That didn't take long, did it?

Austin Barry

When it comes to sanity I've always given Gordon the benefit of the doubt, ascribing his oddities to a particularly Scottish eccentricity. Now, however, after that extraordinary performance on American Idol, giving away our cash in some crass publicity stunt, I am convinced: he is quite mad.

Tiberius

No mention of Alan Milburn, who, apart from the apocalyptic clunking fist himself, represents the greatest danger to a Tory win in 2010.

Tom

The American Idol one is bizarre isn't it. Remember how we were spun the image of him as the serious Prime Minister who wouldn't court publicity or celebrity....

Ann

Well, Austin, I have been describing Brown as literally mad, in the technical clinical sense, for at least the past 5 years ... ;-)

Perry

Strange that NooLieBore would wish to cut free from the man who, one was given to believe, among other triumphs, recently saved Africa.

However, it seems the job wasn’t quite done to completion – hence the idolisation?

Verity

Ann - I too have thought Brown disconnected and dysfunctional for the past couple of years. And the more he pantomimes normality, the madder he looks.

David Lindsay

"giving Balls and Purnell particularly favourable write-ups"

God help us all! Mind you, even they are not the daftest names on this list.

Still, who cares? Brown is going to do badly in local elections two years, almost to the day, before the General Election. So what? That's normal.

Ann

You know the exact date of the next GA, David? Pray, how? ;-)

Verity: far more than just dysfunctional, unless by disconnected you mean schizophrenic. Of course, by dysfunctional you may mean very, very seriously dysfunctional to the point where he needs immediate professional attention, which I believe he does.

Caroline

“Now, you might say this is just one newspaper story on a quiet Thursday”
Yes, I would, and if there is any hint of disagreeableness or jousting for position then Brown should stamp down hard on it. However, there’s no reason to suggest that we’re quite yet at the flapping white coats, the cabals of unusual jackets, or the back me or sack me challenges to those bastards in the rose gardens? Though as I recall, the moronic cat-calling of ‘mad’ was reserved for Mrs. Thatcher, even as she held emotional and desperate one to one soundings with her ‘trusted’ colleagues. Just too painful….

roman

Caroline, chat to a friendly MP - Labour are fighting like the proverbial ferrets, they know it's up for them.

As for Milburn, the reason for his sudden resignation under Blair may be the same reason he can't go for the Leadership.

Nicholas Bennett

Brown seems under the impression that the more he appears on TV, the more a grateful nation will come to know him and love him. The reality is that every time he pops up on TV commenting on the death for instance of a newsreader or some other inconsequential (for a PM) matter, the more people are turned off by his tedious, dull and frankly odd personality.

Max Kaye

Ooooh roman, do spill the beans on Milburn.

Caroline

NB. I understand what you say, and like you I really hate to get personal but/and under exactly the same circumstances Cameron has that same effect on me too. You do sort of think....please go away you child exploiting opportunist chancer?

roman. Last time I emailed Kate Hoey she didn't reply. Do you think I should give Bob Marshall-Andrews a go?

Eagle

That whole list from Brown to Milburn are mad or odd in their way. Alan Johnsons the only one who looks vaguely normal.

Faceless Bureaucrat

The point here is not that "...this is just one newspaper story on a quiet Thursday...", but WHICH newspaper is saying it. The fact that it is The Sun saying this tells us all we need to know about how the endgame will play-out here. The results of the Elections in May will signal the jockeying in earnest of all the runners for the Premiership, but in the real world, Murdoch will be ensuring that NuLab will be annihilated in 2010. The list of 'possibles' is indeed grim and uninspiring, but on the upside, whoever gets the job will not be holding on to it for very long. As for Milburn's reticence in bidding for the leadership, I suspect 'roman' is alluding to 'Sian-gate'...

Jax

Does Brown really think that weird smile on American Idol is going to convince us that in private is isn't a hectoring, bad-tempered, scheming, foul-mouthed, obsessive headcase?

Kronos

Sian-gate? oohh...please go on?

Max Kaye

Thanks, Faceless Bureaucrat, but I am none the wiser....

Caroline

FB....OMG, please tell me that the Govt. isn't in the 'grim possibles' situation so horribly reminiscent of IDS, Hague and Howard?

David Lindsay

Well, it been in the Speccie, for a start, Ann.

Moxon

No one with a surname 'Cruddas' could eve be PM - worse than baldness!

Ann

And that proves it conclusively? If you say so ...

Oscar Miller

The 'just one newspaper on a quiet Thursday' meme is running ever thinner. Just read today's Guardian. Even longtime fans of Brown are admitting what a disaster he is. They may not have a solution but they no longer think he's the answer. And Caroline - when Margaret Thatcher got stabbed in the back by her colleagues it was after eleven years in office. Gordo hasn't even made it to his first anniversary.

Ann

And he's only survived thus far because he daren't face the electorate. What a dishonest, cowardly, incompetent little man he is.

Caroline

Hello again Oscar. I won’t bother reading the ‘G’ thanks, and I wasn’t aware that Brown had many friends there. Unless you’re referring to Polly, who has expressed her disappointment over many issues as she did when TB was in charge. And talking of journalist’s, didn’t Janet Daley say in her last ‘Head to Head’ (great programme by the way) that Brown’s future lay in the hands of journalists? who he’d severely hacked off over the non election? And unsurprisingly he’s barely had a reasonable headline since?

Oscar – Brown has been 'in' and ‘lived’ politics for donkey's years, it's in his blood, it's what he is and it defines his life - unlike Cameron, Osborne and Boris who have no base, depth or experience, well - to be accurate, there is some experience with all three, but perhaps not the sort we’d choose to emulate? But it has to be said, the PR and presentation needs tackling, and don’t I just wish he’d get a grip of it. Or get Alastair to come back and sort it out. Brown’s forte is head down and non stop grinding hard work behind the scenes, not exploiting his family in front of the cameras, and let’s be honest, even if he stooped to that he’d still be given a lousy press, not craven attention.

Liz Upton

As awful as he is, I have to say that I'm enjoying his awful, flailing PM-ship immensely - it's a fantastic spectator sport. (No pun intended.)

Oscar Miller

Caroline hello there - I believe the "non stop grinding" "work behind the scenes" Gordon was most famed for was the grind of getting Blair out of office (a joke rather well made by Rory Bremner last night). As for PR - if the best Brown can do is the awful, scarey smile he displayed appearing on American Pop Idol, to make an announcement that should have gone before parliament first, he really is done for. Brown isn't even good at spin. The reason he gets a lousy press is because he is so lousy.

Ann

So according to Caroline, it's all the fault of the big bad journalists. Brown is competent, and as honest as the day is long. And I think a squardon of pigs has just failed to clear the hedge behind my house and crashed into the next field.

Caroline

Hello Oscar. Hard for me to comment on programmes that I didn't see, but even on this blog, there are good pictures occasionally of GB smiling (obviously some oversight behind the scenes) and very pleasant they are too. And I agree with you that GB is poor at spin, presentation and PR, but I would have thought that you'd applaud him for that, they are surely new lab traits that you dislike and he doesn't do. Better look to Dave for those bad habits these days Oscar. And if he's announced something that should have gone to Parliament first, for sure it'll be brought up when they go back, perhaps Kate Hoey will do the honours. Btw Oscar, I don't recall many/any comments here about Dave's expenses - what did you think?

Caroline

Ann. "So according to Caroline, it's all the fault of the big bad journalists" Were you in this country when John Major was PM? Did he deserve all those years of rocks at his head, and was every single allegation and story true, and did you believe it all at that time? Tell us what you truthfully thought about your highly regarded press then. And then tell us that you seriously believe everything you read now.

Oscar Miller

Caroline - underestimate David Cameron at your peril. He is the real thing - a politician of integrity, flair and empathy which he combines with a formidable ability for strategic and tactical planning. Unlike that poor phoney presently at no.10.