On a recent visit to England, stuck in traffic on the M1, I had my only opportunity to listen carefully to what David Cameron has to say. Now admiitedly it was a 'soft' radio interview but the longer it went on the more impressed i was. It was a masterly communication. My guess is that one on one, on equal terms, Mr Cameron will beat Mr Brown every time. And, should it matter, all my intincts are to detest an "Eton toff".

Geoff, Sydney,

Did he really blink first or did he just do the dirty on the Tories by having them bring out some new policies and test ride public sentiment. Very clever. A lesson learnt, never give away your big ideas until your opponent can do nothing to counteract them!

Alistair Kipling, Birmingham,

Why would he call an election to lose his majority?. Get real.

Michael Riley, London,

I have always had high regard for Mr Rees-Mogg's views but there is a dysfunctional feel to the analogy drawn between modern British politics and military leaders/warriors. Of course, all politicians love the link and both involve leadership and winning but it can be drawn too far. Past military leaders were men (and occasionally women) of great substance who strategised and took great chances in pursuit of goals beyond their own interests. In contrast, politics over recent years has become little more than an exercise in other peoples' money being used (without real accountability) by folk who have never had real jobs to scheme for their own self-aggrandisement. That certainly seems a fair characterisation of Gordon Brown.

Chris, London, England

Brown got the Tories to show their hand though, didn't he? Guess who will be raising the inheritance tax threshold in a few months' time.

Andrew, London, UK

I'm not so sure that Cameron has seen off Brown.

Over the years preceeding the last election, it was noticeable that Labour had consistently stolen populist policies enunciated by the Conservatives. Since the election of Cameron, the Conservatives made no populist policy anouncements, to the dismay of their supporters and Labour alike. However, Cameron's response to an impending election has led to the release of such populist policies, and Labour, as has been their wont, will grab them and thus blunt the Conservative appeal.

Whether such a gambit was Brown's intention or not will never be known, but the result is the same.

DP111, Beverley, UK

Actually the media started all the speculation about elections, but let's not mere facts get in the way. I suppose Mr Brown has done the Tories a favour, they might have thought up some policies bythe time of a real election other than inheritance tax cuts for the rich and benefit cuts for the poor. And Cameron might have stopped whining on about "famlees" like a better-coiffered version of Pauline Fowler.

Londonsage, London, UK

Cameron and his team had had a message nobody - including The Lady herself - understood or was attracted to. Consequently they were at a steady 10% behind Labour and looked like staying that way. Could Brown, could any Prime Minister in that position resist the temptation to take a shot? Only one thing could spoil it - as I wrote in a comment piece two weeks ago - good old fashioned populist Tory policies kept in reserve and pulled out of the hat. And, lo exactly this came to pass and the polls swung back over the week of the conference. Cameron was now level-pegging Brown such that the latter could even lose an early election.

Nothing to do with "bottle". Nothing to do with blinking or a trial of nerve. The sitting duck had flown away. And it was tax cuts what done it. Simple as that.

Bob T, London, UK

The good people of Somerton & Frome do not put on airs. If you want to win their votes, being burdened with a name like Annunziata, even for a beautiful and talented lady, is not a good start . David Cameron is now taking care to be seen in ordinary clothes, tieless, in shirtsleeves, against the background of a kitchen, or garden. He watches football from the stands, not the VIP Lounge, like his rival.
Maybe she could shorten it to Anita, or, better still "Nita". I wish her well, but she has to get the right image.

Nigel MacNicol, Oakham, Rutland,

Why do entrenched Labour supporters such as ian Kemmish keep insisting that Brown had nothing to do with the purpourted election? It is classic Brown, somethign we have seen time and again from him - float ideas, allow supporters to talk it up, see the reaction but at all times stay neutral and claim to have nothing to do with it. This time he got his fingers burnt though. As for the Tories being the haves, please Mr Gee, think about what a self-serving capitalist would like - millions of poor people who can't afford your product or millions of wealthy people buying it? Thus even if we Tories were as selfish as you believe, we would still want the poor to become rich. And actually we want everyone to have a great education, to earn as much as they can and for all to have access to fantastic health care. It's just we don't think making the wealthy poorer is a sensible way to make veryone richer.

Tim, London,

If Brown is to restore any credibility with the electorate he must call an election in the next six months. Brown is only a caretaker Prime Minister; never voted into power. He has now committed the greatest sin of a politician; caught out telling lies to the electorate over his reasons not to call an election. Of course he bottled it as soon as he saw the latest polls. He is also seen as a man who dithers and prevaricates over a decision, a trait that makes him unacceptable as a Prime Minister.

Nicholas Davies, Farnham, Surrey, UK

OR: He ignored a nauseating little bully and let the press and the opposition rush around like narcissistic fools for a bit.

I've never voted in my life, but in the inconceivable event that I ever had served time as PM, I might well have done the same. Just for amusement's sake.

If he had ever had the slightest intention of treating the election gossip with less contempt than it deserved, then surely every member of the cabinet would have been trotted out to emphasise the bleeding obvious point that the tax bribe being offered would, within at most a few months, increase house price inflation, not cut it.

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

No election - excellent news! An awful lot of chickens will be coming home to roost in the next two years and its only right that the present government should have to face them. Had Labour lost an election now it could say, in 2009, that "everything was OK until we left office and look at it now."

Lewis Thomas, High Wycombe, UK

A perceptive article without the hysteria. It will take a lot to make me vote Tory which is still the party of the haves who want even more and the devil take the rest.. Cameron certainly did well and Brown has a lot of work to do and needs more than a little luck over the next two years.

mike gee, bournemouth, uk

I hope that the Conservative Party has come to its senses and will follow the course set out last week, with some firming up. Let's here no more about the 'middle ground' and such nonsense; low taxation, stronger families, secure borders and immigrant control, repatriation of powers from the EU, firm law and order, pruned Welfare State - all these have to be policy pluses. The ordinary voter will respond.

Dr J Findlater, Carnforth,

A prospective politician is using her parents' dining room table to co-ordinate her campaign?

Well, with all of this big furniture available to the Conservatives, no-one else has a chance. Not a chance!

James M, Southport, UK

Simply brilliant. Is it true that Emperor Galba did not have a long reign?
Mike, Chapel Hill, USA

Michael Fernandes, Chapel Hill, NC USA

I think Mr Brown should have gone a couple of months ago with the momentum of his perceived success managing various problems in the summer eg: f&m, floods etc. He has looked cynical in his attempts to manage the political agenda in the last couple of weeks which I think will haunt him for the rest of this parliament. I think this could be a long slow death as the conservatives are able to take the high ground leaving Brown to cope with a restless party and many birds coming home to roost from the past, eg: pensions, borrowing and the EU treaty he wants to force on us.

rwrenn, brightling, UK

Money reform is the single most important reform area that needs to be tackled. Private banks ability to sell money they do not have as hard currency at interest gives them a priveledge that even our national bank does not share. Something is badly wrong with the state of this currencies monetary situation when our debt is greater than our GDP. Its time Brown did something good for us and reformed the system. Otherwise lets give him the boot.

Simon Moore, Brentford,