Here's a little "snubbage" nugget for you

Brown sent letters to all the ministers who either quit or were sacked in the reshuffle, a transparently ad hoc affair.

In those to both Caroline Flint – who later slated the PM – and Tony McNulty, who had scandalous expense claims, he told them he didn't believe it would be long before they returned to Government.

But in Margaret Beckett's – who even yesterday morning had been tipped for promotion – the phrase was conspicuously missing from the template letter.

In your face Beckett.

UPDATE: The Number 10 "list" had Beckett as a resignation, but Beckett told Lobbydog clearly that she'd been sacked.

Prescott's bile

"Whilst I knew we were short of money I didn’t realise we also lacked the will to fight these elections.

"The people responsible for this non-campaign – and make no mistake there was no campaign – were Harriet Harman, Caroline Flint, Douglas Alexander and yes, our former Communities Secretary Hazel Blears."

That was what Prezza spewed on Labourhome last night. Chances are Alastair Campbell, known not to be Harriet Harman's greatest fan, had a hand in it too.

Tracking Labour

In a single carriage of the train I took yesterday was Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling, David Miliband, Hazel Blears, Jacqui Smith, Ed Balls, James Purnell and John Denham.

Now, now bloggers. I know what you're thinking. But remember - I was on the train too.

Caroline Flint and Margaret Beckett joined the pack later.

A Labour spokesman admitted that it was an unusual display of politcal strength outside of a general election campaign.

The party leaders know that to escape a voting booth battering they need all the strength they have.

It was notable that they rolled the big guns into Derbyshire too - one of three Midlands counties that the Tories think they can take.

Labour stubborn over BNP

Sometimes when a politician won’t admit things have gone wrong it’s annoying due to the sheer arrogance of it.

But on occasion it leaves a genuine fear of what might happen if they really don’t admit things need to change.

So it is with the British National Party and their successful attempts to steal core working-class Labour voters in the East and West Midlands among other areas.

Lobbydog fears the BNP will make further gains at the European and local elections in June.

The problem, as demonstrated by a chat I had with Europe Minister Caroline Flint earlier, is that ministers won’t admit that people who’ve switched to the BNP feel Labour has failed them.

To what extent it’s true is neither here nor there – that’s the way they feel.

Flint pushed Labour’s usual response to the BNP problem, which is the worst one you can give to people feeling let down.

First she suggested that actually Labour had done a lot for them and secondly she said the people who’re sympathising with those voters – in this case the BNP – are fakes.

The BNP are fakes, but if Labour wants to say it convincingly it first must humbly admit it has lost touch with voters in those areas.

If the BNP get one seat in the European Parliament it’ll bring a lot of funding that’ll provide a platform for them to increase activity in the UK.

I just hope those campaigning for Labour on doorsteps are saying what ministers won’t.

Wriggle it, just a little bit

When politicians say they won’t answer hypothetical “what if” questions it’s mainly because they know the answer will displease.

It’s also an attempt to avoiding committing to a position – leaving themselves a little “wriggle room” – in case they need to flip-flop later down the line.

That was what came to my mind when Cameron kicked off his campaign to get a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty on Tuesday.

He wants a referendum now because he doesn’t like the agreement – but he won’t commit to pulling the country out of it on the first day of his premiership if the agreement has been ratified by all other European states by then.

My guess is that he won’t commit to it, because he won’t do it.

Britain’s withdrawal would be a bold move that might make the whole treaty collapse – I don’t think Cameron has the audacity to sour relationships with Sarkozy and Merkel so early in power.

Next week Minister for Europe Caroline Flint will also launch the What’s the EU ever done for you? campaign – an attempt to “mature” the British debate on the issue.

With battle lines being drawn before June’s European elections, you can bet she’ll say the Tories are divided and indecisive on the EU Treaty – Ken Clarke’s name will probably pop up.

How Cameron handles the situation will be a real test of him and how ‘repositioned’ his party really is.

Quick does a Flint

Someone somewhere might be tempted to have sympathy for Bob Quick.

The country's top counter-terrorist cop revealed briefing papers to the press on the way in to Number 10 jeopardising a big operation.

They might feel it's an easy mistake to make when you don't think anyone is looking.

They would be wrong. The thing you never see in any of the photos of Number 10 is the army of photographers.

But the people who walk in can't miss them - they're the ones pointing flashing cameras at you.

Anyone who's been there, especially a top terrorism cop, should simply know better.

Smug Flint

“Do something David. Stop her,” I shouted at the TV last night, while Mrs Lobbydog fell asleep on the sofa.

The ‘David’ was Dimbleby, and the ‘her’ was Caroline Flint who was reaching unprecedented levels of smugness on Question Time.

Flint gives such prosaic, diversionary answers that she undoubtedly practices jar therapy.

The way she smirked and made little comments on top of other people made my blood boil.

But worst of all was when she just locked in to “on-message” mode and started rambling despite being told to stop by Dimbleby.

She seemed a bit more buoyant than when I’ve met her in person – maybe she’s feeling inflated by her new position, either that or she was just soaking up the lime light.

The impossibility of being Ken

This from Caroline Flint on Ken's comments: "Ken Clarke is absolutely right to warn David Cameron that his European policy would only serve to isolate Britain from the US.

"It's a straightforward test for David Cameron: Give up your policy on Europe, as Ken Clarke says, or give up the special relationship.

"Tory policy on Europe is ‘crackpot’, ‘dotty’ and ‘frankly absurd’, as Ken has repeatedly said."

This is really about much more than Ken's original comments, it shows the impossibility of his pledge not to challenge Tory policy on Europe.

If he walked down the street and shouted "hey you", someone would hear "EU" and accuse him of trying to take Britain into a federal Europe.