Same Old Same Old #2

It's a sign of how shockingly samey the electoral campaign is becoming that for the second day running I'm finding it difficult to find something new to write about. Sure, Michael Howard has stirred up the issue of "travellers" again by once more putting loads of adverts into the Sunday papers, but it's not a genuine policy, and it's little more than a further attempt to grab the headlines so he can set the agenda for the coming week.

If Labour want to do anything this election, their campaign team is really going to have to buck its ideas up. Sure, this is only the "pre-election" but it is certainly laying the groundwork for what we will expect to see in the campaign proper. And it's given Howard the opportunity to close the gap, while Charles Kennedy seems to be completely invisible. Given that it's the Lib Dems who have done the real opposing for the past few years, it's a bit of a travesty now that the Tories are able to capitalise on the work the Lib Dems have been putting in for years. Where have they been for so long?

Talking of elections, the declaration can only be a matter of weeks away now if it really is going to happen on May 5th. Some people expect it to be declared after Charles and Camilla's wedding, which somewhat makes sense. It would be too much of a distraction, even if the British people are mostly fed up with it. That wouldn't stop the tabloid press and the toadying BBC from running round-the-clock coverage of the preparations for the "big day".

Let's hope for a more interesting start to next week...