Election Notebook

Brian Fitzpatrick
Cranky, complex, clever

While I suspect his inquiry was made mischievously, I can reassure John MacLeod (SR 235) that I forswear any gift of prophecy. I suggested who likely 'would' comprise a Cameron government on the basis of shadow cabinet posts held and Tory candidates standing in the forthcoming general election. Older journalists might recognise that as research. Lest he be further troubled, for my part I trust we will avoid that sad outcome and, while it might upset him, am tempted to light the occasional candle for that very intention – midst some breaks from leafletting. 
     I probably should consult a better dictionary of common usage before readily acceding to Kerry Gill's suggestion that 'banker' and 'wealth-creator' might be synonyms. For the record, I disagree and can think of a few more choice alternatives for some of the banking fraternity. While not attracted to selecting our government by class background only, I would still regard it as a matter of regret should we find ourselves with two Old Etonians filling the two most senior positions in government while cheered on by serried ranks of Hooray Henrys and Henriettas.
     I am more troubled by Mr MacLeod's charge that in speaking about his background as being that of an 'ordinary middle class' family Gordon Brown was somehow dishonestly suggesting that his family were 'typical people from the community' in which their home was located. That is a false charge. It was Mr MacLeod not the prime minister who, somewhat unfairly, elided the meanings of 'ordinary' and 'middle class' and seems too gleefully pleased with himself when informing us that Mrs Brown delivered her son at the Orchard Park Nursing Home (now a hotel not far from where I am typing – but hardly the Dorchester).
     I suspect Mr MacLeod never met the late Mr Brown (still less heard him preach) nor his late wife or he might have a somewhat better grasp of just how much and how often they impressed on their offspring the gifts they had been given and the calls that might be made upon them. We have a gifted, cranky, complex, clever and decent man as our prime minister and the readiness of the chatterati among his fellow countrymen to run away from that annoying fact speaks more of them than him.

Jill Stephenson
No one wants to talk to me

The SR's take on the election campaign is that it is 'tedious' and its comment on it is 'brief'. My experience so far is that it is tedious but, in my dark corner of Craiglockhart, Edinburgh, it is visible only on the telly and in the press. I see footage of Mr and Mrs Brown engaged in deep and sincere conversation with 'ordinary people'. I read about manifestos and their launches. I have the unpleasant sensation of watching Ed Balls or Ed Miliband on TV. Like most people, I see neither hide nor hair of Chris Grayling on TV, although I do see a lot of David Cameron looking vigorous and Vince Cable looking wise. But of campaigning on the ground I see none.
     Perhaps I shouldn't complain, but I can't remember my doorstep ever having been darkened by a candidate or even a canvasser, although a nice woman who claimed to have nothing to do with the party was out delivering a Conservative 'newspaper' the other day. It was the usual stuff – Jason (Rust – the candidate) photographed with Annabel Goldie; Jason photographed with local elderly people; Jason photographed with…well, not me and not my cat. Perhaps Alistair Darling thinks his seat is safe with us. Or perhaps he thinks we are a lost cause. Either way, he has not troubled us with his attention. Clearly, this is not one of the 20 seats targeted by the SNP. No sign of them, either. And the Lib Dems don't seem any more interested in us than the rest of them. Gone are the days when Malcolm Rifkind personally swept up and down Colinton Road engaging in conversation with anyone who was willing (I saw him coming and took evasive action).
     So this is a rather phoney war here. The nearest I have got to being doorstepped was on Sunday when I had a visit from two Jehovah's Witnesses. So anxious must I have been for the cut and thrust of debate that I stood and argued with them for nigh on half an hour. It was probably more interesting, and no more pointless, than arguing with politicians. This is really the only chance, with an election imminent, that we have to tell politicians what we think of their parties' policies, and they won't give us the opportunity. Or perhaps they have all been queuing up to speak to me when I have been out. I don't think so.
     At least I have learned – from Radio 4 – that Gordon Brown admits that he was too lax with the banks. Now that's what I call an expensive education.

Alan Fisher
The only job worth having?

Three men will tonight stand before podiums in the north-west of England and try to convince the British electorate that they have what it takes to be prime minister. Given the problems, many might wonder if there's not something slightly masochistic in wanting to take over right here, right now.
     Sure, the incumbent is regarded as a major player on the world stage. Britain plays its part in the G8, the EU, the G20 and of course the Commonwealth. It commands a permanent seat on the UN security council. It will have a voice in the discussions about sanctions against Iran, it will have a role in trying to sort out the Middle East. But add to that the current financial crisis, and it's hard to see why anyone would want to give themselves so many headaches, so many sleepless nights.
     There will be five things that whoever takes control in Downing Street will have to be prepared for, and will have to get to work on as soon as they cross the threshold.
     First, there is Britain's massive debt. It's the third biggest in Europe. Only Iceland's and Greece's are bigger. It has to be brought under control within four years.
     Which leads us to raising taxes. The deficit won't suddenly disappear. It has to be whittled away. That will mean tax rises.
     Going hand in hand with tax rises are cuts in public spending. Schools, hospitals, policing are all things that people associate with government; things they really care about. And all parties are talking about making efficiencies in government spending. That often means job losses.
     A fourth issue that will have to be addressed is the war. The election campaign is a bit like the famous scene from 'Fawlty Towers'. Politicians are wandering around saying 'Don't mention the war. I mentioned it once but I thought I got away with it'. But its an issue that's not going to go away. Britain is still actively engaged in Afghanistan. It's a conflict that costs lives and money. And it's predicted Britain will be there for at least another five years, the lifetime of the next parliament.
     The last thing in the list of five is...well, I don't know. And neither do the politicians. It's the thing you never expected, never planned and blindsides you at 4 o'clock on a wet, quiet Thursday. Tony Blair made a speech in 1999 that suggested the turn of the century could herald an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity. He didn't foresee, couldn't foresee, 9/11, the war in Iraq, the attacks on the London transport system, the meltdown of international financial systems. But these are the things that test the mettle, challenge governments, and separate true leaders from footnotes in history.
     It is perhaps the most thankless job in Britain. But tonight three men will try to convince us that it's the only one worth having.