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Just made a rather tambling comment on a news article after author asked what the readers would suggest to Gordon Brown if they were advisors... so I ranted randomly and here are some ideas lol!
Advice to Gordon Brown? Legalise cannabis, stick VAT on it as well as an additional 15% tax. This could bring in quite a hefty sum for the economy. Other crazy tax ideas involve taxing fast food at an additional 10%.. why not.
Fuel problems - move Fuel Tax liability from the consumer at the pumps to an ammended band of corporation tax that applies to oil companies. You're going to seriously annoy the oil companies, but win back votes.
Huge party rethinks in terms of promotion. My local seat won last time by under 800 seats to Labour in the last general election. That's the equivalent to one voting sixth form college. Hire some very expensive and savvy viral marketing types to actually get younger generations thinking they're involved and have a voice (even if its just spin!) - an entire generation are not voting and could sway a general election if bribed appropriately.
I think controversial taxes on businesses are the way to go. (This is as a comapny director myself - not neccessarily agreeing with it, but from concept of how to convince Joe Public). Whilst companies will be incredibly annoyed at losing chunky amounts of profits - it can ultimately be reshuffled to help Labour's core voters. Businesses will remain, they'll still generate profits - and will just be annoyed at having had them cut back - whilst consumers will end up most happy with reallocated funding.
Give public sector workers threatening to strike left, right and centre suitable pay increases. Ones like the police are relatively cheap and easy to sort out. This can be played with some nice PR spin and will stop these stories continuing to hound the party.
Throw hands up and admit mistakes and have a U-Turn fest... but PR brand it as a massive listening and consultation exercise to prove that Labour don't just plough ahead... make the U-Turn a good thing (after all - it's giving the people what they want).
Some things to have U-Turns about - Identity Cards... a scheme that will cost billions and infuriate millions of people to save us from terrorism. Deaths from road traffic accidents a year - tens of thousands, deaths from terrorism since 2006 in UK? None. Let's stop wasting a few billions there.
Have a word with america behind closed doors making it quite clear we're fully withdrawing from Iraq and they will replace our troop numbers - the alternative is for a rather public airing of America's laundry... I'm sure they would't like that.
Explain to him that Joe Average has no idea what the word economy means - let alone how a bunch of rednecks in America moving from trailor parks to houses is justification for all of the world's financial failings.
Lets do this one for bribe purposes - jump on the bank charges bandwagon and back the consumers... it's absolutely shameless but will win some votes.
Referndum on EU issues. A giant U-Turn but it's a chance for the people to have a say. It can even be branded as the first of many referendums in a return of power to the people (although I have a letter from my local MP stating that he "does not support direct democracy [to the general population" - so don't think that would happen!).
To be fair if Brown sorted out just 1 or 2 really big issues, he could win back support. I've voted Tories typically in the past, and will most likely vote Lib Dems next time... yet I actually feel sorry for Mr. Brown as I think he is somewhere deep down genuinely beliving that what he is doing is for the right reasons... just a shame he doesn't seem to see what the public want.
Personally I'd increase national debt beyond 40% GDP cap that has been set. Whilst this may not appear to be the worlds wisest idea - economies recover, but bribing voters can only occur now. After all (in terms of advice I'd give as a Labour advisor) - if we don't win the next election it will be up to the Tories to sort the problem out and they'll be made to look back, getting us back in sooner. If it does work - what do voters care about the % GDP. Being in government is meant to be about knee jerk reactions!
Some random and controversial ideas... I'm sure I could do better if it was not 4am, I'd not been on the beer and I could be bothered to put some thought in to it rather than just rant :)