It’s that time of year so here we go again:

Gordon Brown is heading for crushing reverses on Thursday night and will see Ken Livingstone swept from the London mayoralty, according to two final polls before the local elections published yesterday.

The projections would mean Labour would lose more than 200 council seats in England and Wales.

It’s the same trick year on year on year on year. Labour and their sympathisers accentuate the negative and big up the potential losses in the run up to polling day. When the results are in and they’re not as bad as ‘predicted’, ministers can tour television studios and say ‘well, of course, the results aren’t as bas as everybody said they were going to be’. Needless to say the herds of local councillors out on their ears don’t get a mention.

And we fall for it every year. The papers and the government’s opponents lick their lips but their prey will be just out of reach again come Friday morning. The likes of Hazel Blears and Jack Straw can once again go and crow on the radio and television like generals at the Somme who’ve marched their men on the enemy guns.