New Year - New Ideas?

Poor old Gordon Brown; it doesn't look like 2010 is going to be going to be a great year for him. After a decade waiting in the wings, GB made it into Number 10 but it's likely that the removal men might be moving in sooner than he hoped.

Polls suggest it is David Cameron that will be moving in. Which doesn't bode well for the UK. As much as DC has done well to change the image of the Tory Party: his party still favours big business over jobs; marriage vows over help for families; tax cuts for the richest and welfare cuts for the poorest. All this and it's unlikely that Scotland will elect more than a single Tory MP.

But all is not lost for GB. He was once known for thinking outside the Red Box, maybe a bit of thinking like that could rescue him now.

Radical suggestion 1: he resigns. I know it's been suggested a thousand times but hear me out! He resigns as Labour leader and calls a leadership contest, one in which he may stand. It's all a bit John Major I know but it worked for him and he didn't have the political savvy of GB (although GB is looking increasing grey). Regardless of whether he stands we can expect a good contest with the likes of Jack Straw, Harriet Harrman, Alan Johnson and David Milliband standing. With less than six months till a general election, the Labour contest would dominate the agenda for nearly half of this and a stronger leader would emerge in time for the election proper. It would give Labour the chance to not just debate policy but to communicate this to an electorate who are unsure what they stand for and how the coming decade could be better.

Radical suggestion 2: ok, so GB is still heading for defeat. But worse than defeat would be defeat in his own back yard. It's likely the SNP will make gains in Scotland, which would only help DC. To pre-empt this he could call a multi-option referendum on Scottish devolution/independence. This shatters Alex Salmond's plans for the next year and shows Labour is serious about the Calman Commission proposals for further devolution. Opinion polls have consistently shown that where Scottish voters are given the option of independence, more powers or nothing, the always chose more powers. In fact, why not even throw in a referendum in Wales to give them law-making powers like they are asking for? The Tories are making real inroads there and while this doesn't directly challenge them it will put Labour in charge of the agenda. This will prove the Labour Party are really talking about real progress, and allow voters to influence change.

GB needs to do something radical so he owns the agenda or all may be lost.