Why did Gordon?

[Ondine]

So why did Gordon wimp out? Is it cos Tony Benn was going to stand for parliament? Or did the Tessa of North London thread freak him?

[Asset]

why should he call an election? as I heard it on t'radio this morning - by John Major (who's he?) he shouldn't bother. Doesn't need to justify his mandate.

[dulwichmum]

Indeed, why have an election? I want to see super Gordon in action first! Isn't he amazing? I love the fact that he appears so cerebral. Tony Blair seemed so terribly false.

[*Bob*]

The Conservatives did offer forth a magnificent inheritance tax bribe, and lo!.. a couple of million people did decide "hey.. maybe that Dave bloke might just be the right man for the top job after all".

Labour will now up IHT themselves - hurrah! Looks like I won't be needing to make an emergency trip down the registry office after all.. for a little while anyway.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I think he is just someone who wasn't going to be spooked into doing anything in haste. I don't trust the guy, but he is not Tony Blair. Tony would have read the papers, opinion polls and panicked. Gordon never seemed the panicky type to me.

Plus if he had gone for an Autumn election, everyone would have panicked that it was cos the economy is about to tumble and all the city tw@ts would have dumped sterling and brought a downturn on.

[downsouth]

it looked very much as though he was going to go for it, things that made him wait would be:

Tory bounce/bribe

Polls in the marginal rates

Uncertainty over the economy

Should the economy get back on track the election will no doubt be called sooner rather than later.

[lozzyloz]

I say. I doo beleeve it's because of England pulling it out of the bag against the Wallabies. Historically a strong show in the rugby has always boosted Tory performance. Stands to reason dunnit.

[citizenED]

Perhaps he should have waited for the result of the scotland match today, considering he's, er, British!

[Keef]

10 years he's been waiting, like he was ever going to risk giving it up after a few months!

Think he deserves some time to show us what he's about..

[mockney piers]

So far spin, hypocrisy and an inexplicable leaning toward the neocons; no change there then.

[barrymarshall]

The idea was floated because over the summer Brown's camp thought he would win a thumping victory, demolish Cameron and not need to bother with another one for five more years.

However, polling in the marginal constituencies showed that support for Brown/Labour was more uncertain - it was even before the Tories unveiled the inheritance tax proposals.

Having said that, Labour are in a far stronger position that Major was in the run up to 1992. In fact, Labour consistently polled 50% or more since the mid-eighties, but it took until 1997 for them to win.

[citizenED]

The Press, the Press, the Press.... do they get me mad some times. "I know" they say, "let's be an annoying little pest and talk about an election until we are blue in the face and until the public are sick of it... and then we'll jump up and down and shout let's have an election incessantly". When there isn't an elction they'll blame the Govt. then sit back and enjoy all the squirming. Job Done.

citizen

[barrymarshall]

Citizen - the problem is that calling an election is a Prime Ministerial prerogative (within a five-year limit). If the date were forever fixed there would be none of this.

Also, it is not just the press. Gordo's people were spreading the rumours of an early election deliberately to whip up election frenzy in the Meejah. And if there's one thing our media love, it is a knock-out contest (prefereably with premium rate phone calls!).

[citizenED]

fair do's Mr Marshall, often both as bad as each other, journos and politicos. If it was GB's press office then it was a terrible call - they drove him into an awful cul-de-sac.

[barrymarshall]

right - and Gordo saying nothing until after the poll showing the Tories level only further eroded any credibility he had. A stupendously bad call.

In fact, the election farago reminds me of the contstant briefing against Blair while he was chancellor. To be sure, Blair's lot did the same too, but this only underlines the issue as being one of personality and or the perosnal power of those invovled, and not about real politics.

Still, dunno about you, but to me there's not much in the election contest anyway - it's either more of the same, or more of the same. Depends on whether you prefer a Scottish brogue or plummy Etonian mouthing more or less the same words at you.

[Jah Lush]

It's true that Gordon Brown has made a bit of a PR cock-up on the election thing but really he just doesn't have to call one. Why bother when he can be there for another two years anyway. Their policies may be very similar to the Tories these days but I like the fact that Brown looks like a Bond villian with his strange grimace and dodgy eye. I can just see him stroking a purring cat on his lap.

[downsouth]

I agree that he is prone to these tactical blunders. For all his intellect he's not been imparted with much commonsense. GB definitiely a bond villain but Cameron could be a plucky colonel in a Carry on up the Khyber sketch...

[barrymarshall]

hmmm ... he does indeed have something of the Blofeld about him ... but it's the weird thing he does with his jaw, have you noticed?

[mamafeelgood]

oh an election would have been so much fun, so much more because it would have not been a secure one for either party. i like brown but do feel that someone needs to piss on cameron's party. i would happily but as a woman i find it hard to piss standing up and aim all at once...

[downsouth]

Not a pleasant thought.

[barrymarshall]

careful mamafeelgood, you know what the Tories are like with their, ahem, sexual peccadilloes. You wouldn't want to encourage them

[mamafeelgood]

ha ha, no toe sucking here thank you