From: The Unit To: GB Subject: The world remade

Tactical Briefing

So, pretty good week. I mean, a really pretty great week! Just when things were looking bleak . . . out of the gloom has ridden a really, really terrible financial crisis. And this week, as things have got worse and worse, things have been getting better and better. The air feels different. We are nearly only 10 points behind in the polls!

It's a double positive whammy. Dreadful news of seismic proportions all over the front pages - but with little or no blame attached to the government. Indeed, all our polling suggests that large sections of the public tend to view you anyway as a doctor delivering very, very grave news of imminent personal sadness, loss and/or misfortune. It seems to come naturally. So they do seem to trust you in bad times. And since it seems there will be very bad times for the foreseeable future, we should make hay while the sun shines.

Plus, all the terrible, terrible news, which no one should be seen to be (or, obviously, actually is, and we really mean this) happy about, means there is practically no coverage of the Tories. And when there is - it's great! We all gathered round to watch George Osborne's speech and I don't think I can remember such a party atmosphere since the day of the false reports of Charles Clarke breaking his femur in six places while skiing. It was like watching Prescott trying to do anti-union stuff. Osborne trying to do righteous indignation against "the bankers" got big, big laughs in here.

Obviously, the remaking of the political world began with your Speech of the Century at Conference. As I think I said to you when you were in the office, it was a Diana moment and "No time for a novice" is now widely accepted as the most biting piece of political wit since the epoch-defining "There you go again" from Reagan v Carter.

As far as positive action goes, the big realisation for us here came during a brainstorm late on Tuesday when we tried to nail some word-clouds on the key differences between us and the Tories. What is it that really separates us from the opposition?

Well - we are in government. Obviously we knew this, but it's good to be reminded. Especially when so often key donors, think tanks and even broadband providers are on the line to Willetts and Gove when we call.

Think this is what's so inspiring about the current financial apocalypse. We're right in there with a box seat. Bradford & Bingley nationalised! Two hundred billion for this, you in the US agreeing with 700 billion for that! Maybe we can keep HBOS afloat . . . look out, Belgium's gone down! It's exciting. What's going to happen next?

This is not a time for legislation and initiatives or other empty gestures, but actual immediate nationalisations, demolitions and imprisonments. The world is remade - let's take advantage!

Let us know your thoughts.

Intercepted by Jesse Armstrong

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