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Is it time David Cameron ditched George Osborne?
The Mole: As another poll shows the gap narrowing, the Tories have clearly got a problem
It's George Osborne, isn't it? He looks so... arrogant! No one can stand him. Cameron should make Ken Clarke chancellor and have done with it. The Tories would have the election in the bag." If the Mole had a fiver for every time he's heard this sentiment expressed in recent months he'd be a very rich mole. Not rich enough to pay off the national deficit, but very comfortable, thank you.
I haven't mentioned it before because it didn't seem pertinent. But now I wonder. With yet another poll - this time from ICM for the Guardian - showing the Tory lead over Labour reduced to a single figure, one has to ask not only what Brown and Darling might be doing right but what the Tories are doing wrong.
Given that the economy is the only game in town, the answer has to lie somewhere with the public perception of whether Cameron and Osborne have the competence to take over the public purse, especially when it's empty.
Cameron is no Brown - we can all see he is not going to be getting his nose in the ledgers - and so it's the slightly mysterious, aloof and, yes, arrogant-looking Osborne (St Paul's - rather than Eton - and Oxford) to whom we are expected to entrust our destiny.
Anyway, it's just a thought - and, by the way, if you didn't see Ken Clarke in action at Manchester, he can still work the charm. If only he wasn't such a Europhile...
In the meantime, the results of the Guardian/ICM poll exactly match those of Sunday's YouGov survey - the Tories on 40 per cent, Labour on 31 per cent - and are likely to increase the pressure on Gordon Brown to go for an early election, in March instead of May.
The Tories still have the chance to win a ruling majority, but if these polls prove accurate, there's an equally good chance of a hung parliament. If the gap closes further - especially if the Tory figure drops below 40 per cent - then anything could happen.
With the election possibly only 14 weeks away, Cameron has to be getting twitchy.
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The Tories should definitely ditch George Osborne as Shadow Chancellor. He's not Cabinet material and he's holding them back. Labour fears Ken Clarke and the voters love him, but the Tories can't cope with his relaxed attitude to the EU so he probably won't get the job. Never heard of Philip Hammond, will check him out.
John, when have we 'stood alone'? Certainly not in World War Two - we had the Allies, everyone who could make it over from mainland Europe and the whole ruddy British Empire.
Ken Clarke was the financial wizz kid who saved the economy after Black Whateverday, and Lemont, whose team included, guess who ?, yes, David Cameron. Also, there is nothing wrong with Europe, twenty six powerful countries whose doorstep is only 30 Km down the tunnel. Great beaches, warm summers, cheap food and wines, wide open spaces, in fact everything that you could ask for. They also grow most of their own food. What is wrong with the politicians who whinge about Europe but holiday there, buy cars from there, buy property over there and drink European wines. Sometimes I just shake my head.
No good trusting any LibLabCons politician as they all will sell us further down the EU socialist money-grabbing machine.
We need out of "it" and control back of our country.
The Commonwealth would appreciate the trade from us anyway.
We have stood alone before and can do it again if we have to.
Ken Clarke has had his day (and very good it was too), time for Philip Hammond if Osborne is replaced.
Though I don't agree with the premise of the article. The problem is that no Osborne, but the lack of evidence that the Conservatives will be different from Lab. That has to be left till the election campaign since Brown will just copy anything done before manifestos are published.