Should David Cameron call an election? That's the question asked this morning by Ian Birrell, Cameron's former speech writer, who thinks he should. There are three main arguments in favour. First, the Tories got a bounce in the polls following the dramatic events of last Friday. The latest YouGov/Sun poll, for instance, puts the Conservatives on 39%, Labour on 40% and the Lib Dems on 10%, a pattern echoed in other recent polls. Second, the Labour Party is in a weak position. Inside the Westminster bubble, Ed Miliband's stock rises and falls according to his dispatch box performances, but in the real world voters show no signs of warming to him. Third, the Lib Dems are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the Coalition, as Nick Clegg's absence from the House of Commons yesterday demonstrates. Rather than continue to paper over the cracks, wouldn't it be better to acknowledge that the Coalition has run its course? (To read more, click here.)
