The campaign is on hold on Friday for the Pope's funeral, with the main party leaders heading to Vatican City.



The troubles at Rover and the government's attempts to shift the blame look like they might throw a spoke in the wheel of Labour's feelgood economy bandwagon, particularly in the West Midlands.

Although if we were expecting vicious, unrelenting attacks from the opposition parties, we reckoned without Lib Dem trade spokesman Malcolm Bruce.

"I am sure people will criticise the government" he said last night.

If, er, that's all right with everyone....?


A poll for Scottish Television shows that Labour has a clear lead, on 47 per cent, up 4 per cent from the last election. The big losers, though, seem to be the SNP, who are down 5 per cent at 15, tied with the Lib Dems. The Tories are in second, up 2 per cent to 18 per cent.

52 per cent of Scots surveyed said they were certain to vote, compared with a turnout of 58 per cent at the 2001 election.


Peter Riddell in The Times looks at Conservative expectations and the possibility of any kind of coalition with the Lib Dems.

He writes: "Just ask Tory MPs what they hope/expect on May 5. Most would echo Michael Howard’s remark about wiping the smile off Tony Blair’s face."

Or indeed, for wiping the floor of a dirty ward.

On a visit to a hospital in South London, Howard attacked Labour's "obsession" with NHS targets, and said that "Patients are dying because of Mr Blair's targets".


For a street-level perspective on the NHS, crime, homelessness and other social issues, check out Jamie McCoy's blog, Jamie's Big Voice. Compelling stuff, and helps to remember that regardless of the rhetoric and promises, the election is - or should be - about real people.


George Galloway's anti-war Respect coalition launched their election campaign saying they're more than a single issue organisation; but it is that one single issue - the one that registered only 9 per cent of voters concerns - that could see Galloway worry sitting Labour MP Oona King in the Bethnal and Bow constituency in London's East End.


And, there's another email to Labour supporters from John O'Farrell:

(text version sadly absent the nice pictures...)

Hello,

Terrible news from the Labour Party accountants. George Galloway has finally remembered to cancel his direct debit. The Labour Party badly needs money to fight this election campaign and I'm afraid the time has come to ask you for a donation.

Now we could send you a load of raffle tickets which you would never get round to selling before guiltily writing out a cheque yourself. But we thought it might save a few trees if we skipped straight to the last bit.

http://Labour.org.uk/donate

So just look what your donation could buy:

£1 could pay for a carefully targeted mail shot to a Mr Michael Howard of Westminster.

£10 could pay for a pile of leaflets for you to leave by your front door (before finally posting one at your ward organiser's house to make him think you'd delivered the lot).

£10 could pay towards a Labour poster and we'll try not to put Michael Howard's face near where you live.

£10,000 is frankly more than you are going to give, so I don't know why we put this here.

But of course what you're really paying towards is the return of a Labour Government:

Are you worried about global poverty?

Labour's massive increase in overseas aid is helping to improve the lives of millions in Africa.

Do you worry that giving that homeless person a pound won't change anything? Labour has more than halved the number of people sleeping on our streets.

Ever given money to help look after animals? Fox hunting will be brought back if the Tories win this election.

Do you regularly give money to the Countryside Alliance, the Campaign for Hand-Guns and UKIP?

Well, hang on, I think you're on the wrong email list.

This may not be the first email you have ever received asking for money, but at least this one isn't promising that you've already won the Nigerian Lottery or free drugs for the treatment of male impotency. At least, I think not: I haven't checked the pledge card. But please, giving money to ensure Labour is re-elected is one of the best investments you can make.

Because if you think Labour's campaign is expensive, imagine the cost of a Tory Government.

Go on do it now...

John O'Farrell
Author and Broadcaster

P.S. Oh and if you know any Tories, pretend that Labour is only accepting Euros, that'll really wind them up!