James Forsyth James Forsyth

Brown’s attempt to pour oil on troubled waters will fail

Gordon Brown wants you to blame somebody—anybody—else for the rise in the price of fuel. So, this morning he takes to the pages of The Guardian for some OPEC-bashing hoping that aggrieved motorists will curse this cartel rather than Brown when they see how much it costs to fill their tank. Later today, Brown and Darling, who rumour suggests is rather fed up with his next door neighbour, will meet with oil industry chiefs in Aberdeen. As Michael Millar points out over on Trading Floor, nothing productive is likely to come out of this meeting. But Team Brown hopes that it will provide the public with someone else to blame for the pain at the pump.

Back in the day, Brown’s transference tactics might have worked. But now the electorate are no longer inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, compounding his problems. 

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