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Campaign analysis: Monday April 11
Daniel Forman's daily diary of the election campaign.
Monday April 11 11:30am GMT
So much for Labour claims that they wouldn't be holding London media briefings in the mornings during this campaign.
Having seen the Conservatives call a press conference for 8.00am this morning on their manifesto, and the Lib Dems' at 7.30am on education, Labour's high command felt they had to go one better and summon reporters at 7.20am to talk economics.
It wasn't a great idea. Ratty hacks soon started disputing Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's attacks on Tory spending policies, leading the prime minister to joke that he wouldn't be getting them out of bed that early again.
The timing issue was also an aggressive move against their rivals, breaking an agreement that held in previous campaigns that they would not hold conferences that directly clashed.
It also presented a problem for broadcasters who are obliged to give the Lib Dems a fair proportion of coverage.
But what is the point of these dawn jousts with journalists? Clearly few "ordinary voters" will be glued to the 24-hour news channels while they chew their toast and cornflakes.
However the party leaders will hope to get a few snippets on to news bulletins throughout the rest of the day.
Hence Michael Howard's rather histrionic performance. He will hope it will play a bit better at lunchtime and tonight than it did first thing.
It also comes back to the agenda setting issue. Labour tried to put the Tories on the backfoot on what should be one of their big campaign days.
Brown - in another joint performance with the PM - claimed the Conservatives were emulating John Major's "tax less, borrow less and spend more" approach of 1992. But it didn't do him any harm.
Voters then were more concerned about their fear of Labour tax rises to pay for public services. This election will be a test of whether our appetite for tax and spend really has increased.
As for Alan Milburn, who ruled press conferences out, he must feel like a mistress who has seen the husband go back to his wife.
As they headed off into the sunset of North Wales, Blair and Brown began to look like it really was 1992 all over again.
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