When Wee George and Old Man Vince Met the Badger

Well, as Pete says there were few fireworks during the finance debate. Then again, why would one expect there to be? By and large the three gentlemen agree with one another more than they disagree. When that’s the case you probably shouldn’t expect a proper tear-up. Their arguments were, by and large, about the route not the destination. Sure, there’s the occasional difference of emphasis and sometimes of timing too but let’s not pretend that there isn’t quite some degree of consensus.

I suppose you could consider the creation of that consensus a Labour achievement but it’s not one the party can really boast about. Curiously, however, it is almost as if the media is currently saying, “Look it doesn’t much matter how we got here, the only thing that matters is how we get out. Now, who knows how to read a map?” In part, for sure, that’s because the Tories didn’t anticipate the financial shipwreck either and in part it reflects a curious, again media-driven, notion that “Yes, yes, everyone hates Gordon, deal with it and let’s move on, OK?” that has the odd effect of discounting both Brown’s responsibility for the Era of No Money and suggesting that it’s piling on and bullying to remind folk of this.