The saving grace of the people of Britain, is that before long they get tired of an elected governement and change track. The fact that there is no constitutional limit speaks volumes about the people's discipline in this matter. America is regarded as the best democracy in the world, yet they have so many checks and balances - to me it shows fear inherent in society. In many ways, the Brits should be proud of the system they have, rotten though it may be (trust me its better than living in an autocratic country, and I grew up in one of those). The only thing that perlexed me is that the public did not force Brown to early elections - surely if he believes in democracy that would be his logical step. Then again, he waited ten years...

Said, London, UK

It appears that Brown has but two options. The first is go to the country in the next few months, but in that case he will lose the election to the Tories (who won't be any better, just a change of faces). The second option is to drag it out and hope that in the next two years something will "turn up" in his favour. My guess is that if he opts for the second alternative he will not just be beaten, but utterly routed and we will get a nasty dose of Nasty Tories - until of course we are sick of them too. It is the electoral system in this country which requires drastic change, not just the Government.

Neil, Gloucestershire, England

Enemy of Industry

Gordon Brown could have saved his bacon if he had the guts to get control of real inflation i.e. take into account the inflation in land and housing.

This is the big lie. And everybody knows it deep down.

Industry is hammered by the tweaking of interest rates but the land and housing markets are left to go on their merry way. Why is that? We all know that small tweaks of interest rates have no effect when capital gains are so high.

The economy is a huge lie, a deceit cooked up by a long line of politicians who personally benefit from this fraud.

When the British people wake up to the fact that they have been living in a large casino instead of a functioning industrial nation they will demand that land and housing costs are taken into account in inflation figures.

Q: Why can't Britain have growth like that of China?
A: Industry is punished through interest rates while housing inflation is mysteriously allowed to disappear into the stratosphere.

joe, Berwickshire, Scotland

McBrown is a "dead man walking", he is finished. The sooner the Labour lot realise it and ditch him and Harriet Harman the better.

roger Kingston, york,

A simple case of "rats deserting the sinking ship". Always when things go as wrong as they have done for Brown, his enemies will be plotting his demise. AND LET EVERYONE FACE THE FACTS. BROWN AND HIS SYCOPHANTS (e.g."So what" BALLS) HAVE DEFINITELY CAUSED HAVOC TO THE UK'S ECONOMY, SOVEREIGNTY AND DEMOCRACY (No REFERENDUM!)
Co. UK, EU.

M. Cawdery, Portadown, Co. UK, EU.

The Labour Government in the Big House looks strong and reliable . . . compared to their crew in Holyrood!

Des, Edinburgh,

It says a lot about the standard of comments nowadays that one is almost unable to tease out the political leanings of the writer from the sharp political insight.

I see even the die-hard Thatcherite's are resurfacing, now there's an erroneous philosophy if ever I saw one, an entire political system built on greed, hate and sleaze, yes we still remember the sleaze -Major & Curry - Oh! God don't make my stomach churn!

I'm a Labour support, a critical one at that, I think Brown is a disaster and the sooner he goes the better for the country, the party and the world, but you see that's the difference Labour supporters don't offer the blind support of the fawning Tory masses -Oh! Maggie was wonderful- sure! Try insane, instead, but that would have been from the gin fumes coming off Dennis.

Instead of acting like a spoilt little children, standing in the middle of the room screaming abuse because you can't get your own way, how about you calm down and try to hold a reasoned political debate.

Personally from where I sit there isn't a leader worth the name anywhere, all I see is grey men in grey suits.

Brown A muffer, a duffer, a fluffer.

Cameron Talk about mutton dressed up a lamb, both personally and his policies.

Clegg Hard to criticise, mainly because he only holds an opinion for a nano second or two.

Leader, I think you do the word dishonour by trying to combine it with any of the above.

ian johnson, Ramsgate, UK

The Labour Party has surrendered its principles and phillosophy. It sold out under Blair and moved to reinforce the NuLabour 'project' and Blair's authority by ensuring only spineless MPs were elected. The result? Nothing much acheived and an awful lot destroyed/damaged. Without doubt this has been the most barren period of politics I have ever known. Aren't we materially better off? Yes, but only on the back of a mountain of personal and Government debt. I always voted Labour even through the darkest days of the 1980s. Never again. Labour is dead. I will now vote Conservative as the Lib Dems are a joke.

chris, redhill,

If Ed Balls does take over from Brown as leader then Labour will have even less chance of winning future general elections than it had under Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock. Prepare for another 18 years of Tory government, folks!

K Philips, London, UK

The Labour emperors have no clothes.

Brown's so called reputation for economic competence was always based on easyriding the hard work of the private sector workers and good luck vis-a-vis China's impact on inflation and the global savings glut on lowering interest rates

What did he do with the windfall?

He blew it on electoral bribery of core labour voters and gave us a featherbedded public sector based on state monopolies for what are private goods in education and health.

At the same time they pandered to the laissez faire interest of big business to sock a double whammy on the working voters.
Regulation equals overpaid bureaucrats doing no regulation to Brown.

Labour are trade union stooges after taxpayers money to featherbed their own vested interest groups. They deserve to be punished by a generation or two out of power.

Jeff, London, UK

Hatred of Selection --> Private schools and Grammar Schools?

Criminal to blame for the Crime --> yes but society produces criminals and is the underlying caue surely?

Mass immigration --> London is not a fair reflection, outside of the big cities like London and Birmingham (i.e. most of England) England still is a predominantly Anglo Saxon society and arguably immigrants contribute economically, surely?

Multi culturalism --> Being hard to acheive doesn't change the fact that it's a worth goal to strive towards?

Illusion that the country was doing well economically? --> It is/was until 12m ago and even then, arguably the economic slowdown is due to global factors?

Chris, London,

When The Middle Class Start Hurting

The working class and poorest in society have taken the pain so far. They have been dealt a double whammy by being denied affordable shelter and increased taxes.

In fact, on recently was it admitted that the New Labour policy of mass, uncontrolled migration (turning a blind eye) did nothing for the economy. All that it did was challenge the existing poor with competition for jobs, school and college places and housing.

Now it's the turn of the middle class and they're angry. Angry and confused.

Once the middle class get the New Narrative straight - that multi-culturalism/multi-nationalism has failed and that Brown has fooled them about the end to Boom and Bust, then we will have heads on pikes.

We are of course at the fag end of the business cycle and the feared downturn is on its predictable way. The problem this time is that the middle class have invested a great deal more and become a great deal more exposed.

Brown is a gonner.

joe, Berwickshire, Scotland

Prediction? Brown will hang on, in the same way as Major did, until the last possible moment in 2010. The inevitability of a Labour defeat in 2010 looms large; the only question now is how big will the rout be?

Expect to see much undignified (yet amusing to non-Labour supporters) switching round of supposed 'safe seats' as the politburo of this tawdry excuse for a government try to ensure that they don't get kicked off the gravy train at the Election. Several Cabinet Ministers must be sweating at the prospect of being unseated, should they remain where they are.

Mark, Durham, UK

It's about time the Tories did something. Labour have destroyed most of the Country ably assisted by the weakest opposition imaginable.

Roger, Surrey,

Mark Kenneth Owen, You took the words out of my mouth. My only concern is that the incoming conservative government can hold their nerve and carry out the radical programme that is needed to repair the huge damage done to our social fabirc by these inept buffoons. When the time comes, good riddance.

Brian Roberts , Plymouth, Devon

Even prior to the present economic problems it was obvious to many people that New Labour was badly failing the country. This failure goes well beyond Brown's lack of charisma or even the sheer managerial incompetence of the Government. The main reason that New Labour has so little to show for eleven years in office is that its underlying philosophy is completely wrong-headed.

I once read somewhere that after Labour's defeat in 1979, Lady Thatcher remarked that it wasn't just due to a failure of their policies but of the whole philosophy behind them.

For a while New Labour created an illusion that the country was doing well economically. New Labour has done huge damage to the fabric of nation since they were elected. Their hatred of selection in education, their belief that society and not the criminal are to blame for crime, their undermining of two parent families and their promotion of mass immigration and multi-culturalism all stem from their erroneous philosophy.

Mark Kenneth Owen, London,

Nice to see 11 percent of the voting population are stark staring mad.

Cromwell, Leeds, England

Ed Balls earmarked as Mr. Bean's succesor ?

Crikey, things have become worse than desperate in the Labour party.

R.M., London, England

Things are looking decidedly black for labour - A local election bluewash on the cards on May 1st?

Perry Smithwick, market harborough, u.k.