Is Gordon a giant among pygmies?

Gordon Brown shouldn’t be at all disheartened by this recent opinion poll showing his approval rating at a record low. On the contrary, this is very encouraging news for him. Politics isn’t just about being popular. Saying things just to get a round of applause from the masses - the tack of such flim-flam men as David Cameron and Nick Griffin - is opportunism at its most shallow and most base. It is the politician readily prepared to suffer disapprobation - hatred even - rather than cower away from taking necessary decisions who will eventually stand tall. Gordon is this man. Most people would have wilted under these recent attacks and resorted to sticking-plaster fixes and irresponsible short termism. Not Gordon; he knows that if he stands firm, trusts his awesome intellect and is judged favourably not by tomorrow’s papers but by history then everything will turn good in the end - not just for him but for all of us. Gordon may not be popular at the moment, but that says to me that he must be doing everything right.

I won't be posting again until the New Year, so - even to Tories - have a merry Christmas!

Could Gordon and Alistair be one of the greatest political double acts of all time?

Despite the snide mockery of Guido Fawkes, I felt moved to tears when I saw Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling take the PM’s monthly press conference together. History is replete with great partnerships between two men, and when I saw Gordon and Alistair standing side by side in fortitude I knew we are in safe hands. Could we be witnessing the emergence of one of the great duos of all time?

Through history no greater force is there
Than two great men, united as a pair.
Remus and Romulus gave Rome its birth
Laurel and Hardy spread about much mirth.
Churchill and Roosevelt - war leaders bold.
Because of Marks and Spencer goods were sold.
Watson and Holmes - a great crime-busting team.
And Ben and Jerry innovate ice cream.
Consider Peter Pervis and John Noakes
Or think OB and Max from Hollyoaks.

And now another duo has appeared.
By Lib Dems hated and by Tories feared.
Darling and Brown, unflappable they stand
Shoulder to shoulder (though not hand in hand).
During the Summer, Gordon, not long crowned,
Did prove himself adroit, his judgement sound.
He dealt well with each crisis that did show up:
Floods, foot and mouth and bombs that didn’t blow up.
And Alistair, can he be praised enough?
The Credit Crunch appeared; he acted tough.
The Northern Rock debacle filled the news,
And Alistair stepped in and cut those queues.
Thus we have seen a truly stunning pair.
Hail Gordon Brown! Hooray for Alistair!
Together they’ll continue Brown’s great plan:
The longest run of growth since time began.

More anti-Labour BBC bias. More Tory sleaze.

More proof - if any were needed - of the institutional anti-Labour bias at the BBC was shockingly in evidence yesterday. The corporation gave headline billing to the innocent mistakes of the David Abrahams ruckus day after day, whereas this Tory scandal only got a passing mention halfway through last night’s 10 o’clock News. It’s a disgrace. The poor, working-class, Labour voters are the people who typically find the licence fee most burdensome, yet it is the wealthy Tory establishment - not them - to whom the BBC grovels and panders. As for Cameron, to take illegal gifts and then plan to clandestinely auction them off is barely distinguishable from money laundering in my view. The man has as last shown why he is unfit to ever be Prime Minister.

Ho ho ho!

Why all this fuss about the £50 billion (or whatever it is) emergency Government funding of Northern Rock? I’m sorry, but at this time of year we should know more than at any time that no spending restraints should be put upon decency and kindness. The good folk of the North-East suffered monstrously under Thatcher and the Tories. Gordon and Alistair wouldn’t dream of giving these people another kick in the groin and let them lose their mortgages, their savings and their banking sector employment. Alistair Darling has acted with great courage and skill in regard to this unfortunate affair, and he deserves a Christmas ode in praise of his efforts:

O Christmas, yet again has soon come round.
Bells jingle and much snow is on the ground.
And hark the herald angels up in heaven.
And see Alistair there in No. Eleven.
He flinches not, although the wind doth blow -
His hair as crisp and white as all this snow.
His canny Scottish gaze surveys the scene.
A better Chancellor, nay, there has not been.
A Santa to North-East in his way
And Darling smiles and turns and then does say,
‘O people of the North-East hear me do.
Though Applegarth has flopped that won’t hurt you.
For though Vince Cable gripes and Tories mock
I will not sacrifice the Northern Rock.’
Investors, borrowers now have no fear
And merrily they all dance with Christmas cheer!

Our Peter Hain. Our Peter, Peter Hain.

You’ve got to hand it to Peter Hain. Not content with liberating millions of blacks from the Apartheid of South Africa, he’s now liberated thousands of British workers from the Apartheid of not having a pension: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7147362.stm. Wow! £2.9 billion is a lot of money. Our canny ‘son of the Manse’ Gordon Brown has shown himself to be a master strategist too. If there’s a recession next year and massive redundancies then loads of people will benefit from this package and be appreciative to New Labour. So Labour’s vote goes up as unemployment rises. Cameron must be in despair. Anyway, here’s my ‘Ode to Peter Hain’:

Accused of robbing banks was he
But that was just skulduggery.
And on his character was not one stain.
Our Peter Hain. Our Peter, Peter Hain.

A boy who from the valleys hailed
But he saw that the Liberals failed.
And so became a part of Labour’s reign.
Our Peter Hain. Our Peter, Peter Hain.

Silver haired and nicely tanned
He forged peace in Northern Ireland.
A voice as sweet as sugar cane.
Our Peter Hain. Our Peter, Peter Hain.

‘You’ve had dodgy donations,’ was a recent jeer
But that was just a wicked smear
By Guido Fawkes - and quite inane.
Our Peter Hain. Our Peter, Peter Hain.

And to those whose pensions went down the shoot
Peter pledged to give much loot
And everyone was set to gain.
Our Peter Hain. Our Peter, Peter Hain.