The thing that struck me about Brown's speech is that he thinks he can continue to get away with re-heating previous spending committments(or announcing new unfunded ones) time after time. I am sure that he realises very well that when his 'Brown Bounce' finally wears off (as it will - even not this year) that British voters will twig that this is a continuation of the spin seen in the Blair-Brown years. Given this - what is he playing at?
Perhaps the public finance figures, also published yesterday, provide the answer. These show a worsening in the public sector deficit, worse that projected in the last Budget which was already forcing Brown as Chancellor to reign in on spending. This therefore is not good news for the Government.
It would therefore not be unreasonable for Brown to seek his own mandate from the country while people are feeling wealthy and are still willing to belive his promises rather than examining his record.
If I were him thats exactly what I would do - the polls suggest he would score a clear victory, Labour activists are buoyed and would campaign with enthusiasm. However, Brown is a cautious politician and he won't want to throw away the job he has wanted for so long.
The press today say he will wait until after the Conservative Conference before making a decision, but in my view the odds are now in favour of a General Election this year.
