At least the eggs can still fly

Flight chaos is hanging over this election like a…well, a volcanic ash cloud.

Flights of fancy

With the Liberal Democrats still flying high in the polls, there have been calls from some quarters (a Mr G Brown was promoting the idea in today’s Independent) for a progressive Lab-Lib coalition. Regardless of whether one considers this progressive or a disaster, today was a prime demonstration of why coalition government is singularly ill-suited for this country.

Having lambasted Labour for its “big government” philosophy, the Conservatives today took to the airwaves to insist on an immediate public inquiry into why the Government hadn’t got flights going sooner. Despite having previously and sensibly acknowledged that a volcano exploding in Iceland was not actually the Government’s fault, the Conservatives now seem to be suggesting the Government should have overruled the CAA and made planes fly regardless of the regulator’s concerns over safety. Petty party politics (what did Cameron once say about “Punch and Judy” politics?) wins again!

There was, however, some good news however today, for it seems the party leaders are finally connecting with the public. David Cameron connected with an egg hurled at him by a student in Cornwall (perhaps on behalf of The Mirror’s chicken which was ‘decapitated’ by Cameron yesterday), and Gordon Brown had to deal with awkward questions about why he had not visited Wales earlier in the campaign.

On policy issues, the day has been dominated by the IMF’s proposals for not one, but two taxes on banks and financial institutions. Cue the shadow Chancellors falling over themselves to say it had been their idea first…


QUOTE OF THE DAY

“OMG Osborne's hair now has a side-parting. Big, big error. Makes him look even younger..like Little Lord Fauntleroy.”

– Ben Brogan of the Daily Telegraph is not impressed


THE GREASY POLL
Lab 27, Con 33, LibDem 30 (BBC Poll of Polls)