THE DAY OF THE LONG AXE

TODAY, Chancellor George Osborne announced the biggest cuts to public spending for over a generation.

In a spending review, intended to reduce the country’s budget deficit, Osborne announced plans to bring down government spending and cut most departmental budgets over a period of four years.

The cuts over four years amount to roughly £821n.

The biggest hit will be to the welfare bill. Welfare is to be cut by £7bn a year with sweeping changes being made to unemployment and out of work disability benefits.

The police and local council budgets will be substantially cut leading to concerns over local services.

The police will have annual budgets cut by 4% each year, however Osborne and Home Secretary Teresa May insist that the cuts will not lead to few bobbies on the beat.

Health has managed to escape from the cuts, with spending expected to reach £114bn to reach by 2014/15.

However the NHS is expected to make £20bn worth of savings, by cutting out administration and other cost cutting measures.

The public sector is expected to shed half a million jobs over the next four years and the Tory/Lib Dem coalition expects the private sector to be able to mop up the casualties.

How this will work has not been explained.

Labour Shadow Chancellor, Alan Johnson called the spending review a "reckless gamble with people's livelihoods" which risked "stifling the fragile recovery".

Johnson also accused minsters of "throwing people out of work".

According to the Chancellor the cuts were guided by fairness, reform and growth.

However it looks as those the poorest may end up feeling the force of the cuts compared to the wealthiest in the country.

With job cuts in the public sector, cuts to frontline services and little punishment for the bankers who got the economy into the mess in the first place, fairness fails to shine through the review.

Full article can be read here: http://bit.ly/8XFzwl

THE BIG EXIT

DAVID Miliband has this afternoon announced that he will not stand for re-election to the Shadow Cabinet.

After days of speculation since the shock victory of his younger brother Ed Miliband, who was elected as Labour leader on Saturday, David finally announced his intention to quit front-line politics.

He expressed how he needed to “recharge his batteries” and would be looking forward to spending time with his family after so many years in front-line politics.

David wants to give his brother the space to be able to lead the Labour party free from comparison and without the continuing family soap opera that has been played out in the media.

However the door is not completely shut, David has not ruled out a return in one way or another in the future.

The Labour party must, on the one hand, be breathing a sigh of relief.

There is to be no repeat of the tense underlying relationship at the top of the party as seen when Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were in power.

On the other hand, the Shadow front bench has lost one of its strongest members.

David Miliband, the former Foreign Secretary, still has tremendous support within the party and would have brought a wealth of talent and experience to the new Shadow Cabinet.

One message that could be read by David Miliband’s actions today, is that he simply does not have confidence in his brother’s leadership of the Party nor the conviction to back Ed’s differing political positioning of Labour.

STAY OR GO?

THE political soap opera that has gripped the Labour party and the press for the past few days is soon to come to an end.

David Miliband will shortly make a statement about his political future.

He will state whether he is to stay in front-line politics seeking re-election to the shadow cabinet or as is highly speculated decline to serve under his younger brother Ed Miliband, Labour’s new leader.

After David’s reactions to Ed’s first key note speech as Labour leader in which he set out his stance on many of Labour’s policy including a denouncing of the Iraq war, it is expected that David will quit.

If David Miliband does leave the Labour front bench he will be a huge loss to Labour party.

He has been a big player and popular minister.

The Labour Party is proving again its taste for big drama.

'VICTORY' FOR ED

YESTERDAY, Ed Miliband (the younger and less attractive Miliband brother) was elected as the new Labour party leader at its autumn conference in Manchester.

He managed to scrape ahead of his brother David (the former foreign secretary) by a wafer thin margin of the vote, winning by only 1.3%. Ed, failing to win majority support from Labour MPs, MEPs and party members had his ‘victory’ secured by the Unions, who also get to vote in Labour Party leadership elections.

The new “hand puppet for the unions” will have to unite the Labour party after its worse defeat in history at the 2010 general elections. The dependence on the Unions vote to secure his victory may very well come back to bite him. Ed will find it a tough juggling act to please both the party - the majority of which didn’t vote for him as leader - and the Unions, who will want the Labour party to take a tough stance against the huge public sector job cuts expected to be made by Cameron’s Government.

The hesitant appointment of Ed well and truly marks the end of new Labour, as the ‘heir to Blair’ David Miliband failed to take the crown which he thought was in his grasp for the past few years. The party claims to be united under him, but how long will we have to wait for the backstabbing and plotting that seems to go hand in hand with Labour politics.

What will be the future for David Miliband’s political career in Westminster? His brother insists he deserves to play a vital role in the shadow cabinet, but will David be able to put up with serving his younger brother? It seems like too much of a bitter pill to swallow and perhaps we are witnessing the beginning of a new psycho drama within the top rank of the party.

Ed Miliband, the former adviser to Gordon Brown and author of the loosing Labour 2010 election manifesto apparently marks a new era for the Party and represents a new generation of Labour. But he has a lot to prove.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

TODAY, the Labour Party announced that Ken Livingstone is to be their candidate for the London mayoral elections in 2012.

Livingstone, who served two terms in office between 2000 and 2008 won 68.8% of the votes, defeating his rival, the former MP Oona King. It seems that Labour and London cannot shake off Mr Livingstone, having served as the first Mayor and previously as leader of the Greater London Council in the eighties he just keeps coming back.

So expect a rematch of the 2008 elections as Ken and Boris fight for City Hall, again. In his acceptance speech Ken stated; "everywhere you look Boris has broken promises and taken his axe to services Londoners rely on". Livingstone attacked Johnson for the cuts that are to hit Londoners in the year ahead. Mr Johnson did not comment on the event but a deputy said; “choosing to exhume Ken Livingstone is a very odd decision”. Unfortunately, we probably have two years of this tit for tat and Livingstone’s criticisms of Boris to look forward to, even if he does promises an ideological rather then personality contest.

Tomorrow is an even bigger day for the Labour Party, as they announce the results of their leadership contest. Rumours suggest that Ed Miliband will beat his older brother (and front runner for most of the campaign) David. Whoever wins, the party hopes to heal the deep wounds left by Gordon Brown’s defeat at the elections as they try and form a credible opposition to the coalition government.

STALKBOOK

LAST week Facebook launched, Places, a new application on its site that allows users to post their location in their status updates.

For a start do I, or anybody for that fact, really care if an old school ‘friend’ (who hasn’t spoken to me for years and I haven’t ‘liked’ or commented on any picture update or comment related to them) has just gone to Pret for lunch? The answer is probably no.

Places may have its merits for those out there who are inclined to stalk people in a professional way. It will no doubt make their lives easier. Besides this is it just a case of putting out yet more personal information on the net.

We very rarely think about the information or private data we post or publish on the Internet. It is undeletable, once released into the World Wide Web it is there forever. Facebook status updates and pointless tweets will be floating around cyberspace long after we die.

As we share more of our life online it’s important to remember that anyone out there could be reading.

FEELING REFRESHED?

HELLO to all slice of Pie readers out there. I have to admit that it has been a bit quiet on the blog post front for a few months. But I’m pleased to say the quiet spell is over.

Hold on to your laptops, or whatever Internet browsing device you use, take a deep breath from the shock of a blog entry, and expect to be checking back here a lot more often.

As you’ll probably notice, the blog has had a bit of a refresh too. With its new shiny design it should be a bit clearer and easier to read from. It is also possible for you to spread the word to anyone in the world at the touch of a button. At the bottom of each entry you will see logos for Facebook, Twitter, and other sites that allow you to share blog entries with others. And for that added user interaction, you can now rate each blog entry as well.

I hope you enjoy the changes.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

THE party political conference season has kicked off with the Liberal Democrats in Liverpool, and this year the news media are now paying attention to what is going on.

It’s funny to think that a year ago most people had not heard of the Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg. It was laughable when in his conference speech last year he talked about a dream team Liberal Democrat Cabinet in government. Who would have thought that a year later Clegg would be the Deputy Prime Minister, with a handful of Lib Dem MPs joining him at the Conservative Liberal Democrat coalition cabinet table.

Now with a hand in power, and at a time when the coalition Government is having to make tough decisions, over the next few years Lib Dems will have to be involved in key decisions which often go against their party’s beliefs.

In his speech Clegg urged conference to ‘hold our nerve’ to serve a full five years in government and the British public to ‘stick with us’ through the cuts the coalition will have to make to slash the budget deficit. The Liberal Democrats may be putting on a brave face now but when the coalition Government start to make budget cuts will there still be an appetite for the LibCon team? How much will change by time Clegg makes his conference speech next year?

PUTTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT

YESTERDAY, the Foreign Secretary, William Hague was forced to make a very personal statement regarding his private life after one of his aids quit amid “malicious” rumours of a relationship between the pair.

It was alleged in the blogosphere, that the 25-year-old Christopher Myers, was under-qualified for his role and had only reached the position due to an improper relationship. It was stated that the pair had shared hotel rooms whilst on the campaign trail.

Hague felt obliged to make information about his wife, Ffion and his struggle to start a family public to dispel the rumours. For the first time he told of the multiple miscarriages his wife Ffion had suffered, including one this summer which the couple were still grieving from.

It’s a classic case of a story forced to the top of the national news pile by non-entity bloggers and wannabe citizen journalists for the wrong reasons. Yes we should probe into the ‘qualifications’ of Mr Myers and if he was experienced enough for his role. But should it have been done in such a mucky, smeary way across the Internet?

On a less serious note with regards to the hotel room sharing between Hague and Myers, shouldn’t we be commending the pair for saving money? Maybe it was just another one of Mr Cameron’s cost cutting measures?

THE FINAL HOURS OF NEW LABOUR

WE COULD, be hours away from a new Prime Minister and new Government.

In the Cabinet Office on Whitehall, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives are still negotiating an agreement for governing the country. Just a few meters away in Downing Street it is believed that Gordon Brown is preparing to resign as Prime Minister.

It is believed that Brown is in his office at Number 10 with his wife Sarah. Having spoken to Tony Blair on the phone he is waiting with Peter Mandelson, Alistair Campbell, Ed Miliband, Ed balls and Douglas Alexander, as the last rights are said for New Labour. His aid, Sue Nye – made infamous from the bigot-gate affaire in the election campaign – is there too. Gordon is most probably blaming her for the mess of the election results, possibly throwing around a few bits of stationary too.

WHEN and IF an agreement has been reached by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, Gordon will make his way over to the Palace to advise the Queen to call David Cameron to form a new government. Of course Cameron and Clegg will need to get agreement from their parties but we are CLOSE to having a new government.

BREAKING: is Gordon packing his bags?

WITH a deal between Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats moving ever closer, as talks take place in the Cabinet Office, it seems as though Brown will have to leave sooner rather then later.

There are reports that large travel holdalls are being packed into cars at the back of Downing Street, suggesting that Brown could be getting ready to move within the next few hours.

Negations between Labour and the Lib Dems are officially over and a number of Labour MPs have been expressing views that it is time to call it quits. Gordon Brown has already called Cabinet ministers for another meeting today. An announcement from the Conservatives is expected soon.

DEAL OR NO DEAL?

TODAY is ‘make your mind up time’ for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. There is mounting pressure for a clear decision about which party the Liberal Democrats are going to back to form a new government.

After three days of negotiations, talks and party meetings (some negotiations more secret then others) there is a growing census that a conclusion will need to be reached in a matter of hours rather then days.

This morning Nick Clegg said that talks had come to a “critical and final stage” as Cameron spoke of the country’s need to have the “strong, stable government that it badly needs and badly needs quickly”.

So which party will Clegg get into bed with?

Obviously, considering the parliamentary maths, the most stable government would probably be a Lib-Conservative government. But with such varying stances on a number of key issues and a number of right wing Tories opposed to a referendum to change the voting system (which is a key sticking point for Clegg) there could be problems. To make matters worse. A number of backbenchers feel they cannot trust Clegg and the Liberals for conducting secret talks with Labour whilst trying to negotiate a Conservative agreement.

On the other hand, a so called ‘rainbow coalition’ with Labour would have to involve members of national parties from Scotland and Wales. They could make unrealistic demands concerning forthcoming cuts; it’s not the best recipe for a string, stable government. There are also doubts within the Labour party about forming a ‘losers coalition’ with key members expressing views that more time in office for Labour could be very damaging.

Whatever happens, a decision needs to be made very soon, the question is what will that decision be?

DEAR LEADER CALLS TIME ON HIS LEADERSHIP

GORDON Brown today announced he is to step down as Labour Party leader. In a move that has simply stunned the political world, the story of forming the next government has taken a dramatic twist.

Brown hopes his actions can help to woo Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats into forming a coalition government with the Labour Party, just as talks between Liberals and Conservatives looked to be moving towards a formal agreement.

This cannot be seen as a defeat for the PM. He hasn’t been ousted by his party, and he is still calling the shots. And if his resignation sweetens the deal with Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats then he may have just bought himself extra time in Downing Street until a new Labour leader is elected.

THE LONGEST DAY

TODAY will probably feel like one of the longest days for Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg. The campaigning is over, the sound bites silenced, the photo-calls complete, as it is now up to the public to decide who will win the election.

After a gruelling campaign in one of the closet and unpredictable elections for many years, voters will today reveal their choice. Will Cameron’s five-year journey of transforming the Conservative Party pay off? Will Brown’s fight to the end now finally come to an end once and for all, or will he manage to miraculously bounce back, again? And will Nick Clegg’s efforts to raise the profile of the Liberal Democrats change the political landscape for good, or will his party once again be squeezed in the polls by the big two?

Whatever happens, surely politics will not quite be the same again in Britain. As the polling stations close tonight at 10pm, we will start to get a picture of how the country has voted. After all the speculation of hung parliaments, minority governments, coalitions and backroom deals, the real answer to how the country is to be run for the next four years will be revealed. Only then will we, and the political parties, be able to breathe a sigh of relief or despair at the outcome.

THE FINAL PUSH

THE election campaign is quickly drawing to a close. With less then a day to go before the polls open, there is one last push for votes in the final day of the campaign.

After a whirlwind month of campaigning, historic televised debates, unexpected polls and dirty mud slinging by politicians and press alike there is an end in sight. Tomorrow, the electorate will finally have their say. The public have really been making the politicians work for their vote this election. As polls still suggest not one party has enough support to sail to an outright victory and majority government.

Cameron is gallivanting round the country on a last minute, last ditch, 36-hour tour. His make-up probably being plastered over the tired cracks in his face as we speak. Just like the way billboard after billboard have been pasted over with expensive, somewhat confusing slogans trying to gloss over the floors in unexplained Tory policy. Mr Blair Mark ii has not really made the impact with voters he was expecting to.

Brown experienced a biblical ‘Lazarus moment’ over the bank holiday. Summoning all his energy to fight as the Labour party desperately tries to cover the signs of an immanent implosion. Whatever happens tomorrow it seems as though Labour will probably turn in on itself.

Clegg is determined to echo the Liberal’s success in the earlier opinion polls, but with Labour once again regaining second place, the Cleggmania effect could be starting to wear away.

So as the political parties fight right to the end, every vote really will count. An expected hung parliament could mean that the result will not be clear. And with an estimated 40% of the electorate still undecided, it really is all to play for.

IT’S THE ECONOMY STUPID!

WITH just a week to go until polling day the election campaigning is entering its last stages. After Gordon’s gaff yesterday, which – according to the hacks and political commentators, may have scuppered Labour’s chances – the pressure is certainly on Gordon’s shoulders for tonight’s final leaders debate.

Tonight it’s the economy stupid, as the three party leaders will once again take their places in front of the TV cameras this time fielding questions related to the economy. The big question is, will any of the leaders come clean about the cuts that are going to have to be made in the new Parliament?

It seems as though the events of yesterday were once again a political storm in a teacup as polls from YouGov tonight suggest there has been no change for Labour since yesterday. Despite this, Brown still has a great deal to loose tonight. Labour have always stated that they are the strongest party to tackle the deficit, if Brown looses this debate then his credibility and Labours will surely be shattered.

SKY'S GOT YOUR TONGUE

Brown has really put his foot in it today, well actually his tongue in it to be precise. Gordon was recorded calling a member of the public a 'bigoted woman' after she challenged him on issue regarding immigration and crime.

I like many others, was starting to think that the only events of this election campaign were the three big debates, but Brown has proved this wrong.

As part of the change of gear in Labour's election campaign, Brown has been meeting with real people as opposed to selected Labour faithful. But real people can cause problems, they will ask tough questions and defiantly won't give you an easy ride. Brown managed to handle the questions, but should have held his tongue before making personal comments after. Especially when you still have a radio mic attached to you.

This slip up by Brown could well have damaged his already shaky reputation along with what ever slim chances Labour had come election day. With just 8 days to go before polling day the party must be reeling.

One interesting point to mention is that Brown was caught on mic by none other then 'tory blue' Murdoc owned sky news. Probably just a coincidence but interesting none the less.

10 DAYS TO GO...

THERE are now only 10 days to go until polling and you decide who gets the keys to number 10.

Cleggmania has proved to not just be a passing phase, as the Lib Dems continue to score second place in numerous opinion polls. This has caused Labour to drastically re-think its tactics.

At the weekend Gordon Brown once again said that this would be the fight of his life. He said Labour will 'fight, fight and fight again'. But it seems as though this more agressive stance has probably come a little to late in the campaign. Gordon should have been dusting off his cluncking, iron fist from day one.

The Conservatives still believe they can win an outright majority, but this is looking less and less likely as the prospect of a hung parliament appears ever more probable. Especially with the Lib Dems being in an unthinkable second place.

It seems that no one now has a clear path to those number 10 keys. At least not yet.

In other news Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party, plans to take the BBC to court for failing to give him the chance to debate with the leaders of the 3 main Westminster parties. You have to ask, should a respectable political party really be wasting its time and money on such a thing? Or is it just another big PR stunt to get Mr Salmond's face in the papers?

You decide...

ROUND TWO - AFTER THE SECOND DEBATE

LAST night the three main political party leaders took part in the second leaders' debate of the election campaign.

From the outset it was obvious it would be a harder ride for Nick Clegg compared to last week's debate. This week for the first time, the Lib Dems and Clegg experienced the dirty mudslinging tactics of the Conservatives and the Press. This could only mean that the Liberal Democrats are being recognised as a major party and as a threat to the Conservatives. As was seen last night and in the polls that followed this election is defiantly a three horse race.

Clegg mania has taken Britain by storm. Many popularity polls have put Clegg ahead of Cameron and Brown in. In opinion polls Labour have been pushed into third place with the Tories being squeezed of points too.

In the debate last night, Brown appeared awkward as ever but at least seemed truthful. You can tell that he really wants to lead the country. Cameron on the other hand appears false. His well rehearsed and badly executed turns to the camera, his rushed and ill delivered sound bites. Clegg on the other hand appeared stable, confident but his performance was not as strong as last week’s.

The televised debates have truly revolutionised British politics. After the first debate last week the British public have finally registered who Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems are. But the fact that it took a 90-minute television program to do so is slightly worrying.

ROUND TWO

Tonight it's round two and the mud slinging match has already begun. Golden boy Nick Clegg, took the British public by storm after last week's debate, forcing Labour in to third in the polls and stealing points from the conservatives. The TV debates are reshaping British politics in more ways then imaginable.

The Tories are now having to change their campaigning tactics. The expensive posters which rubbish Brown were plastered everywhere. They must now seem like a huge waste of Lord Ashcroft's cash as Cameron this week turned his guns on Clegg.

The second debate starts in a few minuets time, and it's bound to be unpredictable. But what is certain is that the mud from Cameron will definitely be aimed at Clegg tonight.

AFTER THE FIRST DEBATE: new cross-party catch phrase 'I agree with Nick'

BEFORE the leaders debate started tonight I was considering writing a blog asking whether anyone else was starting to suffer from election fatigue. With the wall to wall coverage online, on TV, on radio and in the papers I was starting to get a bit bored. Tonight's event - the first ever televised debate between leaders of the three main political parties - was not the damp squid it might have been and has slightly changed my mind.

It was interesting to hear what the leaders had to say about their policies, even if parts did sound very rehearsed and scripted. The 72 rules didn't seem too restrictive and the audience even chuckled at Gordon Browns poke at David Cameron and the Lord Ashcroft campaign funding affair.

Cameron started off looking rather nervous with a red flush round his neck compared to the confident Nick Clegg. It seems as though Clegg certainly came off the best, being constantly referenced by Brown and Cameron. But will the debates have made any difference to how the public vote? The Lib Dems may have gained a couple of votes but Cameron and Brown did nowhere near enough to make a dramatic difference. But if anything we have a new cross-party catchphrase 'I agree with Nick'.

It is certain that the debate will be analysed and picked over for at least the next 24 hour news cycle. So maybe that election fatigue may just try and kick in again.

THERE’S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

TONIGHT for the first time ever, UK airspace has been completely closed. A cloud of volcanic ash has been steadily moving across the country shutting airports canceling all flights in and out of the UK. As the evening progresses the clock is ticking down to the first ever Prime Ministerial debate.

At 8.30 on ITV Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron will be live across the nation as they put forward their policies and argue their positions to impress voters. In the style of US presidential debates it is the first of three such events to be held during the election campaign.

Will Brown bumble his lines? Will Cameron finally woo the nation or appear too slick? And will people now finally recognise who Nick Clegg is? The debates could be a big deciding factor in who wins the election as the race is very close at the moment. But remember, the event is governed by 72 rules and the studio audience are not allowed to make a sound, it could be one big damp squid. We’ll have to wait and see.

MANIFESTOS, MANIFESTOS, MANIFESTOS

IT IS nearing the end of the first full week of the elections and the three main parties have all launched their election manifestos. Brown, Cameron and Clegg have set out their party’s stalls for the voters.

To be honest there hasn’t been much excitement so far. Dear leader, Mr Brown, revealed his party’s document with a rather ‘soviet looking’ image on the front cover announcing Labour as the People’s Party. He acknowledged tough choices would have to be made to reduce the deficit, but failed to outline how. That was left to the Lib Dems, as yesterday Nick Clegg described the deficit as the ‘Elephant in the room’ with Vince Cable being dubbed the ‘Elephant man’ and the best person to solve the problems.

The Conservative’s big idea is to get the public to be part of the government. We’re not going to be invited to be next Chancellor but the Tories want us to have more involvement in the running of the country as we take over the running of schools and generate numerous amounts of petitions. But is this idea just a way to shift the blame from politicians onto us when things start to go wrong again?

PIE SLICED - TWEET TWEET

You can now get a slice of Pie on Twitter - and get the latest comment from Alex Pielak.

To follow the tweets go to http://twitter.com/PieSliced

END OF

TODAY the Queen officially dissolved Parliament meaning that this is the first official week of the election campaign. All MPs are now former MPs and whatever happens in the election; the next time Parliament sits it will look very different. A quarter of MPs have stepped down or retired including some who were shamed in last year’s expenses scandal.

This week sees political parties launch their manifestos with Labour revealing theirs later on today. The Tories will launch on Tuesday and Lib Dems on Wednesday. It might help with trying to define the differences between the parties and give a little more detail about the cuts that will have to be made. We’ll have to wait and see

THE RACE BEGINS

GORDON Brown has officially announced that the general election will take place on May 6. Standing on the steps of Downing Street with his cabinet ministers behind him, Gordon Brown set out his mandate for election. The message Brown wants to take to the country is that “Britain is on the road to recovery and nothing we do should put that recovery at risk” hinting at the negative effect Conservatives policies could have on the economy.

It is clear that the economy is to play a big part of the election campaign as the major parties tussle with each other over cuts and taxes. The Lib Dems will be projecting Vince Cable, their highly regarded Treasury spokesmen as one of their great selling points. Whereas the Conservatives promise to fight for the “great ignored” getting rid of proposed increase to National Insurance contributions among other measures. It seems as though the issue of class will also have a big part to play in the campaign. Gordon stated, “I come from an ordinary middle class family” pointing out how ‘well connected’ he is to the voter compared to Eton schooled Cameron.

The 2010 election is set to be a tough fight. With mixed polls, there is certainly no clear-cut winner so far. In his speech, Brown highlighted, “I am not a team of one I am one of a team” – showing strength of his well-known Cabinet compared to David Cameron’s unknowns. But Cameron (who if elected would be the youngest serving Prime Minister) is playing up the idea of a “fresh start” and “real choice” as he stated in a speech to party faithful earlier this morning. Cameron will be taking his vision of “the modern conservative option” to the country with plans for a smaller government and ‘Big Society”. In his speech today Nick Clegg said that Gordon Browns’ days were numbered reinforcing that this election was not just a “two horse race”.

The election will be like none before it. With three – US styled – leadership debates and the possibility of the first hung Parliament for at least 30 years it is sure to be very dramatic.

JOURNEY TO THE ELECTION

PRIME MINISTER Gordon Brown is now on his way from Downing Street to Buckingham Palace to ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament. He will shortly announce on the steps that the election will take place on May 6.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING

IT'S been a bit of a bad Holy week and Easter weekend for the Pope. If you’re Gordon Brown it’s not been fantastic either (not to draw to many comparisons between the two very different situations). Yesterday the Sunday Times ran with the story, that according to a very recent poll Cameron’s Conservatives have pulled away from Labour with a 10-point lead. Meaning if repeated in the polls, the Conservatives would have a big enough majority to form Government. Not too great for Labour then.

Tomorrow, Gordon Brown is ‘’expected to go to Buckingham Palace to get the Queen’s permission to dissolve parliament and call an election. With possibly just hours to go until the political parties swing into full election mode, and after launching a poster attacking Cameron this weekend – which can only be described as backfiring like the exhaust of a poorly maintained 80’s Audi Quattro, Brown must be getting very jittery. He is surely in for a sleepless night, possibly wishing he could postpone the election like he did two autumns ago. Though this time there really is no escape for him.

The build up to this election has been never ending the parties have been at it since New Year. The country lost a lot of faith in this parliament and MPs, after last year’s expenses scandal. There was a call for change then. Not just a change in leadership though, a change in the style of Politics. But it seems as though a leopard never changes its spots, anyone got an MP for hire – err I mean cab for hire? This Parliament will be remembered for the crumbling duck house it is and the stinky moat of horse manure that surrounds it for many years to come.

As we get closer to the election and the chance for the country to decide, I am left with a feeling, a very negative feeling - is the public really interested in this election? Does anyone outside the Westminster bubble have much interest in the outcome? Can anyone tell the difference between the Tories and Labour or has our politics been too damaged? And what the hell are their policies, if they have any that is? All I know is that at such a financially difficult time this country needs serious, honest politics with an election campaign fought in a truthful and rational way. But it seems very clear that when the election is called it’s going to be a dirty, tit for tat fight till the very end.

CREAKY CAMERON

With just days to go until the election is called, election fever is really ramping up. After Labour was lambasted in the press by business leaders who are against the proposed rise in National Insurance contributions [to the delight of the Conservatives], it seems as thought the fight for Downing Street is going to get messy.

But that shiny veneer on PR man Cameron appears not so glossy in the video below. Cameron is being interviewed but it’s not going to well. The TV friendly Dave is slipping up all over the place. He’s like a nervous teenage boy fumbling in the back of a T reg. Vauxhall Corsa, trying to undo a brastrap for the first time.

Is David Cameron really ready to lead the country if he can’t get through a simple TV interview? It’s not as though it was a Jeremy Paxman interview.

Anyway, hope you enjoy and thanks to Gavin for passing on the link to me.

THE CALAMITY CARRIAGE

Could Labour be in for disaster? With just weeks to go until an election is called calamity could be on the cards for Labour. RMT union rail workers have balloted to strike for four days from April 6 – the day Brown is expected to go to the Palace to dissolve Parliament and call an election.

If the strike goes ahead it will cause chaos nationwide, as the entire rail network could be forced to shut down. It could have a serious impact on Labour as the incumbent party in the polls. RMT leader Bob Crow seems to have carefully orchestrated this strike to do just that.

The question of whether the public would trust Cameron and his Tories to run the country still remains. In a poll on the BBC News website Conservatives only have a five percent lead over Labour. It seems that when the official campaign gets going it’s going to be a very dirty fight. Fingernails will be bitten right to the very end and not just Gordon Brown's.

BACK TO BOG

AFTER what has been a very long, but regrettable time away, it’s finally time to once more get ‘back to blog’.

In one sense, not much has happened since the last post. There certainly have been notable events, of course, but the country is still in limbo waiting for a general election to be called. Gordon is still determined to clutch onto the reigns of power until his last breath and Parliament has once again shown that it has not changed since last summers damaging expenses disaster.

The mucky head of the sleaze monster has truly raised its head over Westminster again. Like the dying days of the Major government, which was embroiled with sleazy dealings, Labour has been shamed by the press as former front bench minister were caught out trying to sell their expertise and political influence to lobbying firms.

It is important to point out that some caught out were Tory too, and also that all MP shouldn’t be smeared with the same dirty brush. But the scandal couldn’t come at a worse time. With possibly just weeks to go till an election could this damage Labour’s campaign? I don’t think so. The public already have a feeling of mistrust towards Westminster and this revelation, however big in the press, seems fairly minor and to some extent expected. I don’t think this will have given Cameron’s Tories the swing it needs to form the next government alone.

Whatever happens it seems as though the House will certainly get a good spring clean in the weeks to come.

WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION

YOU don’t realise how lucky you are, being able to read this.

I recently read an article in the paper about a boy in Malawi desperate for an electric light so that he could study in the evenings. Sisius Nyirenda 18, worked during the day to pay for his education, but when he would get home it would be too dark to read. Eventually Sisius saved enough money to buy a solar panel and light, which he could use at night to do his schoolwork (see here for the full story).

In the poorest areas of the world, education always comes at a great cost. The benefits and great value of education is realised most by those who cannot afford it. Children often have to work just to be able to pay for a few hours of education each day. They dream of learning to be able to go to university and lift themselves out of the poverty they are in. Many are not as lucky, and will never get the chance to go to school.

In this country education rarely seems valued. In the UK, every child, from whatever background is entitled to a free education. The chance to learn, to read and write, to further understand the world and enhance knowledge is offered to all. Yet this is rarely acknowledged or appreciated. Why is education valued so little in this country? Is it too easy to get benefits, say a council house and support after having a baby at the age of 15? Is it too easy to not be in work and to not even bother looking? Is it too easy to just not bother trying at school?

Most people probably never appreciate the free education that is given to them in this country. Unlike the many millions of children around the world who’s only dream is to be able to write their names.