One of the great election clichés, deployed on the day the prime minister kicks off a campaign, is “the phoney war is over”. Well, the phoney war of this election is still very much under way, with endless speculation over who would side with whom in the event of a hung parliament.
There is much excitement over Nick Clegg’s attempts to distance himself from Gordon Brown, which he is repeating to journalists on the campaign trail today. However, it is important to remember that his claims that it would be “preposterous” to side with the Prime Minister are based on the question of Labour coming third.
Clegg privately knows that if that does not happen, he may have no choice but to work with Brown, even if rumours that he doesn’t “like” him are true. “Clegg should not overreach himself,” one Labour aide says.
Brown, after all, may be down, but he is not out — nor is he hated by everyone. The Prime Minister just received a standing ovation from a non-partisan audience after a genuinely passionate, and relaxed, speech at the Royal College of Nursing. It was a far cry from Tony Blair being slow-handclapped at the Women’s Institute.
Brown was aware he had to avoid party politics. But he made the case for Labour — and managed to get away with it.
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