Violent Gordon.

These allegations against Gordon Brown are so explosive that if they weren't by Andrew Rawnsley-a Labour leaning reporter with an established track record as a journalist- would seem too extreme to be true. If his much rumoured temper is so extreme that he physically assaults the people who work for him then he has to go.

Politically it is potentially disastrous if the television stations lead on the allegations tomorrow- it is hard to imagine what could make someone look worse than a revelation that he physically man handles secretaries who displease him and has the temper of a five year old. The fact that he doesn't seem to lose his temper so badly with people who would be in a position to fight back, cabinet colleagues for example, is revealing.

I suppose those who called him the Prime Mentalist can feel vindicated.

Update: Apart from the Daily Mail no publication is picking up on this story. Have the lawyers been wheeled out?

Prime Ministerial Pill Popping Probed

Andrew Marr has surprised a lot of people by asking Gordon Brown about the rumours that he is addicted to pain killers.

Whilst I enjoyed watching Brown's reaction I'm not convinced it was right to ask the question because when someone as prominent as Andrew Marr asks the question it gives credence to what had previously been unsourced rumours.

It might be argued that we have a right to know whether the PM takes painkillers but we also have a right to know whether he has sex with farmyard animals but asking him about that directly would give credence to the rumour that he committed bestiality even though he has (probably) never done so.

Derek Draper & Pyschotherapy.

Channel 4 news had a piece on the Internet phenomenon that was Daniel Hannan's speech delivered to and about Gordon Brown. To respond to it they had Derek Draper, a sometime Labour hack who after leaving politics in disgrace in the late 1990s became Psycho the Rapist a psychotherapist* and has subsequently returned to work with Gordon Brown.

Draper described the speech as "a demented speech from a demented party". Isn't there something seriously unethical about a supposed psychotherapist using 'demented' as a term of abuse? It's like someone who works for SCOPE calling someone a 'spaz'.

* Although Draper's credentials as a psychotherapist may be a bit murky.



Update: Just in case anyone thinks I'm being hypocritical for making a joke about 'Pyscho the Rapist' then criticising Draper for using 'demented', this would only be the case if I worked in a field that involved particular sensitivity towards rape or psychopaths. If some other Labour figure who wasn't a pychotherapist, had used 'demented' as an insult t would just be part of the rough and tumble of politics.

Really Pathetic Silver Linings.

I've heard that suicide rates drop when there's a war on so this isn't entirely surprising:

British scientists analysed the suicide rate in England and Wales after the September 11th attacks in America and again after the July 7th bombings in London.

After both attacks the number of suicides dropped by 40 per cent.

So in theory if the suicide rate declines by more than the number of victims does this mean that the terrorist attacks save lives? I guess this is why pure utilitarianism doesn't work as a moral theory.

Is Opposition Allowed?

Gordon Brown is now growing into his Private Eye caricature as a Stalinist who views opposition and dissent as being forms of treason. Just consider some of the behaviour of the government in November so far:

• Attacking the Tories for asking questions about the death of Baby P under the noses of Haringey social services.
• Making an absurd claim that it was a breach of protocol to warn about a run on the pound.
• Organising heckling squads to prevent the Conservatives discussing the Pre-Budget Report in parliament.
• Arresting a shadow minister,using anti-terrorism police, for crime of obtaining information that embarrasses the government.

This has all happened since the return of Peter Mandelson and more importantly Alistair Campbell to the government. Gordon Brown's psychological flaws have been discussed before but when he is in cahoots with Alistair Campbell whose mental health problems have been well documented and has a history of abusing office to try and discredit opponents of the government (David Kelly, Black Rod & Rose Addis spring to mind) then a worrying trend is evident. One paranoid man mught be able to curb his instincts, if surrounded by balanced individuals, but two together will egg each other on to ever greater depths of derangement.

Their own mental health is their private concern but the fact that they are at the helm of the country during a crisis is deeply disturbing.