Hannan: The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Govt

It might easily have escaped your notice that, earlier this week in Strasbourg, the Prime Minister found himself the subject of an incisive and rather brilliant three-minute political attack from Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan.

Gordon Brown had just addressed the European Parliament and trotted out his now routine list of reasons why what has happened to our economy was nothing whatsoever to do with him despite 10 years as Chancellor and two as PM.

But then Mr Hannan struck.

The reason why I say you may have missed his speech was because both the BBC and ITV decided against showing it.

Thankfully, it was picked up by YouTube and, as I write this, more than 1.1 million people across the world - including a very large number in the US - have clicked on to have a look.

I would encourage you to do the same: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94lW6Y4tBXs

Governor slaps down Brown

Gordon Brown, a tribal politician of the very worst kind, is now finding himself completely out on a limb on what to do next to tackle this country’s deepening recession.

He is currently travelling round the world, trying to play the statesman in advance of next week’s G20 summit where he desperate hopes for “Gordon Saves The World” headlines.

However, his favoured and so far only approach to the economic crisis – i.e. throw more of our money at it – was balked last night by Bank of England Governor Mervyn King who rightly said that this country could not afford another “fiscal stimulus.”

It is advice that the Prime Minister should heed. This country has racked up a debt it will take generations to pay back and it has all happened on his watch, both when he was Chancellor and in Number 10.

This is a man who wasted £12.5 billion on a temporary VAT cut which experts said at the time would never work – but he did it anyway.

He is a man out of control and, fuelled by narrow-minded personal and political ambition, he has left our economy equally out of control.

Brown's mini mea culpa

And today it came - sort of.

Yes, Gordon Brown uttered something about how he maybe, perhaps, just possibly might have done a teeny weeny bit more to deal with the financial markets when he was Chancellor. Oh, and he was talking about 10 years ago.

However, given the chance to offer the British people a proper apology for his pivotal role in the destruction of our wider economy and the hardship a great many people and businesses are now going through - no thanks, said Gordon.

Clearly, this morning's extremely minor self-criticism - during an interview with The Guardian - has been carefully calculated to allow him to say that, yes, he has admitted responsibility for something, small though it maybe.

But it's just so typical of the man.

Everything he and his little Downing Street cabal do is based on ruthless calculation. It's carefully staged-managed and it's aimed at seeking to gain personal political advantage rather than seek to help the country they claim to run.

Rumours continue to persist in the media that Brown and chief lieutenant Peter Mandelson are considering calling a General Election on Thursday 4 June, the same day as the European Parliamentary polls.

Unsurprisingly, it would be a carefully calculated move which hinges in the first instance on whether the Prime Minister can be painted as a saviour at the G20 summit in London at the beginning of next month.

From my point of view, I wish that General Election was tomorrow.

I am certainly ready and I believe the country is too.