Good news speech this morning by Gordon Brown on creating a low carbon economy, including introducing financial incentives "such as feed-in tariffs or equivalent mechanisms" for decentralised energy and microgeneration. Why then announce equality laws on the same day to de-focus media interest?

Fancy a game of tennis with Tony or lunch with Sir Alex?  Help nice Mr Brown beat nasty Mr Cameron at the next General Election by bidding on some money can't buy lots.

About a month ago I wrote here that Gordon Brown had to go, the only thing that has changed is that it is more urgent than ever.

Led by The News of the World, the mainstream media has misrepresented Labourhome's June poll.

"Friends" say Brown to trigger a leadership election at some point in next parliament if Labour win the general election

I'm driven day by day, further into disbelief, when I see that the government thinks by talking right, they'll win votes. Our core voters had never been seeked out for political retribution before, but with the 10p tax rate, they found a reason to think of Labour as bad as, if not worse than the Tories. Our supreme electoral coalition has disintegrated. The only way we will win, is by uniting our natural coalition, stretching from metropolitan liberals, to working class socialists.

Sweden has many lessons to offer. Their current PM, is who David Cameron bases himself on. The government were convinced that the Social Democrats loss in 2006 was a result of centre-left policies. But again, the parallels to Britain are striking. They wanted to kick out a leader who had been looking tired, and had been running the country for 10 years.

If Brown is radical, he can shake off this old, tired milieu that seems to haunt him. I said the other day that the time had come for a Labour revolution. Brown can lead it if he is successful. He needs a right-to-buy, or an NHS to get him to win.

He should stand on the doorstep of No. 10, and say, "I have persued the policies of Thatcherism, and they haven't helped the citizens of this country when they are already worrying about the economy. I am sorry for the 10p tax fiasco, and the failure to adequately tax the super rich. I am sorry for the civil service cuts that have lead to data losses, and the lack of financial regulations that have exacerbated fears about the economy.

I have to take tough decisions in this job. The era of cheap fuel is over. I know it's difficult to hear, but we do need higher taxes to make public services excellent. I, like the opposition leaders, have persued the same undiluted ideology for too long. It is only Labour though, that has the philosophy to correct many of these mistakes.

So I announce to you today, that I'm not going to cut fuel tax. But, what I will do, is use every penny, and I mean every penny, to subsidise public transport. I will use windfall taxes on polluting companies, to fund a new global project to find renewable sources, which I hope my colleagues across the world will join me in funding. I want a world without nuclear weapons, and we must engage other countries, to start the process of multilateral non-proliferation. I will stop the tax breaks on the super-rich, and will redistribute much of those taxes to the lower paid in our society. Not only is it morally the right thing to do, it is economically prudent. I will place more regulations on the financial markets, to stop exploitation of the British people.

I am not going to promise the British people the world. But it is my duty, in the name of social justice, to help them. We're all going to have to be a bit disappointed with pay checks, and prices, but I will do my best with the tax system, to ensure the well off aren't profiting at the expense of most Britons. We do need higher taxes, but it can get us excellent public services. I said in 2003, that Labour is "Best when we are boldest". Let Labour fulfil this promise."


Of course, perhaps he can say this in a less blunt way. But we need a radical path. The only way to lift the fake liberal mask covering David Cameron, is to persue a bold agenda. It has to be a bold progressive agenda. It seems to be universal childcare to me, that will guarantee Labour a couple of more terms, like right-to-buy guaranteed Thatcher 3 successive election victories.

Mostly though, it will not be radical policies, but the general state of affairs that will determine his legacy. I support the current polyclinic plan, but we shouldn't hear 'Reform. Reform. Reform.' constantly. The NHS has drastically improved, but the bread and butter issues of more doctors, more midwives, more nurses, more funding etc. should be the key battleground. I remember reading an article by Polly Toynbee (04/01/08) which showed the model of the Nottingham University Hospital Trust, a model I think we should follow, as it showed that it is not reshaping the beaurocracy, but the attention to the patients that has dramatically improved the hospital. The NHS defines my support for Labour, and I think the model of this hospital should be copied throughout the NHS.

On some levels, he needs radical new policies, and on other matters, he needs to stop pretending that his policies are radical. I think Brown can win, and we can cement Labour's place in government for a long time.

It seems from PMQ that Gordon (or his team) reads conservativehome

Labour seems to face ruin in two ways - either no money or be shackled to the unions. Well, Gordon Brown should take a leaf out of John Smith's book and tell the unions to back off.

Gordon Brown is clearly a decent man, which is why he must know it is time for him to go.

A Labourhome member writes

New Labour is dead in the water; its electoral credibility has been shattered and it's time we took a long hard look in the mirror, remember what we believe in, what we joined this great party for and look to the future. Gordon is the past, and he needs to go sooner rather than later if we are to remain a force in British politics. Here's my vision for the future, not for now, not necessarily for 2010 but for the long term health of the party.

Nick Robinson's report on Gordon Brown (BBC 1, 10 O'Clock News, Wednesday May 14th) appeared to be a straightforward piece of character assassination rather than reputable journalism.

I’ll join the chorus of approval for Chancellor Alistair Darling’s decision to increase tax allowances for basic rate taxpayers. I suppose the Mrs and I should declare an interest (or rather 240 of them). But I do genuinely think that this is good news for low and middle income Britain. It is also progressive and even (mildly) redistributive in a gentle “don’t scare the horses” New Labour way.

I don’t think that there has been any conversion on the road to Damascus, but the government has been given a bloody nose by normally loyal backbench MPs not the “usual suspects”. What does this mean? Gordon Brown is not stupid. I think he will take account of his backbench MPs and realise a mistake was made over the abolition of the 10p rate and learn from it.

The sum of all changes in voter choice in limited local government elections, plus a much closer run thing in London, is clearly a swing from Labour to the Tories. But this simple sum hides a multitude of calculations.

Let's not fool ourselves. Our Leader says he's listening...so it's all going to be alright? He says he is going to give us a say...so it's going to be alright? Much of the media commentary implies that we (mere mortals) are hapless bystanders of the bubbling Westminster cauldron.

1) We need to win the next election!!
2) We need to think of our core vote!!
3) We need less privatisation !!
4) We need to raise the minimum wage!!
5) We need to stop hitting the poor with tax changes!!
6) We need the temporary workers bill!!
7) We need to withdraw from Iraq!!
8) We need more equality!!
9) We should admit shame on remploy!!
10) We need to be the Labour party!!

John Wiseman
PPC Westmorland and Lonsdale

At times like these we do not need further self-inflicted wounds, but the 42 days legislation promises to be just that.