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Interesting to compare and contrast the buzz and general ambiance in France during the weekend leading up to their election of Sarkozy (while visiting friends over there) and the "damp squib" feeling over here this week, even in the media, over Gordon Brown's confirmation without facing any kind of election at all in the highest political office in our own country....

In what sense is Gordon Brown not part of the old guard Nick?

Gordon Brown was always going to win an election - he is clearly the obvious person for the job. The Conservatives ditched Thatcher mid term and Blair has resigned mid term -our parliamentary democracy allows for this - and unless you want a presidential system - we should not need a general election. Like other oddities in our parliamnary democracy (eg The House of Lords) - the system works - lets not throw that away.

Unless I have missed something when growing up, it seems to me that 'Change' is constantly around us - unless of course we look at funding for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ which merely increases.

I would have thought that you would have noticed that the Conservatives changed to Mr Cameron a while ago, and perhaps that is why we are now getting Brown. Perhaps therefore you have missed cause and effect, and consequently you may want to 'change' your report to reflect this.

Meanwhile, I await news of further changes, be they at the World Bank or elsewhere, with bated breath.

I wonder if Mr Blair is swotting-up on the middle-eight to 'Yesterday Man' - from his own pop generation. :-)

But - as you put it, Nick - it's a changing-of-the-guard, not the whole junta incumbent! It's the same shade of muted reds-cum-mauves and so an election certainly isn't necessary - except to the increasing many who don't have confidence in this administration's brand of Socialism Nouveau! - not the stuff of 'SN' branding in the Party north of the border, perhaps. :-/

Surely, half-a-term is no more than a blink of a blinkered eye? No contest, no surprises! Who wants surprises?

I am not sure that saying that this is a post 9/11 shift is really looking at the political ramifications of the new changes, this looks to be more of a shift away from social democratic left of centre politics towards the right... something that I hate to say will be more than evident in the next general election.

It is a real time for change across the spectrum of political life. Brown looks relaxed and ready to prove himself; Salmon is trying to be more statesman-like; Sarkosy - who I saw alot of recently while watching ´óÏó´«Ã½ World - seems confident, less aggressive and ready - and maybe able - to tackle local and international opinion of France. Then there's other elections from Nigeria, Turkey to the fast-approaching elections in the USA.

But then in amongst all this change is Mr. Cameron. Will someone please tell 'Dave' that he's had his honeymoon period - good to very good poll ratings accompanied by many photos of his open neck, tie-less, smiling Blair-esque persona beamed into our living rooms. But he too must show he's up for change. We want to see policies - not just positioning (or mimmicking Blair) in his desperate search for his clause 4 moment!

We know you want our vote Dave but show us why you deserve it. It's game on now!

Now that the inevitable has occurred and Brown is PM elect, what on earth is the point in dragging the whole sorry process out for another 6 weeks? Indeed, Brown cuts a comical figure as he goes out on the campaign trail when he is the only candidate. It would be better for him and for good governance, if the formal handover could take place quickly (as it did between Thatcher and Major).

A while back when the Tories were last in power, the EU requested that the Government defines its 'regions' and give that list to Brussels.

So, they did that, and if you bother to enquire, which most English people don't, you find that there are regions called Wales and Scotland, which co-incidentally are pseudo-countries, but England got chopped up into several 'regions'.

In effect, this was the point where England ceased to be, in the political sense.

It really is quite staggering, we English were'nt even consulted, which some would say is par for the course.

We English need to understand that this zombie political entity, the so-called 'UK', has had its day, and really must get our England back again.

We English need slightly more than a changing of the guard.

English people must step up and say ... we want our England back!

It has taken 200 years for the Tories to realise they are a party of class division based upon prejudice of wealth and position.

I hope it takes another 200 years before this Country and the electorate actually believe them.

Jack Straw, explaining why Gordon Brown shouldn't take over immediately, says it's better to have a gap of six weeks to have an orderly transition instead of the sudden change that normally happens in the UK. It's what they do in other countries, he says. We can learn from them.

Jack Straw, explaining why there shouldn't be a General Election now Tony Blair has resigned, says that's not the way we do things in this country. Other countries have elections when leaders change, not the UK. We don't want any of their foreign practices in this country, oh no.

I've never heard such a flip-flop from one answer to the next.

Speaking of public trust I trust Mr Brown to continue to ensure economic stability as in the past ten years and to continue the investment in education and health that has happened over the again over the past ten years.

Still it is quite a record to replicate and only time will tell. We can only hope there is no repetition of the circumstances leading to the Hutton Report and loss of trust in the ´óÏó´«Ã½s impartiality too like printing this email.

I don't really care which Labour politician is PM, I don't like any of them. But I thought Tony was going on June 27th ONLY because that would give the party time to elect a new leader? It seems to me that they've now said, "We don't need this amount of time, we want Gordon". So why doesn't Blair do the decent thing and go now? Or is he more obsessed with his farewell tour than the welfare of the country?

Keep your eyes on Wales Nick, as there might be another surprise for you.

Unless GB takes the plunge and has a quick general election we're going to have a couple of years of decline in the leadership of the country. Brown will be weak because he doesn't really have the mandate of his full party so he will face backbenchers behaving as if they are owed for making him PM without a proper election. The larger party will become more and more disenfranchised because they didn't get a say. Besides all that though, Cameroon will wallop Brown at question time because though quick on his feet Brown does give the impression of being like a lumbering mummy. God knows how our role in the international scene is going to go because he doesn't seem to have the charisma to impress his colleagues so I really don't know how he's going the cope in the bigger world. Saying that Tony mucked up our international relationship anyway, so you can't really hang that noose around GB's neck. It's all terrifying really.

Newselephant raised the question 'would the Tories change the rules so that a change of party leader (and consequently PM) would necessitate a general election.
If I were party leader and won the next general election I would be only too willing to pass such a rule.
It would in all likelihood entrench my position as PM and party leader and mean I would be very unlikely to be removed mid-term as there would be plenty of MPS unwilling to risk this as a general election could result in their own removal from office.
What would people want though if say the incumbent PM dies in office? In the US the VP becomes President and serves out the remainder of their term in office without the need for a snap election. Would we want another election if a PM died in office only six months after the election?

Something must change so that everything remains the same. The expression taken from the Gatopardo - a novel that illustrates the revolutionary process in Italy in the times of Garibaldi - reflect what has happened in the political arena in Britain. Names change, but realities on the ground do not change. Unemployment is rising, but the number of those registered as unemployed is falling. What does it tell you? More and more people are living outside the system as part of the black economy, earning without paying taxes. The government says it is a positive sign indicating that the changes in the welfare system are working. I say it is exactly the opposite. The number of people working cash in hand, not registered anywhere, is growing exponentially. Bureaucracy and red tape are pushing hundreds of thousands into the black economy. What can Brown do about it? I guess very little.

David Cameron is surrounded by acolytes who make a habit of putting the cat amongst the pigeons - Letwin, Willetts, Osborne. A group pulling in different directions and often using impenetrable language.

Gordon Brown will be much more savvy - nobody else will be allowed to express any opinion at all.

Only time will tell which method will succeed but at least with Brown you know where you are - stealth taxes, bullying, class prejudice, manipulation of statistics.

It is clear that amongst the relatively few English people who show any real interest in politics, and I suspect in the English at large, there is a growing awareness and resentment at politicians from other countries, usually Scotland, running OUR show.

It is becoming a more-and-more untenable situation.

Brown, an MP of a Scottish constituency, as PM just about sums up the whole horrid situation for us English.

It is a gruesome experience to witness Westmister based politicians discuss the 'West Lothian' question and come up with all sorts of answers that studiously avoid the bleeding obvious, self-determination for English people.

When the English worm finally turns, the 'media' will be shocked and say, well, who saw that coming?

Under our present Constitution the next Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the outgoing Prime Minister and not a political party or group of MPs even if they all want the same man. It is therefore premature to call Gordon Brown "Prime Minister elect" unti Tony Blair say that that is what he is going to do! Or is this change going to be in the forthcoming Constitution Bill?

So McCavity has emerged from the shadows, does he expect us to forget his track record to date?

One very important effect of the 'transition' to Gordon Brown is that a public already totally disenchanted with politics, and holding that 'they're all the same', will have that belief more firmly entrenched. This is the distasteful politics of the smoke-filled rooms - the very thing that makes so many not vote, or regard all politics as a fix.

Nick, got any clues as to what muppet we'll get as Chancellor?.

Well, I hope you're right about change being in the air, but frankly I doubt it. How on earth is Gordon Brown going to restore trust in politicians? He was a key part of the government that's done so much to destroy it.

Do we think he's going to apologise for the lies the government told about Iraq's non-existent WMDs?

Do we think he's going to abolish the university top-up fees that his government made a manifesto commitment not to introduce and then did anyway?

Do we think he's going to reverse the increase in National Insurance that he made after promising not to increase the basic rate of income tax (which, let's face it, is exactly the same thing as NI for all practical purposes)?

Unless the answer to all three of those questions is yes, as well as quite a lot more that I could think of, then I for one will not trust a single word he says.

Nick,

Gordon Brown rebuild trust! Yeah right! This is the man who was responsible for stealth taxes! This is the man who tried to spin a tax cut at the last budget when it was nothing of the sort. This is the man who has been part of a government that has presided over an unprecedented decline in the public trust of politicains, and this is the man who is part of a Government that even today is supporting a bill to exempt parliament from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
Trust....don't make me laugh!

It may have escaped the attention of the English that it was they who voted in large numbers to elect Blair and Brown, which in turn led to the West Lothain problem. To-day, many English find it convenient to scapegoat the Scots / Scots MPs, however, in reality they only have themselves, as voters, to blame. In the spirit of goodwill, I would like to offer some advice to those who regard the current arrangements as less than optimal.

Lesson number one - be careful what you wish to change as there is invariably the problem of unintended consequences.
Lesson number two - when in a hole stop digging.

Unfortunately, the English still vote in large numbers for the parties who instigated and operate devolution. So, by all means, let us pray for change, but also that it does not result in throwing the baby out with the bathwater (or some similar metaphor).

Stephen mentions the "West Lothian problem" I believe it was the former MP for West Lothian Tam Daziel who first raised the "problem". There is no doubt it is a problem and a problem that will not go away according to todays news.
All the majority parties and I include the SNP in that group recognise the problem. Unfortunatley it is only the SNP who are willing to take the "bull by the horns" and bring the issue to the fore. Why should Scottish MP's vote on English issues. Then again why should the English MP's have the right to impose " son of trident" on Scotland.
Phil

# 30 Stephen

English people who are interested in politics and can think it through will understand that Alex Salmond is our best political friend at present.

The SNP ultimately want self-determination for Scotland, and who could possible deny them that as their democractic right.

I think canny Alex will succeed and in doing so will also set us English on the path to regaining control over our own country again.

The English are in a hole but, due to our notorious political interia, we are shamefully relying on the Scottish people to get us out of it.

All that will be thrown out of the English bathwater are the professional non-English politicians at Westminster.

Hi Nick, just to reinforce Ian's comment (#18). Might be time for a trip across the Severn Bridge! As expected, the post-election situation in the National Assembly in Cardiff Bay is looking pretty fascinating at the moment! Another new leader on the way within the next fortnight maybe???