Michael Portillo: Smirking at Gordon Don't Cut It

Aravind Adiga, who has won this year's Man Booker Prize with his debut novel The White Tiger - concerning crime, politics and stop-at-nothing entrepreneurship - has been on BBC News 24 alongside that great statesman and Chair of Judges Michael Portaloo.

Simple Simon closes the interview with an apologetic question to MP about the economic crisis and its ongoing resolution. Portaloo makes some smirking comment about Gordon Brown being feted having brought the problem on himself. "It's a pleasure!" he attests following more apologies for the supposed surprise hijack.

I'd like to ask Portaloo how it is that Angela Merkel and George Bush and Silvio Berlusconi and all those other World Conservatives - presumably sharing Portaloo's insights, skill and judgement - have not in fact avoided anything? How can that be?

Or regulated any better. Or prepared any better. Or even acted more determinedly or cleverly than we puny Social Democrats, Democratic Socialists and the like.