Where's Gordon?

As we all know (and Labour's campaign managers certainly know it too) Gordon Brown is a weakness and a liability on the campaign trail. What can they do about it?

Well, Dungeekin reports (with tongue firmly in cheek!) that he is to be replaced by some kind of robot. As he reports, the robot will be "more responsive, more emotional and more expressive".

Although it is an appealing idea, it's just a bit of fun – though I think it could be partly right. Gordon has hardly been seen in public places, with real voting people, for most of the past day or more.

I have this evening read the odd comment suggesting he has been "holed-up in London" from the second day of the election campaign; and it has to be said that his only appearances do seem to have been entirely in the capital and most of those were in studios and suchlike.

Politics Home's campaign diary for today seems to confirm this impression, with his only out-and-about events reported as being in east London (where Sarah Brown was heckled) and the Royal Institution in SW1. Otherwise he was at a press conference and at the BBC Today studio, and that seems to be more-or-less it for him.

Of course this does make sense, as he is hardly a great asset to the party. Even at that press conference it was Mandelson who was really in charge, including cutting off Brown in mid-answer on more than one occasion. Only the spin-meisters can be trusted to deliver the "right" message to the media and the public...

Even on the less-than-frequent occasions Brown is to be seen or heard, he isn't coping very well, even on the Labour-friendly BBC this morning. Do follow the link and read Peter Hoskin's write-up and the comments!

On the subject of spin, I am aware that Brown's visit to the Morrison's in Strood on Tuesday was reported on Labour's website as being because this is "a crucial area to a Labour Government". Oh yes? Is that why the area is so blatantly and hugely under-funded every year?

Ah, and the area is apparently "forgotten by Medway Conservative Councillors". Funny: the Conservatives drive all that happens here, and the public respond by voting more of them in at every opportunity.

The front page of this week's YourMedway is probably closest to the mark regarding the first point:

"Medway,[is] an area the Labour party are desperate to hold on to."

The Labour report also refers to the "Thames Eatuary", (as highlighted in the image above right) which I assume is a fish-and-chips restaurant somewhere along the riverside...