Following his sensational speech to Citizens UK on Monday — a speech that senior strategists urged him to emulate before tomorrow — Gordon Brown has made another powerful appeal in Bradford today. He said:
I know there are people who say, or hope, that the election is already over. But I tell you that tomorrow is the time for the thousands of people to speak for themselves. Tomorrow doesn’t belong to the press, to the commentators, to the insiders, to the vested interests, or even to the political parties.
Tomorrow your voice shall be heard and your vote will determine the direction of this country.
I tell you, adversity has been my teacher, honesty has been my best guide, and faith in the future the greatest source of my strength. So here we are, fired up with new determination. We are full of energy and firm of purpose.
The appeal over the heads of the media comes at the same time as more shocking but unsurprising revelations about how an increasingly desperate Murdoch press is seeking to undermine Labour. See Will Straw at Left Foot Forward.