I personally didn't care less about the 10p₁, but what is becoming increasingly clear is that all this bollocks about "economic cycles" has the potential to be the Northern Rock for the government. What I object to is the lack of tight control over the money they've spent on their favourite projects e.g. the NHS. It is increasingly clear that the government should have been building up reserves during the "nice decade" so that when the Brown stuff hit the fan, it had reserves to rely on.

It takes a certain amount of showmanship and charisma and intuitive feel to be a leader of a nation. Blair had it, Brown doesn't, no matter what you think of their other attributes.

_{1. But a large number of people who would vote Labia do.}

It also smacks of double taxation, and class envy. Old-style labour concepts that are not appealing to me, even though I will not be caught by it. (Admittedly I am a fat cat by your standards).

The thing is people are also realising that he was a crap Chancellor as well. He rode the wave of the global boom all the way to the end. I think that rogerborg said it best when he described it as similar to the cool kid passing the game over to his simple friends just before the kill screen.

Brown is not as competent as he made out. He's gone.

The bad thing is I may be forced to vote LD now that they've dumped their flat-earth tax policies.

The Czar of Accounting. No Nit Too Small To Pick

Seriously, I'd prefer the Libertarians. Or the Lib Dems over the Tories.  But if voting for either of these means that Harman gets in again as MP for my borough, I'll hold my nose and vote Tory.  Interesting that in the nearby Bermondsey ward, the results in 2005 were Lib Dem beating the NuLabia candidate by a nose.  Either way, some of the legislation Harman has presided over and introduced are frankly insane and I would love to see her lose her seat.  Don't know if her previous popularity will last though, especially after her gaffe with the stab vest when patrolling the borough with the local police.

Labour MPs, who had presumably not been paying attention when this was announced the previous year
This is what I think is also turning voters away from NuLabia; there is a feeling that the government have stopped listening and are convinced that they know best.  The fact that no one in the party thought to look at the consequence of dropping the 10p tax band before it came in is a shocking oversight.  And it leaves the perception that the MPs have either stopped caring about the way they run the country, or they're all so whipped as to never question what the Cabinet orders.  Neither of which is a vote winner. 

In addition to this it increases the number of people who have to apply for Tax Credits.  And that again goes in the face of people from all walks of life - having the pride to work and being asked to surrender that pride and ask the State to give you your money back. 

The government could have totally reversed this with a bit of sleight of hand - say leaving the 10p tax band as removed, and increasing the personal allowance upwards?  So everyone is better off, even the poor.  And no one has to go cap in hand to the Government for their tax money back.

Look at the support Davis got from all areas of the media over 42 days - left and rightwing - and how shameful GTLSB's whipping the party and not "making deals" with the DWP looked to the public.  Again, the "we know best" mentality laid bare.

Lisbon treaty - does anyone not think that it is the constitution except in name?  Other than the deluded Government, perhaps?  And again, not only did the "we know best" attitude come across again, despite the weasel words that "it's not the constitution", denying the public a referendum promised in their own manifesto by which NuLabia were elected - smacks of "we know best".

On top of that, they're being outed as having their noses in the trough and trying to maintain their gluttony of taxpayer's cash, they tell us to "stick your vote", (original letter can be found here, you might need to click back to the 1st page in the thread).

As Brown's stealth taxes really start to bind in (wait until 2011 and 2012 for it to really start hurting - clever Brown loaded his treasury when he knew he'd be in charge - all that lovely tax revenue would be his), food and fuel prices are accelerating upwards.  And when people are feeling the pinch at home then they start looking at the Governments finances a little more closely.  In this case, it's been even more bad news - the news that 2.7Bn is to be borrowed to pay off those affected by the 10p tax rate meant further media scrutiny of the government's borrowing.  At which people are asking themselves - if Gordon was so prudent then why the hell have we racked up the debt so high when we should have been paying it off?  Another blow to GTLSB's public perception.

Then there is also party funding - bailed out in the eleventh hour by one of the Unions.  What will the Union demand for saving NuLabia?  They know that there's little left in the pot for pay rises for Union members; will they demand removal of NI caps so that they can make a pay rise claim of 8% or more, and get it because there's more tax take immediately available?  Will they demand the return of the secondary strike?  Either way, NuLabia will be seen as the party that couldn't manage their own finances, and sold the country out to bail themselves out of the hole of their own making.

In short, NuLabia are fucked.  Fucked if they bin the current PM (although that would have to be done by MPs threatening to call vote of no confidence in the government and hoping he'd resign IIRC), and fucked if they don't.  Another unelected leader (I know that this is how the Labour party works but many people are expecting a more Tory like election to take place to determine the party leader) being foisted upon the public would not go down well.  And the people have already shown their displeasure at Gordon in recent by elections.  Besides, is there any credible politician left in the Cabinet?  Prescott is the only heavyweight I can bring to mind that might have the ability to turn things around, but he's long gone, chased out by the Tony and Gordon double team.

No, NuLabia must get hammered in the next General Election, and revert back to being just The  Labour Party once more.  Excise these professional politicians who have never worked or lived in the real world, and regenerate the party from genuine Socialists.  I can see many years in the wilderness for The Labour Party as they rebuild trust and perceived competance.  But I remain hopeful that there'll be a hung parliament before too long - so we can get back some proper checks and balances in the democratic process.

I will be interested if Gordo decides to implement the electoral reform they've promised - although this will now be seen as out and out electioneering.  Which is a pity because I think our FPTP system is no longer tenable.