Brown's speech to the TUC

'It was like listening to the shipping forecast'. That was my favourite take on this afternoon's address by the Prime Minister to the Trade Union's Congress in Liverpool.

Listening to Radio Five Live this afternoon and Brown announce today an extra x amount of places for apprenticeships, x amount of jobs being saved (despite the Chancellor apparently warning him not to do for fear it could not be substantiated) and x amount of 'places for the future' really did read like a Soviet tractor production list. Tired and, frankly, unbelievable.

So it seems the ticket from all sides of the political spectrum is now that 'cuts' are coming. Another favourite from today's congress was a rather excitable reporter shouting 'Brown's said the C word'. Make of that what you will.

Lord Mandelson's speech earlier this week cleared the decks for Gordon's 'repositioning' today. It is not a historic movement but a neccesary re-evaluation of economic policy. Effectively the issue has moved from the 'Labour investment vs. Tory cuts line' to one of 'Mad Tory cuts vs. Sympathetic Labour cuts'. There is some merit in this argument, as several union leaders will testify.

But again Cameron seems to have gained the high ground, ring fencing NHS spending - anyone remember his N. H. Yes. speech? - which seems to have left Team Brown relatively on the back foot. Already Shadow Chancellor (up past his bedtime) George Osbourne has claimed 'victory'. Indeed, it is a simple policy which resonates well with the general public. Daniel Hannan excluded.

I suspect in the days and weeks to come pressure will now arise on the issue of where Brown's cuts are going to be; but crucially the issue of how the Tories pledging to cut 'dark, deeper and faster' (Daft Punk style) will also arose intense interest - just how do they propose to do it? That, I suspect, will be a harded question for the opposition and one which won't be 'won' as convincingly.