Mass Appeal

‘JUST get a load of that crowd! The Telegraph estimates there must be between one and 1.2million people in the streets.

”Is this the queue for the new dentist”

But no, the Telegraph’s front-page photo is not an overhead picture of Windsor high road. Those are not Charles and Camilla fans fighting for the best vantage points from which to view the royal couple.

It is, of course, the queue to see the Pope’s body, what the Times grandly calls the “queue to end all queues”. A huge line of people taking up the chance to say, “I was there”.

Meanwhile, while a few vagrants, local street dealer ‘Matt The Talc’ and a mysterious willowy blonde woman camp outside Windsor’s Guildhall, it’s our politicians who must be looking at the pictures from Rome with some envy.

If only they could get people to turn out in such numbers for the big vote on May 5.

The politicos are trying. But the effort seems to be taking its toll on Tony Blair. On the Guardian’s front page, Simon Hoggart watches Tony “lose” yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Question Time.

“Tony Blair looked and sounded terrible yesterday,” writes Hoggart. “His throat is sore. He is nervous and twitchy. His attention wanders.”

You don’t suppose… No. Perish the thought! Our Tony’s always been such a good boy… He’s just been under pressure… The exams… It can’t be… Can it? Drugs..?

But while Tony talks to FRANK, the Government’s round-the-clock free confidential drugs information and advice service - and if he doesn’t, we might just click on the site’s “Worried About Someone” section - the Independent considers the bigger picture.

And, as it did yesterday, the paper produces a political chart. This one’s on the front page and it asks: “So who do you trust?”

Well, on taxes, truancy, MRSA and immigrants, we are increasingly inclined to trust the Tories. While on pay, pensions, detection rates and jobs, we back Labour.

So that’s 4-4 – a draw. Which could mean that cometh the hour, the LibDems might well have the deciding vote in a hung parliament.

And waiting for that lot to decide which way to jump, could make the time it takes to see the Pope’s body look like the blink of an eye…

Paul Sorene is the Anorak’

Posted: 7th, April 2005 | In: Uncategorized Comment | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink