Sideways look at a week in Politics (3)

It has been a bad week for the Tories with their personal attacks on Labour leader Ed Miliband which have somewhat backfired. Accused of stabbing his brother in the back over the leadership of the Labour Party and being willing to betray his country over Trident has put Labour into a lead in the polls.

The constant attacks particularly in some of the press have been really over the top with the backstabbing and betrayal story coming from a piece written in the Times newspaper by the current Secretary of Defence.

For most of the past few weeks, the two main parties have traded leads of one or two points, with each new poll contradicting the one that preceded it. Today, however, three polls suggest that Labour has opened up a lead – one of three points, one of four points and one of six. Even one of the two polls in which the Tories retain their lead suggests a shift in support towards Miliband’s party.

All the parties have spent the week promising to spend, spend, and spend but very little talk about how they will pay for it. If someone does come up with some figures, other parties are quick to jump into the fore saying the figures don’t add up. I suppose that’s politics but it’s very boring.

Labour may be picking up in England and Wales but in Scotland the rise of the SNP and wee little Nicola could wipe out Labour north of the border together with the Conservatives and Lib Dem who this weekend are all predicted to have just one seat apiece.

If anyone is holding all the cards at this election it’s as to be the SNP whose leader Nicola Sturgeon was rumour to want present Prime Minister David Cameron to win the election. The SNP and the French ambassador quickly denied the conversation took place but I could see where a Tories win would be a great help. It would reopen the whole independence referendum again and if there was no deal with Labour, then all the Queen maker would have left is another go on a referendum to see Scotland break away from the union.

I can’t see any new government being eager to offer Scotland a chance of independence again because next time they could well win.