An election gimmick?

Continuing this weeks look at the national press with a general election in the offing.

The attention turned this morning to the visit of Gordan Brown to Iraq,somewhat breaking the unofficial rule of keeping low key during the opposition's conference.


Many of the papers refer to the cynical nature of the move,the Telegraph's leader saying

Before becoming Prime Minister he gave firm undertakings that he would respect the primacy of the House of Commons, indicating that the House (not the media) would be the first to hear of important announcements – such as the deployment of our Armed Forces.
Yet he travelled to Baghdad yesterday to announce a troop reduction in Basra, even though he is due to make his long-awaited statement about Iraq when the Commons resumes next week.

The Mail says

There's something unpleasantly cynical about the Prime Minister's announcement, on a surprise visit to Basra, that he'll withdraw 1,000 British troops from Iraq before Christmas.
Why does he make it now, in the middle of a Tory conference?
As Sir John Major points out, the proper forum for announcing life-or-death decisions on the deployment of British troops is the House of Commons.

The Independent says that Electioneering is the real agenda

Scarcely had the cheers for the Shadow Chancellor and his proposed tax cuts subsided in Blackpool than the Prime Minister flew into Iraq to announce that 1,000 British troops would be home in time for Christmas. The number might be smaller than many had hoped. But this announcement, along with Gordon Brown's high-profile meetings with Iraqi leaders, the US military commander and British troops, made for an eye-catching day's work.

The Sun asks the same sort of questions

The Tories are entitled to ask why only 1,000 are coming home.
Why at Christmas? And why leave an ever smaller number of squaddies in danger at Basra airport?
They will also point out that many are already back in the UK.
The Prime Minister should guard against suspicion that he is playing politics with Our Boys’ lives.

The Mirror has a different view point

For defeated Tory Premier John Major to ridiculously claim yesterday that a Labour Prime Minister is "cynically electioneering with soldiers" reminded us why he led the Conservatives to their biggest defeat since the Battle of Waterloo.
Mr Brown finds himself in the ridiculous position where he's criticised when he travels to Iraq, accused of running away when he doesn't.
The truth is David Cameron's desperate Tories are taking wild pot shots at Mr Brown because they have so little of value to say.

The Times suggests

Baghdad and Basra are a long way from Blackpool. It is hard, nonetheless, not to see some connection between the timing of Gordon Brown’s visit to Iraq yesterday and the Conservative Party conference. The Prime Minister was always likely to visit the troops before the House of Commons returned to work, but in the present frantic election atmosphere, this trip was bound to send political signals.

Adding that

It was difficult not to conclude that Mr Brown was indeed dog-whistling again yesterday. His suggestion that politics were far from his thoughts was implausible, and he has been too willing to allow space between himself and Blair-ite policy, and between the UK and US, which is doing the heavy lifting in Iraq.

The Express meanwhile looks at the speach of the shadow Home Secretary

David Davis yesterday looked and sounded like something Britain has not had for a long time: a proper Home Secretary.
Zero tolerance of crime, more prison places and a major crackdown on immigration with a new border police force at its heart; these were announcements the law-abiding majority of British citizens have long been crying out for.