Less than Zero

When the PM was asked today, about the projected rate of growth in future years he replied, totally deadpan, it would, "continue to rise at 0%." Blair would have made a joke at this point, perhaps at his own expense.

Unsuprisingly, there was not the remotest flicker of humour from this PM, at this seemingly absurd statement because in Brownworld, a '0% rise' actually means something and a serious thing at that. He carried on relentlessly, amid the general hilarity, like an alien, mildly annoyed by such illogical and infantile human behaviour.

We should have seen all this coming but Labour supporters in the main were bedazzled by having two strong, young leaders in Blair and Brown, especially when the Tories were led by a succession of duffers and plodders.

When Alistair Campbell told Andrew Rawnsley (then denied it) that Brown was 'psychologically flawed,' it was deemed the ultimate spin of the Blair machine rather than a frank admission of the hidden truth.

One early exception to the Brown fan club was Chris Mullin (above) whose recently published diaries expose raw fear amongst senior colleagues of a Brown premiership. Mullin's first dig, in 2000, follows one of Brown's radio interviews; his style, "involving constant, wooden repitition of the same on-message phrases, sends out bad vibes".

He keeps returning to Brown the man, calling him, "obsessive, doesn't listen and has no hinterland." Mullin is not alone in holding such deep concerns: Clare Short, CM's boss at DFID said, "Brown's a meglomaniac....we'd be in deep trouble if Gordon's court took over Downing Street." Another contributor, I am guessing was Alan Milburn, said, "Gordon is obsessive (again), paranoid, secretive and lacking in personal skills."

Yesterday's launch of a dozen initiatives, all uncosted, shows Brown's Government for what it is: half-hearted and full of wishful thinking. The difference between the time when Mullin was penning the diary and now, is the whole Cabinet is fully familair with Brown's manifold personal deficiencies. They must all know the game's up, but for now are content to continue this perverse melodrama.

After his Commons disaster, Brown felt it necessary to defend his 'honesty' with BBC's Nick Robinson. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8129449.stm.

Here you see his total rigidity in sticking to his brief and not answering questtions as they arise. As he starts to look shiftily out of the window I was suddenly reminded of the trickiest politician of them all: Richard Nixon.