Conservative Party supporters are spitting blood tonight, after Gordon Brown's announcement that he will step down before October has led to official talks between the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats. It has also led to widespread speculation about who will replace him as leader of the Labour Party, who could well be the next Prime Minister.
The reason for the Conservatives' ire is all too clear: they have lost their momentum. Hague is battling on with the negotations, and is doing a sterling job for the Tories: but bizarrely, Cameron is nowhere to be seen, and Osborne has also gone quiet. Poor old Michael Gove, meanwhile, is being sent to pretty much every media broadcast and event, in the hope that this will keep him busy: he seems to be doing a remarkably good job considering. But as the Times puts it, Brown has put a spanner in the works by stepping down: mainly because he has facilitated talks between Labour and the Lib Dems.
In what is effectively their last throw of the dice, the Conservatives have offered the Lib Dems a referendum on Alternative Voting: but not only does this differ significantly from proportional representation, there is no set date for the referendum. It is therefore highly likely that, come Tuesday afternoon, Nick Clegg will have rejected the idea of a "Con-Dem Nation", and will stick to his guns. This is a hammer blow for the Tories: they made the move to create a coalition, and they appear to have flunked it. As James McIntrye puts it, this might well be their first and last "strategic error" as the largest party, with another general election this year looking possible.
Tomorrow, The Evening Stanners will give you a full list of the potential candidates for the leadership of the Labour Party, and looks at who might win, and who might fall by the wayside. And of course, we'll be keeping you up-to-date with the latest developments on any "deal" involving the Lib Dems. For now though, get some sleep: it might be until October before we know who really governs.
The reason for the Conservatives' ire is all too clear: they have lost their momentum. Hague is battling on with the negotations, and is doing a sterling job for the Tories: but bizarrely, Cameron is nowhere to be seen, and Osborne has also gone quiet. Poor old Michael Gove, meanwhile, is being sent to pretty much every media broadcast and event, in the hope that this will keep him busy: he seems to be doing a remarkably good job considering. But as the Times puts it, Brown has put a spanner in the works by stepping down: mainly because he has facilitated talks between Labour and the Lib Dems.
In what is effectively their last throw of the dice, the Conservatives have offered the Lib Dems a referendum on Alternative Voting: but not only does this differ significantly from proportional representation, there is no set date for the referendum. It is therefore highly likely that, come Tuesday afternoon, Nick Clegg will have rejected the idea of a "Con-Dem Nation", and will stick to his guns. This is a hammer blow for the Tories: they made the move to create a coalition, and they appear to have flunked it. As James McIntrye puts it, this might well be their first and last "strategic error" as the largest party, with another general election this year looking possible.
Tomorrow, The Evening Stanners will give you a full list of the potential candidates for the leadership of the Labour Party, and looks at who might win, and who might fall by the wayside. And of course, we'll be keeping you up-to-date with the latest developments on any "deal" involving the Lib Dems. For now though, get some sleep: it might be until October before we know who really governs.
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