Coughing up for the coronation

Brown 'coronation' prompts new call for snap election | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics: "With Labour's internal finances believed to be in poor shape in the wake of the cash-for-honours investigation, and Mr Brown trailing to the Tories, it is highly unlikely that the chancellor would decide to go to the polls rather than govern until 2009 or 2010."

Not to the polls, but to the party and the unions... for the cash... they should expect something in return.

A quandary for Brown?

Now that Meacher has stepped aside, McDonnell has a clear run to get 45 nominations... or does he? As everyone should understand, the first 40 supporters are easier to get than the forty-first. And the forty-second is harder... and so on. It could all hinge on one or two MPs who didn't fancy McDonnell in the first place being persuaded, cajoled or even forced at the last minute.

So who/what would persuade them?

The power in the land is Brown - he could "lend" the votes, as McDonnell joked in the Fabian "hustings" on Sunday night.

But would he? My feeling is Brown doesn't want a contest. If so he'll not just be reluctant to "lend" votes but will be actively trying now to derail McDonnell's campaign for leader before it reaches the dangerous and unpredictable stage of actually becoming real.

Brown will want to appear hands-off, and claim it's just hard luck if there's no support.

:-|

We'll see, that's for sure.

Media circus may puzzle the voters

Media circus may puzzle the voters | Special Reports | Guardian Unlimited Politics: "In fact the day's one piece of authentic, unscripted news is whether Michael Meacher or John McDonnell will have the votes to go forward as the left's challenger, hoping to open up the debate and undermine the Brown-Blair consensus which they fear Mr Brown will embrace too readily.

My money is on Mr McDonnell, the more solid candidate of the two, the one least likely to say 9/11 was a US plot or something equally daft. Like John Cruddas, the thoughtful leftwing candidate for the deputy leadership, he does not assume that Middle England is Labour's only electoral priority or that the heartlands can be taken for granted.

Dagenham - Mr Cruddas's seat - and Hayes and Harlington - Mr McDonnell's - may be on either side of London, but both have more than their share of poverty and hardship. Working-class voters concerned with bread and butter issues - the 'social wage' that is good public schools and hospitals - are as disaffected as Islington liberals for whom Iraq and civil liberties are Tony Blair's real failures."