A picture that changes politics?

Two conclusions can be drawn from this image, which must even now be sowing terror among demoralised Labour MPs and the folk in Downing Street. The first is that whatever the reservations in the Tory party about the threat of the yellow peril, the two main Opposition parties are prepared to work together to stuff Gordon Brown. Credit in particular to Nick Clegg, who could have justifiably felt peeved to see his Gurkha campaign hijacked by a canny David Cameron. His willingness to share the glory with Dave shows political smarts and a keen eye for an irresistible photo. We are still a long way from coalition politics, but the more the polls point to a hung Parliament, the more today will take on significance (and that’s before we get into the disturbing resemblance between the two…).

The second is that the political crisis gripping Brown Central is getting steadily worse and unless he is careful he will find himself once again in the summer death zone that his colleagues would rather avoid this year. It was painful to watch the PM in the chamber earlier make a legitimate argument about what the Government has already done for the Gurkhas and the difficulties of opening the doors when the Tories want us to close them. These are precisely the kind of issues that seem easy in Opposition but difficult in Government. Yet the handling has been so inept that sympathy must be short-lived.

So let us prepare for a return to the fun of last summer. This time the protagonists are different. Some of last year’s troublemakers – notably the Blairites – would prefer Mr Brown to stay on, to ensure he goes down in flames on polling day, taking Ed Balls and all those associated with Brown Central with him. Others hate him enough to have a go. The majority remains those who, pehaps reluctantly, believe the chance was missed last summer. It is not only the Tories who are angry at the prospect of another twelve months of drift and disaster.