Ex-home secretary says (I quote), he would "urge a leadership contest". He also said, there are "five or six people of quality" who wold make good candidates. He then went on to say, "many, many, many, people" shared his concerns.

So does, "Labour face utter destruction at the next election"? I thinks so because I'm Conservative, but could this make more of Labour think about what Mr Clarke said?

But I think the real question is; Is Gordon Brown going to keep his job? Please speak your mind on that one.

What do you think and what would you like to see?
Is it not just a fight against my party but your own?
And who do you think would be stronger, Brown or someone else?

In 1918, after the suffragette campaign, the fourth reform act was introduced, famously granting suffrage to women over the age of 30. In 1928 the fifth great reform act was passed, another revolutionary act which made female suffrage equal to male suffrage at the age of 21.

Forty-one years later the sixth great reform act extended the franchise to 18 after a high court appeal by the NUS. Today, there is an opportunity to make history; there is a strong case for an additional reform act, which would extend suffrage to the age of 16. This article puts the case for the extension of the franchise.

I was a Labour Party member for about ten years. I left the party about six months after the 97 election, I saw the writing on the wall even then. I felt the Party was about to ride roughshod over its core support and it has proven to be the case.
One of the first things the MP's did 1997, was to award themselves a whopping 20 odd % pay rise. A few months later Gordon Brown made a speech in which he said, "Local Authority Workers will have to accept inflation or less than inflation wage rises for the foreseeable future". Having listened to this same statement from the Tories for eighteen years and now eleven years on from the 1997 election, I, as a Local Authority Worker have seen my earnings deteriorate year on year. It's not all bad news though, some public sector workers have had some really good salary deals, over inflation wage rises, limousines to get ferried about in, expenses to go to work and to furnish their second homes, and would you believe it subsidised bars and restaurants at their place of work. As you have probably guessed by now, these public sector workers are none other than the MP's of our great country. I would never have believed, I would live to see the day a Labour Government, could tax the ordinary person in society til the pips squeaked. Changed days.

If Labour is to have any chance of winning a fourth term then a sound, well thought thorough political strategy is important but some good old fashioned localised tactics are absolutely essential. In 2005 the Tories won a number of seats (including that of Shrewsbury where I stood as the Labour candidate) by applying some effective local tactics. With just under (probably) two years to the next election Labour needs to get back to being more tactically aware and astute.

So in order to win or retain a marginal seat in 2010 it is - in my humble estimation - important for CLPs and PPCs to do the following:

1. CLP must select early and wherever possible choose a candidate with previous experience.
2. CLP and PPC must adopt a 'long term' approach to campaigning - there is rarely a 'silver' bullet in a local campaign.
3. Adopt a policy of 'extreme 'localism' - does your hospital need to charge for parking? What is policing like in particular wards? Are there car parking issues on a particular street?
4. Focus the campaign on local community issues as opposed to the large macro issues.
5. Highlight the person first and the party second.
7. Draft in as much professional campaign support as possible - from unions, regional offices etc
8. Adopt a policy of positive campaigning - resist the temptation to slag off your opponents.
9. Hard working families like hard working candidates - provide local people with evidence of your endeavours and of the impact that you have had and are having.
10. Target all areas of the constituency and not just traditional heartland areas.

What have I missed? What do you disagree with?

Michael Cockerell's film, Dave Cameron's Incredible Journey, is on BBC2 on Thursday, 20 December at 1900GMT.

So the master strategist has said he will not call a general election this autumn. 

One of the key factors for the decision seems to be this poll in the News of the World by ICM:

'Marginals polls revels Hung Parliament'
http://notw.typepad.com/saturday_notw/2007/10/stop-press.html

As usual Brown does a soft interview with Andrew Marr to explain his decision.  One can only hope there is some short-term pain and in the long term things will be ok.  But one car'nt help feeling that the last three months were the high point of Brown's premiership and Brown could well be the heir to Callaghan in more ways than one.