When no-one's listening it's hard to get them to hear
The race for Number 10 finds Labour trailing in third place. Can they claw their way back in, asks Dougal Paver.
No they can't.
A bit stark, that assessment, I'll grant you - it's just that Labour are yelling just to be even heard right now. And few are interested in what they have to say, if the polls are to be believed.
25%? Even Michael Foot would be spinning in his grave with ratings that low.
The media narrative has shifted decisively to the Cameron/Clegg dynamic and it will take something dramatic to shift the focus back to Labour's policy agenda. In ceding the high ground they've now got an up-hill slog to have any impact on the battle ahead.
The more it goes on the worse it becomes, of course. The lack of traction translates in to a looser grip on the electorate's affections and lower morale among Labour troops. The dread of defeat can be what leads you to it, in the end. That, and a media and public paying you scant attention.
In Liverpool it's a different story. The local elections are set to be a cliff-hanger, with the Lib Dems' one seat majority vulnerable to a focused, optimistic and energetic Labour campaign and the nibbling away on the margins of some south Liverpool seats by the Greens.
The Lib Dems' track record has broadly been a good one but the electorate are an unforgiving bunch and adjust quickly to new realities. The city's had a shallow recession and is looking good, but we're used to that now and people want to know what the next big thing is after Liverpool One.
The absence of a convincing answer may end up being critical in the campaign and propel Labour back in to office after 13 years in the wilderness.
As one door closes nationally another may open locally: we shall see. What's for certain is that the TV on the night of May 6th will make gripping viewing.
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