Harman Skewered?

Fitaloon has a nice take on the latest twists and turns in the story of Brown and Co disintegrating before our eyes.

Read my comment on his blog here. Are Harriet and Jack about to have one of their houses repossessed? Sound familiar? Middle class couples over-extending themselves by using the equity in their home to live a life-style beyond their means just at the start of a recession when their job prospects are at their worst?

But at least Mrs Dromey has been given a ringing vote of confidence from her current boss. It'll look good on her CV. (Thanks Dizzy)

Gordon Brown - Crisis? What Crisis?

This man knows!

And he has explained why here.

This is going to run and run.

"The Second Highest Defence Budget in the World"

Des Browne - or Swiss Toni, as he is now known - has made some outrageous statements in his time but this might be the best - or worst - ever!

The Spectator's Coffee House blog here has some interesting observations about his latest claim that make him look even more like a second-hand car salesman.

"Statistics are like a beautiful woman - they have to be massaged frequently so they give the right message to people."

Darling DISCovers Charity Starts in Nigeria!

The Daily Mash (via Comment Central) has a nice (and very plausible!) story about Alistair Darling's soft side.

Can't check the sources on this story but I did notice that Iain Hislop was brandishing a CD on tonight's Have I Got News for You. The next edition of Private Eye is bound to be a corker.

(PS: Wasn't Ann Widdecombe brilliant as the host of HIGNFY?)

Defence Matters - doesn't it?

Des Browne was very unconvincing on the Today programme this morning when he tried to rebut the criticisms of the five ex-Chiefs of the Defence Staff.

The fact is that this Labour government has not devoted sufficient funding to the military given that we are heavily involved in two major conflicts. The Treasury has not made the necessary adjustments between departments to take this fact into account.

Another example of its incompetence? The Department of Health forecasts an underspend on its budget for 2007-8 of £1.8 billion. That's a lot of money that could have been spent on the armed services.

Boom and bust, Mr Brown? Tell us about it......

The Wisdom of John Redwood

I know John Redwood has never been the most popular of politicians and on occasions has been controversial to the point where he has become vilified by both friend and foe.

But I do commend you to read his very prolific blog output as it often contains many nuggets of wisdom that should not be ignored by anyone interested in politics.

As an example, read this about the black holes in Labour's economic policies. Frightening stuff from the "Martian"!

"Is this Labour's Winter of DISContent - 2007 style?"

Somebody on the Today programme this morning came up with this question.

It seems that the latest opinion polls might agree - see the details at UK Polling Report and Political Betting.

Of course, this does not mean that the Conservatives are soaring in popularity but it does show that Brown's Labour is at last being seen for what it is - an incompetent bunch of spinners and tax grabbers with its head up it arse!

Stop Press: England opt out of the Euro!

Why was this man picked as the England goalkeeper?

All the pundits criticised the manager before the game on his controversial selection of a relatively untried newcomer at a senior level.

Gordon Brown, who was the deputy to the previous manager, and whose own position is now in doubt said: "I have every faith in him." This is despite the fact that he lost by 25.

It's not clear whether this is £25 billion, 25 million personal records or 25 own goals but several post-match reviews will make this clear. "Lessons will be learnt" said a beleaguered Brown. "Lord Hutton has been appointed to carry out the investigation so the blame can be laid at the feet of the Croatians".

Hat tip to Comment Central for the photo.

Spinning in the Wind?

Good old Charlie Whelan - one time spin doctor to Gordon Brown - writes a classic piece demonstrating his art in the Daily Telegraph extolling the fortitude of his old boss in the face of all his current adversities.

What loyalty! What friendship! What a load of old balls! I think his most ironic line has to be "Gordon has never been a short-termist politician, which is why he was so reluctant to go to the country so soon."!

With his old spin doctor saying "there has been a skirmish but the war is yet to be won - and they are confident of winning it" as well as "things can only get better" it makes you wonder how desperate Brown really is.

Move over Darling?

Some people say that Alistair Darling has the worst job in the Labour Cabinet - having to take over as Chancellor of the Exchequer from Gordon Brown. Watch him here having to explain yet another debacle.

Some say he's been unlucky to have so many bad stories breaking in his first few months in this high office. Some have even suggested that Gordon Brown has been interfering in the running of the Treasury.

But what is clear is that Brown and Darling have both been involved in this Labour government for more than 10 years and they are both culpable when things go wrong.

And another thing is certain - this Government does not deserve it's reputation for competence.