I’m impressed (and relieved)

Really. I am. Labour’s campaign is good. On stage yesterday, at the manifesto launch, the front bench was awesome – handing off and harmonising like The Beach Boys. Brown’s seething resentment is impressively under control – and I mean really under control (did they drug him?). There’s a seriousness and professionalism on show that’s reassuring. Blair’s cabinet looked, at the press conference, like an experienced, un-flashy board of directors and I think that’ll play well with even pissed-off voters. Howard’s unremarkable gang are going to need to lift their game a lot if they’re to stand a chance against Labour’s really polished team and the Liberals look, frankly, like the Three Stooges in this company…

Watch the BBC’s news coverage of the manifesto launch. Read the manifesto… and you’ll want to be reading Simon Hoggart on “a major serving of sound gristle”.