There seems to be a concerted attempt to shoot the messenger. Tom Watson, live and direct from the bunker, is trying to rubbish the poll and menace LabourHome’s editor Alex Hilton. Luke Akehurst, the Weber Shandwick spinner for arms dealers and former Gordon-loathing loyalist under Blair, turned Gordon-loving loyalist under Brown, is reading from the same script.

ConservativeHome makes Team Cameron uncomfortable but it performs a very useful function in encouraging more honest introspection and in doing so strengthens the party and makes it more responsive to the grassroots.

LabourHome has in the past been too willing to reflect the party line, failing organisations like to keep their troubles secret, honesty and openness are a sign of confidence and strength. LabourHome is not as Luke Akehurst claims “unhelpful to the Party”, it is doing it a service by holding up a mirror. To fix the problem, you first have to face up to it.

A survey of Labour supporters by LabourHome for the Indy tomorrow finds 54% want Gordon to go before the next General Election with 46% wanting him to stay. 57% believe there should be a leadership vote at party conference and 43% think there should not.

Miliband is the favoured successor of nearly a quarter (24.6%) of those polled…

This morning the Guardian’s political editor Patrick Wintour quoted an anonymous cabinet minister off-the-record.

Gordon Brown’s authority was further undermined last night after it emerged several ministers sharply criticised the decision to use this week’s political cabinet to discuss Tory weaknesses rather than Labour’s own unpopularity. One member said the tenor of the meeting was “bizarre and a denial of reality as we sat listening to how deep down David Cameron is not really popular”.

That cabinet minister was David Miliband. Guido knows this because David Miliband is always using the word “bizarre”, it is his favourite word in television interviews, in print and in speeches.

Indy
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
We badly need a treaty to control the arms trade
It is bizarre that we’ve treaties to stop nuclear arms, but not to stop weapons flooding into conflict zones

David Miliband interview on Radio 5 Live
February 2, 2008
“Well I think it’s a very bizarre comparison to compare Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe with China.“

Sunday Business Post
June 22, 2008
…The other member states see themselves as perfectly entitled to decide on the basis of their own national interests – just as Ireland has – whether to ratify or not. British foreign secretary David Miliband described the idea that Britain should not take its own view of treaty ratification as ”bizarre’‘.

Daily Mail
May 12, 2008
Disease ‘could push Burma toll to 1.5m’
…Mr Miliband said the decision to go ahead with the poll, despite the crisis was ‘bizarre’.

Daily Mail
March 26, 2008
Our troops deserve full inquiry on Iraq, say Tories
..But Foreign Secretary David Miliband said: ‘There is agreement that an inquiry into the Iraq war will be necessary.’ He added: ‘Given reports from Basra today, most people would see that as a bizarre choice of priority now. We say the right time to look at these issues and review the lessons learned is when our troops have finished their work in Iraq.’

If Lloyds Bank’s Victor Blank was talking to Gordon Brown about take-over plans for HBOS at a cocktail party wasn’t he breaking the takeover code’s strict rules on secrecy? Shouldn’t somebody report them?

Yesterday the headlines said “Gordon Brown orders Lloyds takeover of HBOS”. Does Brown think he can order Lloyds shareholders to vote for the deal? This is a Class 1 transaction, shareholders will decide, not Gordon.

The FT agrees with Guido, is it now official government policy to have the regulators lie to the markets via the media? If the FSA itself is now lying and breaking the laws it is supposed to enforce, is there any point reporting law breakers?