Boy Dave-id: "Beadle's About, You've Been Framed"

Susan Press is Grimmer Up North and compares Gordon Brown's situation to that of "Sunny" Jim Callaghan. I too am old enough to remember Calor Gas. At the time my dad was in the white collar middle years of his working life. Sandwiched by two periods of blue collaring. In fact he was a tax officer and active in the IRSF as it was then. Sunny Jim - a tax man in the professional sense, cue Tory blogger jibes - was never considered any great shakes.

Gordon Brown is Champions League to his Championship. Clearly this has all been an elaborate hoax Susan. Clearly. The election will take place in June 2009 alongside the European Elections. As LOL have been predicting and favouring all along.

Gordon has shoved his fierce ferrets down into the Tory rabbit warren. Sadly for the Tories no sensible policies whatsoever were caught in either the big media nets or the commentary cross hairs.

No notes, no facts, no policies.

The biggest story they have is that memorising an hour of cack shows how authentic the former media spinmeister really is. This will wear thin very soon.

Clearly all the applause was centred on the old school stuff also which is a funny way to support a narrative of change and new politics.

I don't think he will run. I never really wanted to believe it.

When Jeremy does a Beadle's About he lets the family and friends in on it and they have to keep schtum. They usually do manage this. We wouldn't see any set up where they didn't anyway now would we?

But when Gordon does a You've Been Framed - knowing how all parties have a share of blaggers and double agents, even some bloggers that will publish private party information - he's had to keep family and friends out of the loop.

Just for the record I'd like to share something. I have seen Gordon speaking at length without notes. He had a speech written but felt he shouldn't give it because of world events. So he didn't.

He spoke instead off the cuff without a verbatim memorized, totally trite, string of soundbites and feelgood quackery. He spoke from the heart. From his demonstrable commitments and convictions. With an impressive command of facts, dates, names, places. And real belief too.

Now that was authentic. This thing of Cameron's however was a polished but ultimately very smarmy party trick. Thinking this epitome of falseness could make him appear authentic shows a kind of Old Etonian bravado and over confidence that Britain can do without.

In what way has this been damaging? Beyond three to five days of silly headlines from proprietors and their sub editors and scribblers who should know better.

Some do. Expect everything to turn out well come Sunday or at latest next week.

Obviously I was not thinking of Susan when I opined that sometimes some of the Labour Left are whiners. Susan never whines and pointed that out promptly. But Dave has been well and truly Beadled. The reveal will come soon no doubt. Let's hope the Tories are good sports! Wouldn't want Dave to get bludgeoned to death with drafts one to 212 of his "unscripted" speech.


CAPTIONS: First video shows a moment from Drop the Dead Donkey - based on spin Cam's own career in news management - while the second demonstrates, as Beadle says, that "any performer worth their salt must give 110%. If you don't you could make a complete ass of yourself." It is fortuitous that mummy magistrate and daddy stockbroker sent the video of little David's first play in to the programme. He is the unscripted ass.