are motivated by a dislike of Brown rather than a preference for Tory policies or politicians. This is backed up by polling, notably Cornell Belcher’s recent study for Newsnight.
Why don’t they put Cameron and Boy George in their ads?
Gordon Brown: same old Tories can't deliver change
There are a few favourite lines doing the rounds but this attack on the Tories has resonated with quite a few activists Scrapbook has spoken to in Brighton:
“How can you deliver change when you so clearly haven’t changed your own party?”
Bang to rights.
Gordon Brown: "never stop believing"
Gordon Brown’s conference hall appeal to “never stop believing” reminded Scrapbook of this little video:
Wonder if Gordon had Journey on his iPod?