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.