The Contented Politician
It has been reported in some sections of the media that Gina Ford is writing a political blog. This is not the case. The Contented Baby team, with the help of some of our website members, will be putting together regular round-ups of the main events and issues that are likely to interest members in the run-up to the general election. Gina, meanwhile, is concentrating on all things Contented Baby-related. To read her latest news, please click here. Weekly Round-up (12) In less than a fortnight it will all be over - or will it? Nick Clegg's political enemies hoped his star might fall as fast as it rose; but with the Liberal Democrat party continuing to perform well in the polls, it still looks like we could wake up to a hung parliament on May 7th - meaning many more days of uncertainty over the shape of the new government. Once again, the main event of the week was the televised leaders' debate, with all eyes on whether the LibDem leader could repeat his winning performance. This time only four million viewers tuned into the show (six million less than watched the first programme), partly because not everyone has a Sky subscription. All three party leaders were widely considered to have given a good performance, with both the Prime Minister and David Cameron, the Tory leader, raising their game. Cameron left Brown embarrassed over some Labour campaign leaflets which he said were full of "lies". Looking genuinely angry, the Tory leader said the Prime Minister should be "ashamed" for allowing his candidates to falsely suggest that a Conservative government would start charging for prescriptions and scrap free eye tests. Nick Clegg was also challenged over his immigration policy, under which illegal immigrants who have been in this country for more than a decade would be given an amnesty. They would be allowed to become British citizens, in return for carrying out community service. Clegg argues that this is the best way to tackle the huge number of people working on the black market, many of whom are exploited with low wages. His plan would bring them into the tax system. The other two parties disagree, arguing that an amnesty would send out the message that foreigners who are not entitled to live and work in Britain will be able to "get away with it" if they hide for a few years. Both the Tories and Labour say they would prefer to deport illegal immigrants. The LibDems say this is unrealistic because there are 900,000 of them, and nobody knows where they live. It's the first time that immigration has really been in the spotlight as an issue during the election campaign, even though it consistently rates among voters' key concerns. According to the polls, Cameron and Clegg came out of the TV debate about neck and neck, with the Tory leader perhaps having the edge. But, by the end of the week, the momentum seemed to be drifting away from the LibDems, with the Tories rallying. A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times at the weekend put the Conservatives on 35 points, the LibDems on 28, and Labour trailing in third place at 27. This would make the Conservatives the largest party in a hung parliament. It's all miserable news for Brown, whose campaign appears to be flagging. At the weekend, it emerged that Labour spin doctors hope to revive his fortunes by increasing his profile on the campaign trail, getting him to spend more time talking to "ordinary" people. It comes after Cameron claimed that the Prime Minister is being "moved from safe house to safe house, under armed guard" to prevent potentially damaging encounters with angry voters. The final TV leaders' debate this week will focus on the economy. Labour's demoralised spin doctors hope this could give their man the opportunity he desperately needs to turn his campaign around. Official figures released last week showed gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.2pc, equivalent to around £600 million of growth, easing fears of a so-called "double dip" recession. Brown will argue that only he can be trusted to keep the economy on track. Overall, it was a lively week, which saw David Cameron followed around by a tabloid reporter dressed in a giant chicken suit and later being splatted with an egg. Meanwhile John Prescott, who famously punched a member of the public during the 2001 election campaign, found himself embroiled in a bizarre scuffle involving a Tory candidate wearing a Prezza mask. This time, Labour's former Deputy Leader didn't try a left hook, and seemed quite the gentleman, worrying more about two ladies who were caught in the fray. But with the stakes getting higher as polling day approaches, the gloves may soon be coming off... The ContentedBaby Team
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