A RARE conjunction of the planets tomorrow has put astrologers and soothsayers in dread of an awful event.

But it is the alignment today of England's voters in three separate spheres -- the council elections, the vote for London's mayor and assembly and the Romsey by-election -- that has Labour's future-gazers in trepidation of a terrestrial tumble.

For all of this amounts to Tony Blair's biggest test of public opinion ahead of the next election.

And whatever fate the stars have in store, already the omens are that Labour is in for a clout.

A sober study of the political firmament, however, reveals the party's star is still shining brightly as it remains miles ahead in the opinion polls.

But the results of today's polls will provide an intriguing measure of by how much its already-perceptible dimming has advanced.

Moreover, it will tell to what degree the formerly faint blue streak of Tory presence has returned to orbit as an Opposition.

We shall also see to what extent in London that red dwarf Ken Livingstone eclipses Labour.

The London contest is, of course, exceptional in that it has become a personality contest. It is cheeky chappy Ken -- with his loony Left past being deliberately ignored -- versus Tony Blair who is about to get a hiding for imposing his candidate, Frank Dobson, on Labour.

The true test there -- and a measure of the backlash against the government's arrogance -- will be whether Dobson is left trailing third or fourth.

For a better idea of the state of the parties, opinion poll-wise, watch whether Labour's share of the vote for the London Assembly slips sharply from the 49 per cent they scored across London in 1997 and by how much the Tories are up on their 31 per cent.

At Romsey, Labour looks like coming third.

But what will tell is how well or badly the Conservatives do in what was their 51st safest seat at Westminster.

A tide of tactical voting by Labour voters switching to the Liberal Democrats could be enough to spoil the day for William Hague.

The most significant measure of the voters' mood will, however, come from the council elections where more than 3,300 seats are at stake -- ones that were last fought in 1996 when Labour made exceptional gains.

Now, with Labour on the defensive and Hague's populist policies pitched into the battle, Tory gains can be expected.

More than 400 will be a good result for them -- a target that recent local by-election results nationwide suggest is achievable.

Some pundits have even predicted as many as 700 Tory gains which is a score that predicts a close contest in a general election.

But they need to end up at least 15 points ahead to be looking at a return to power at Westminster -- a prospect that, even as fate turns today in their favour, looks like pie in the sky.