Tories aim to smash Labour unity on 1st May

"Devastating" is the only way to describe the article that Rachel Sylvester has penned this morning for today's Telegraph.

Here are ten of the problems facing the Government that she lists:

1. Disrespect for Brown: "Last week, the Prime Minister had to endure what was described to me as a "low-level heckle" by his own backbenchers at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party."
2. A wide range of contentious issues: "MPs are in open rebellion over the abolition of the 10p tax rate for the lowest paid workers and the proposal to lock up terrorist suspects, without charge, for 42 days. They are cross about post office closures; they are suspicious of plans for housing; they are concerned about ideas on welfare reform."
3. Cross-party unhappiness: "Disillusioned Left-wingers, who campaigned for Mr Brown to become leader, are joining forces with triumphant Blairites who say: "I told you so.""
4. Frontbench rebellions: "Last week, Ivan Lewis, a health minister, warned that Labour was "losing touch" with hard-working families, then Gerry Sutcliffe, the licensing minister, attacked the tax rises on booze."
5. Cabinet disunity: "I am reliably informed that, after one recent Cabinet meeting, Jack Straw threatened to punch Ed Balls during a row about who was responsible for youth crime."
6. Chancellor-PM tensions: "The Chancellor is already planning his memoirs, as an insurance policy against the Prime Minister."
7. Worries about drift and dither: "Ministers who were once in awe of Mr Brown have started complaining about their boss. "It's dither, dither, dither," sighs one. An aide claims, blithely: "It's like a Shakespearean tragedy. Gordon's not up to the job.""
8. Frictions inside Number Ten: "Mr Brown's advisers at Number 10 are not only fighting like ferrets in a sack, they are also briefing details to the press."
9. Fear of the Tory poll leads: "With the Conservatives enjoying a double-digit lead in the polls, Labour MPs are facing up to political mortality for the first time since 1997."
10. Leadership speculation: "Mr Balls is positioning himself, none too subtly as the "real Labour" candidate by waging war on the admissions policies of faith schools, Mr Purnell is trying to occupy the modernising ground by talking tough on welfare reform, David Miliband is making sure he does not end up in a foreign policy backwater, with speeches on the future direction of the centre-Left. It cannot be long before the Blairite street fighters, Charles Clarke and Alan Milburn, and the champion of the Left, Jon Cruddas, weigh in."

Tory strategists are now hopeful for a hammer blow to Brown on May 1st.  Although they don't want expectations to get too high they believe the campaigns against the 10p tax band and post office closures could produce excellent results for the Tories in May's local elections and in London - where Boris now leads by 13%.  Their hope is that this will produce a wave of panic in Labour ranks.  Despite the disunity in Labour - as detailed by Rachel Sylvester and others - CCHQ is secretly impressed with the extent of Labour unity up until now.  Cracks are now obvious in the Labour dam and the floodwaters may start flowing from 2nd May.

7pm update: Click to enlarge the above picture of Straw and Balls!

Comments

[Renny]

New Lab are toast.
The Blair bubble and now the Brown bust will do for them.

[Dave B]

Is it possible for the Conservatives to make many more gains in local gov't? They're already the largest party.

[Iain Martin (not the telegraph's)]

Yep, it will be tough but there is a chance we can make gains. Here in North Tyneside we only need one gain to obtain overall control of the council albeit with a Labour mayor.

[JH]

It will be a struggle to make large gains for the reason you describe, and we will almost certainly lose control of a couple of councils we gained in 2004, like Coventry. We would have probably lost this one before if not for a complicated round of musical chair defections.

However we've broken through everyones' expectations every year since about 2002 so lets hope we can do it again!

[Sammy Finn]

These elections could mark the end of Brown if disunity is indeed sown in Labour ranks as a result. The electorate hates disunited parties.

[Banana Replublic]

They're all over the place, like the Banana [Republic] Splits, with Brown singing "la la-la, la-la-la la, la la la, la-la-la- la!"

[Man in a Shed]

Remember operation Foxley was cancelled as the view was taken that the Fuhrer was more help than hindrance.

We need Brown deranged, carpet chewing, mobile phone throwing in his No 10 bunker - not defeated, yet.

[Craig Barrett]

Man in a shed is right.

We need Brown wounded but not dead. At the moment, he's the best chance we have.

[Jake]

An intersting article.

Separately , in the same issue of the Telegraph there is one on the Barnett Formula

"Lord Barnett admits scheme is not formula
By Simon Johnson, Scottish Political Correspondent 08/04/2008."

I notice the editor has taken the quiet-day decision and not allowed any comments.

[Iain]

"We need Brown wounded but not dead."

Wounded or dead doesn’t matter for its impossible for Labour to change him before the next election. What is needed is for the Conservatives to build a clear, concise, and critical narrative of the economy Gordon Brown has built, to ensure there is no route out of the hole Gordon Brown has dug. In light of the propensity of the Shadow treasury team to squander the opportunities handed to them to nail Gordon Brown, it worries me that if there is a route back for Gordon Brown it will be because the Shadow Treasury team haven't done their job.

[Patsy Sergeant]

It seems to me that at some time in the recent past Mr. Balls was given some indication of some kind, that he would be top of the queue for the next leadership contest, in other words he was given a sort of benediction by SOMEONE, to ensure total loyalty. Well I would guess that is how SOMEONE's mind works.

However since that someone is famous for getting things wrong, or not considering the broader implications, he now has a bright, VERY ambitious, eager and therefore not too inclined to wait very long, young minister, who's principal concern at the moment is TO MAKE HIS MARK! in some way.

Given that this young man is not a Blairite, being a socialist means that he will be more likely to want to make his MARK in a way that will appeal to the left of the Labour party.

I think this is behind the shennanigans about 'faith' schools - which was all based on interpretation and conjecture and then 'beefed up' NOW, IT HAS JUST OCCURRED TO ME, WHERE HAVE WE HEARD THAT PHRASE BEFORE, AND LOOK WHAT DAMAGE IT DID AT THAT TIME AND SINCE (IRAQ)!!!

Mr. Balls is a young man with a privileged education, but with very little experience of the wider world outside party politics, so like his boss (who has exactly the same qualifications!), he has little idea - and cares even less - as to the damaging and very widespread effects that his brilliant ideas will have !!!!!

[Richard]

Calm down every one. There are three more weeks of campaigning before the local elections and we are at least a year away from a General Election. I think we all need to keep our feet on the ground. There is still a lot of hard work to be done!

[Iain]

"and we are at least a year away from a General Election"

Not long enough if you are going to build up a damming narrative of economic mismanagement, and make a clear case for what you think are the solutions.

[Ben Surtees]

"we all need to keep our feet on the ground"

Damn right!... we've got a long way since the last election, but theres a lot still to do, Labour's shambolic form is helping but we cant rely on it and we cant be over confident... everyone in the party needs to get their heads down and keep plowing on, we're on course but there's a lot left to do!

[Iain]

"everyone in the party needs to get their heads down and keep plowing on"

Today when there have been the biggest fall in house prices since 1992 we hear Gordon Brown trying to set the agenda to his advantage in an interview, Vince Cable on World at One putting the Libdem view, and the Conservative Shadow Treasury team? No where it seems.

[Patsy Sergeant]

I think a lot of people on this website forget or perhaps just do not know, just how politically naive so many of the ordinary British public are, and surely it is our job to highlight just how mendacious so many members of this government really AND how little they really care even about their 'heartlands', at least that is what they have demonstrated!

[Man in a Shed]

Iain - asked myself the same question, why no Conservative comment on World at one ?

Since the BBC Won the election in 1997 installing New Labour the pattern of political reporting has changed.

It used to be that the opposition was always given a chance to respond, often in debate in the studio. No pre-1997 government minister would go on air unchallenged.

But since the new era it is no longer necessary for Labour ministers to be questioned. They avoid criticism by ploys like leaking what may be in a speech, which the BBC faithfully report, but since it hasn't happened yet fail to get a response from other parties. The BBC all spend more time interviewing their own payroll experts than asking alternative political parties.

On an aside how often do they invite Vince Cable on the World at One ? Should be be on the payroll ?

[London Tory]

I have thought for some years now that the new generation of Labour ministers- one might call them the Geek Generation- are very good news for us. When harnessed to a seriously unpopular and inflexible political oil tanker- Mr G.Brown, this news gets even better. As the electorate's credit cards get snipped up, their interest rates rise, their council tax doubles, and their tax thresholds are increased, they [the voters] are going to really hate being told that they are just part of a "worldwide economic downturn' by the likes of David Milliband and Yvette Cooper [to name just two].

And best of all is Ed Balls- quite the most obnoxious, chippy and partisan individual since Tony Benn in his pomp.

If I were Conservative HQ, I would be replaying Balls' "so what" comment as often as possible between now and the next election.

[David Belchamber]

One thing at a time: the forthcoming elections should be about inflation-busting council tax rises, the quality of local services etc to resonate with the local electors.

We want Brown to limp on wounded and clearly not knowing what to do for a little longer to ensure that Labour doesn't have the time to find and install a young vigorous person to replace him with before the next GE.

If Brown keeps going looking so clapped out and thunderous, he could make Labour unelectable again for a very long while.