Politics

The first thought that occurs on looking at Gordon Brown’s YouTube PMQs is that Rory Bremner’s impersonation is now near-perfect. It’s a parody of himself. He says he’ll be glad to take everyone’s questions “on this exciting new initiative.” All Politics 2.0, going straight to the public without the interface of journalists or MPs. And then without pausing for breath, the Great Helmsman helpfully tells us what these questions should be. “Questions you have about how gloablisation’s working, what’s happening to climate change, how we can build the houses we need, how we can get the jobs we need for the future… I’m here to answer your questions. Politicians get

I was reviewing the papers on the Marr sofa earlier with Jane Moore, one of my favourite columnists. Next week’s abortion vote came up, and she said she is pro-choice – but was persuaded of the need to reduce the time limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks by a letter she received from a nurse involved in the procedure. Its contents, she told Marr, were unsuitable to be discussed on air. She later told me what it was – a description of how at 24 weeks the child is often strong enough to be alive – and then must be left to die on the side of an NHS

Oh dear. Rather than buy votes, Gordon Brown’s £2.7bn unfunded tax cut has doubled the Tory lead in Crewe & Nantwich according to an ICM poll of the constituency for the News of the World tomorrow. Tories on 45% against Labour’s 37%, suggesting a Tory majority of about 1,000 – and a 12% swing. The under-35s have turned against Brown the harshest, with 56% of them saying they will vote Tory. Some 24% say the tax bribe has made them more likely to vote against Labour and just 4% say they are more likely to vote Labour as a result. As a general rule, 4% is about the share of

Fraser Nelson outlines the high cost of living, and claims that James Purnell could be the next Labour leader. James Forsyth asks CoffeeHousers to suggest what the Tories would achieve if in power, and wonders whether Ken Livingstone’s heading for Parliament. And Peter Hoskin says the bleak economic horizon spells trouble for Brown, and hopes that voters are seeing through Alistair Darling’s 10p tax measures.