Crick Nails It

Michael Crick

is spot on re Gordon's comments:

First, of course, they will anger the many millions of voters, many of them Labour, who are also worried about immigration. Many of these people are not racists. They suggest that the PM doesn't understand their concerns, let alone share them.

Second, they reveal the darker side of Gordon Brown, and confirm what many of his critics have long said. He doesn't like criticism, and tried to avoid it. He expects his staff to keep critics well away from him.

Third, they show that Labour's claims since the weekend that Mr Brown was now meeting "real people" are pretty bogus. It's clear from his comments, and criticism of his long-standing aide Sue Nye, that Mr Brown still expected to be presented on the campaign only with loyal Labour voters. We now know the party was hoodwinking us.

It all unravels yet again.

I've Never Voted Conservative...

Boom boom.

Via email.

Bigoted?

Mrs Duffy said:

"You can't say anything about the immigrants because you're saying that you're... all these Eastern Europeans - where are they flocking from"

Doesn't sound very bigoted. More confused. She was asking her leader a question to which he says he couldn't respond. Why not? Instead he smeared her to his staff and the world.

GordonON/GordOFF

Tory Rascal

is quick off the mark:

Are there any Labour attacks left that haven't backfired so spectacularly?

Gordon's Last Gasp Gaffe

And this is the conversation we heard. Imagine all those chats the microphones have missed.

Brand Extension

Loved this picture that was sent in by a reader:

Sadly those limited edition bags are sold out now...

Where Will You Be Next Thursday?

A message from

The Big Election Night Party

:

This election is the closest in living memory

It could go either way...

Where will you watch all the action unfold?


THE BIG ELECTION NIGHT PARTY

The Sports Cafe - Haymarket

May 6th from 9pm

Why not join hundreds of people, 60 big screens, WiFI, projectors and all the channels.

Don't miss a moment of the election night action through the night with food offers and drinks deals while you cheer on your team.

Not only will there be a party but the BBC and Sky will be there, some of the UKs top bloggers and pundits as well as constant updates on what the betting markets are doing. The iBank will have charging facilities for iPhones and Blackberries. The first drink is even on the house...

Tickets to this all night event are just £25, and food and drink served all night, literally all night. Just off Trafalgar Square so there are great transport connections. Sadly we are only able to invite over 18s only. 

*** TICKETS MUST BE BOUGHT ONLINE BEFORE THE NIGHT***

BUY HERE

 

The Hung Parliament Party

Fake Change

The Lib Dems have faked up photos of three public sector workers in the last week:

It's a joke.

The Wheels to Come Off the Clegg Bus?

Not a smear, but not exactly a game changer either. This

story

is rather telling none the less. In 2003 Nick Clegg MEP smuggled a 17 year old girls out of the country by hiding her in the loo on a coach chartered for a Liberal Democrat funded trip. How is someone with such a flagrant disregard for border laws meant to be taken seriously while asking to be put in charge of the country? Makes you wonder what is going on aboard the

magical mystery tour

.

Might have taken a hit at his chances of becoming Cameron's Home Secretary...

Labour PPC in Second Internet Scandal

As TB reported last week, Labour PPC John Cowan was selected despite being kicked out of the Lib Dems for being a sex pest. Despite being the one to complain to the Lib Dems, Kerry McCarthy MP turned a blind eye when Cowan was embraced with open arms by Labour and selected as a candidate. Well it looks tonight as if his career in the Labour Party is over as his website has disappeared. TB is hearing rumours that he has been sacked. This is also a big embarrassment for

LabourList

given Cowan was one of their regular contributors. His Twitter

account

seems unusually quiet.

The Telegraph, with a little help it must be said, have landed what must surely be the knock out blow on Cowan by revealing his anti Muslim, sexually explicit and offensive online comments under a veil of attempted annoymity on various chat room forums. You can read the whole story

here

.

This story seems far darker and deeper than the Stuart MacLennan Twitter

news

that disrupted Labour's first week of the campaign. The same rules must apply here. Why did he even get past the selection process? The Tories didn't touch him with a barge pole when he tried to come their way. Kerry McCarthy has a lot to answer for here.

Goodbye Cowan, or was it Racingdude009?

A New Poll Method

A busy day on the stump in Perth and North Perthshire. According this extremely sophisticated poll there is still work to be done to make sure it is a Tory gain, but the reaction right across this vast constituency has been extremely positive. It's look good. TB, and his epically over the top t-shirt, even got the chance to meet the SNP's incumbent Pete Wishart who it seems is a reader..."Mr Bear I believe..." 

Seems it was a strange day elsewhere. What exactly was with the Elvis impersonator? Good news that Labour saw sense and have

withdrawn

their offensive poster. Great news that Morely and Outwood has been made an official target seat after Antony Calvert's epic fund-raising drive against Balls.


Polls looking good tonight, back to stuffing envelopes.

Vince's Bad Week

After his disastrous Chancellor's Debate on Wednesday, Vince capped off a dreadful week with this:




Via

Tory Politico

.

Guy News: Inside the Spin Room

"You can't film in here..." Yes we can.

The Morning After the Night Before

TB is sitting in Edinburgh fresh of the sleeper and bleary eyed. Nice to be back and sitting reading the papers with that as the view. The splash is pretty much what could have been hoped for Dave:

How deserved it is remains to be seen when some more sunbstantive polls emerge in the next 48/72 hours. One thing to note is the pollsters aren't seem to know about as much as anyone else in term of what is really going on out there. They are up down and all over the place. A scary thought. Tories seem to be splitting into two camps - deniers and realists. Over night TB got a thinking. If we are set for a hung parliament, the Tories need to start preparing for it now. on their own terms, rather than when it is forced upon them . The Orange Bookers won't be a problem, but the left bonkers sandal wearing grassrooters might be. Clegg's whole message of change will be skewered if he chooses to prop up Brown. If sixty percent of the voters, as it seems at the moment, don't want Gordon there will be no legitmacy in his government. Will it be taken lying down?

The Liberal Democrats want to rip up the rule book in terms of the electoral system, and frankly if Brown is returned despite taking a thumping from the people, TB will be inclined to agree with them.

Lies On His Own Leaflet

Gordon Brown said he hadn't authorised leaflets telling lies about pensioners bus passes being threatened. So why does his very

own leaflet

 in Kirkcaldy say he will “fight against SNP cuts to the free bus passes”?

A complete lie. It is not being cut at all. 

First Thoughts

Brown was better than last week but that really isn't saying much. The novelty of Clegg has worn off and he flounders when given the level of scutiny his apparent poll position deserves. Clegg tried hard to keep up the "I'm different" line but frankly it just wasn't effective like last week. He was lucky with the closing statement slot as he got to push his effective line very well.

A much better performance from Cameron, he showed that passion and anger that was so devoid from last week's performance. However he still missed a couple of open goals. He had the chance to tell Brown he was liar over the inheritance tax cuts. Brown lied over the 3000 number and Cameron took it on the chin rather than slamming him and closing down the line of attack forever.

Who won? Well let the spin begin. A draw? Not sure... but there were potshots taken by everyone. No wonder Brown has been so quiet for the last few days. He was busy nailing those lines.

In terms of fighting Clegg, a resurgent Brown could put him back in his box. TB will blog again in an hour or so once the dust has settled.

UPDATE: + YouGov Rapid Poll calls it for Cameron - though stress this happened last week +

Labour's New Low

There will be apologies and serious rowing back from this. How insulting to every single disabled person in Britain. A future fair for all?


UPDATE: Just occurred to TB that Cameron's son spent all of his short life in a wheelchair. Is this really appropriate? The sooner Labour retract and apologise the better. Who approved this? McBride?

The Debate Live

TB will be tweeting live for the Guy News ANTI Spin Room. He is off Scotland tonight so sadly couldn't make it down to Bristol:



Straight after the debate he will be blogging reaction from his cabin on the London to Edinburgh sleeper.

Farage Opens Fire on Bercow

TB is donating and backing Farage to the hilt... so are many other Tories. Parliament would be a much more exciting place with Farage on the benches. Get involved and Ban the Bercow.