Tonight:
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Gordon Brown speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos today amid further signs of the economic and political damage wreaked by the recession. In Britain there are fresh redundancies, while Honda has announced that it will close its British plants for another four months because of the collapse in car sales. Meanwhile, a YouGov poll shows the Conservatives widening their lead to 11 points. Shadow chancellor George Osborne has always been confident that the recession would eventually erode the so-called "Brown bounce" enjoyed by the Prime Minister last autumn. Is he now being proved right?
Certainly the public's confidence in the Government's handling of the crisis appears to be ebbing. In October, the Tories' overall poll lead was cut to two per cent, while YouGov showed Mr Brown enjoying a seven-point lead in terms of economic competence. Now that lead on the economy is reversed. The return of Ken Clarke to the Tory front bench appears to have bolstered the authority of Team Cameron.
More damaging is the growing sense that the Government's measures are not working, and that ministers are running out of ideas. December's fiscal stiumlus package appears to have had little effect; the housing market continues to fall. And documents made public yesterday make clear that the Government and the Bank of England are moving further towards controversial "quantitative easing" measures - pouring £50 billion into the banking system by buying back government bonds.
Such dramatic measures are, perhaps, inevitable in a recession of such unparalleled severity. Nor is there convincing evidence that the Conservatives would be any better equipped to respond to it: their own proposals to support businesses hardly measure up to the scale of the crisis. But while voters instinctively turned to the Prime Minister for leadership in the early weeks of the crash, it is difficult for Mr Brown to retain that confidence as the recession grinds on and saps jobs and prosperity. Today's poll suggests that voters are starting to lose faith in his solutions.
Save the Heath
Hampstead Heath is one of the glories of London, one of the great parks that constitute the lungs of the city. Small wonder then that there is a furore over plans to build a new surfaced path across it. The City of London Corporation wants the track, which would run past the Lido and cricket pitch at Parliament Hill, to allow park rangers and other vehicles to allow easier access to the areas nearby, including new offices that they propose to build. The Corporation also believes that the track would diminish the risk of accidents and its own vulnerability to prosecution.
But against these utilitarian arguments there is the far stronger case of residents and people who use the park, which is that it is designed for public recreation and pleasure and ought, as intended, to be preserved as far as possible in its natural state. This paper believes enroachments such as these on park space ought to be resisted. As the city becomes larger and more crowded, the value of natural space is more keenly felt; it ought not to be whittled away or compromised. The Corporation of London will have a fight on its hands here - and so it should.
Five stars
Our theatre critic, Nicholas de Jongh, is renowned for the rigour of his judgments, so his award of a full five stars today for the Almeida's Duet for One is an indicator of real excellence. He praises the "overwhelming emotional power and conviction" of Juliet Stevenson and Henry Goodman's perfomances. London's theatres need to stage productions of such power if they are to pull in cash-strapped punters in these hard times - but the Almeida has shown that, at its best, our theatre can thrill.
Reader views (4)
I feel ashamed that we have the clown McBean representing this country on the international stage. General election now please!!!
- David, Fleet UK
Does anyone have any faith in the Tories to do better? Vince Cable is the only politician of experience and stature to take control of the economy. Brown should co-opt him immediately. But Brown can't think outside the box.
- Ron Oldham, Bournemouth United Kingdom
Belive me none of the three main parties deserve any votes. Come election day, they should all be voted out, along with the Lords and replaced with new parties thats not political correct and only looks after British peoples intrest as a number one priority. Since 1946, the MP'S have failed the nation and the people, time and time again. Enough is enough !
- Joe, Swanley Kent
Why do you say the Conservatives are widening their lead to 11 points? At the beginning of the week two separate polls gave them leads of 15points and 13points. Doesn't that equate to a drop in support of 2points, or 5points in less than 1 week? Proof, if any is needed, of how volatile the polls are.
- Val Daniels, Mijas Costa, Spain
