Sunday Paper Round-Up

No surprises what - or who - dominates the headlines in this Sunday's newspapers.

The Mail on Sunday makes for compelling reading. It contains details of an email apparently sent from Peter Mandelson to Derek Draper a year ago in which he drips 'pure poison' about Gordon Brown's personality flaws. Mandelson apparently describes Brown as: "insecure, self-conscious physically and emotionally, uncomfortable in his skin and angry". Which is actually borderline flirtatious compared to how the blogosphere describes Brown. The same paper also cites 'sources' apparently close to Tony Blair who, it claims, shares the views of those suggesting Brown's character is incompatible with the Prime Ministerial job. It cites one unnamed source as saying: "Tony's view is that Gordon has brought this all on himself. He spent years plotting against Tony and is in no position to complain now that it is happening to him. The people trying to get him out learned how to do it from Gordon's people".

The Sunday Telegraph claims that the mass resignations of Hazel Blears, James Purnell, John Hutton and Caroline Flint were the result of a 'Blairite' plot - the result of secret meetings that had been going on for months. One of the newspaper's source is unnamed but described as a Labour MP close to the party whips office... make of that what you will.

The Sunday Times claims that Ed Balls and Peter Mandelson are at war behind the scenes, despite carrying a denial of that claim from a spokesperson for Balls. Their report suggests that Balls has gone ballistic believing that Mandelson was using his influence to prevent Balls being given the Chancellor job. Meanwhile, Caroline Flint writes a piece explaining her position and says that suggestions of a Blairite plot "almost certainly originated from people who see themselves as allies of the prime minister".

The News of The World - as well as having a report revealing that seven ministers are set to lose their seats after conducting polls in their own constituencies - reveals that Caroline Flint's parting description of Gordon Brown was the rather unlady-like phrase "a f****** b*******". It also claims that David Miliband kept his Foreign Office job after persuading Hilary Clinton to phone Brown and beg for him to keep Miliband in place. Sounds rather like secret society networking to us...

The Independent says that a second wave of actions by Labour MPs determined to oust Gordon Brown is set to take place within the next twenty-four hours and that Hazel Blears in considering staging a Geoffrey Howe moment...

The Observer states the obvious - that the next forty-eight hours are still fraught with danger for Brown as Labour MPs soak up what are expected to be horrendous European election results and it suggests that if the BNP make a breakthrough on Brown's watch, it will have a catalysing effect on his doubters.

Lastly, but by no means insignificant, is a report in the Sunday Express which questions newly promoted Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth's links to an arms firm.

The Talking Clock is keeping well out of that last one, just in case we fancy driving through a Parisian underpass or taking a walk through a wood someday...