Frank Luntz’s new book Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear has a strong message for political operators. It is a message that Gordon Brown would be wise to heed. Luntz is becoming a bit of a Cameroonie guru, it was his Newsnight poll that many think helped tip a lot of Tories into Dave’s camp.

Writing in this morning’s Speccie he warns the Brownites that “Gordon Brown may have much to teach David Cameron in the ways of governing, but Cameron is proving to be a better student of language.”

Guido’s English mistress told him that “words are but wise men’s counters and the money of fools.” How Guido laughed…

Ronnie “PFI” Cohen is Gordon’s moneybags backer. His Apax Partners is Britain’s biggest Private Equity finance house. The Private Equity sector is one of the hottest areas of profitability in the City and demonstrates the continuing adaptability of capitalism. Apax does the traditional sweat or strip the assets plays of financial engineers of yore and is also a “stakeholder” in New Labour’s PFI deals. Apax, through various subsidaries, is a huge “stakeholder” with multi-billion exposure to Gordon’s off-the-balance-sheet PSBR dodge.

The unions don’t buy into the “stakeholders” and Public Private Partnership (PPP) language of New Labour, they see it as old fashioned profiteering by the private sector vultures of venture capitalism at the expense of the workers. The GMB is calling for 100% windfall taxes and an end to tax relief on debt financed Private Equity deals. So who will Gordon listen to, the unions who oppose him or the PFI-profiteering venture capitalist who backs him?

Don’t hold your breath, it was after all Gordon who secured Ronnie his knighthood and later tried to get him a peerage…

As Gordon celebrates his 56th birthday this morning, we learn that an ICM poll in the Guardian puts Cameron’s Conservatives on 40 (+3), Labour 31, LibDems 19% (-4). A gap only seen three times since Margaret Thatcher’s day. Labour hasn’t polled as badly as this since Michael Foot. On a 40% share the Tories could achieve a parliamentary majority.

When ICM compared Cameron’s Conservatives vs Brown’s Labour vs Ming’s Lib Dems – it got even worse for Labour. The margin widened further to Conservatives 42% (+2): Labour 29% (-3%): LibDem 17% (-3). Happy Birthday Gordon…

Is that a quote from the draft 2009 Labour party manifesto to be signed by Gordon Brown? In a sense it is, in that it comes from an invitation sent out by what is effectively Gordon’s preparatory campaign committee. The Smith Institute is, even Brownite allies admit, now in its final days as a charity. One Brownite sneered to Guido that “even if it does lose it’s charitable status, it won’t matter, Gordon will be PM by then.”

That may be, but we will know that he is just as slippery as Blair when it comes to covert funding. We’ll know that his big business friends with interests in government contracts, government preferment and personal advancement, backed his campaign with cold cash given behind closed doors. Gordon glad-handed them at events at No. 11 organised by the Smith Institute, subsidised the Sith’s events by allowing them to use No. 11 rent free, the Treasury paid tax kick-backs on donations to the “educational charity” and even went so far as to pay thousands directly to the Smith Institute’s private company to organise events.

Gordon then tried to get a peerage for his allies Wilf Stevenson, the director of the Smith Institute and Ronnie “PFI” Cohen, the financier and Gordon backer. When Blair goes will anything really change when it comes to New Labour sleaze?

Although his master was absent (presumably washing his hair) Ed Balls was in the chamber during PMQs.

Colin Challen was called to ask the Prime Minister a question, and the minute his name left the Speaker’s lips the cat-calls began. “My Lord!” and “Where’s Ed?” came from the across the floor. Labour MPs writhed with embarrassment. And Ed Balls stood at the Bar of the House looking distinctly sheepish.

Of course if Blinky Balls isn’t going to be dropped into Challen’s seat, he really has nothing to be sheepish about. It is not like Gordon would have done something as sleazy as secure Challen a comfy sinecure on the Treasury’s Stern Commission and a peerage to follow. Gordon is above that sort of thing, he wouldn’t line up a peerage for the Sith’s Wilf Stevenson or his generous moneyman backer and PFI profiteer Ronnie Cohen either.

Da Fink thinks a bit of cronyism is just dandy anyway, because all parties do it. That’s alright then…

Gordon Brown’s ambiguous sexual image in his university days has long been speculated about, remember Sue Lawley on Desert Island Discs years ago: “People want to know whether you’re gay or whether there is some flaw in your personality”. It appears to Guido that despite fatherhood, the tendency is creeping back. When Gordon visited HMS Kent* last week he positively frolicked in his goggles, mincing rather than marching. Whatever has got into him? Is he just full of the joys of spring?
*Iain Dale owes Guido 10 pints for the picture on the left.

The appointment of Alan Greenspan as a Special Adviser to Gordon Brown is unusual – SpAds are often spotty recently graduated party hacks on the make, and are therefore usually young and inexperienced. Greenspan however is the oldest and most experienced maestro of the money markets around. Greenspan’s word is simply law on Wall Street and in the City.

He is also a disciple of Ayn Rand, the philosopher who is viewed by some as the most radical defender of capitalism of all time. She was certainly uncompromising, viewing collectivism in all its forms as “evil”. So what advice will he be giving to “democratic socialist” Gordon Brown?

Perhaps he will recommend reading a couple of her books like “The Virtue of Selfishness“ and “Capitalism : The Unknown Ideal“. After all, Greenspan wrote three chapters of the latter book. Guido fears Brown will not heed the good advice within…