Even A Hairshirt Won't Save Brown

Beleaguered Brown has finally made a mealy-mouthed, half-hearted apology for the mess he made of the economy during his long stint as chancellor. But his weasly words only scratch the surface in a cunning move to try to wrong-foot the Tories, as his party political electioneering hots up. There's  no sign of 'sorry' and what he is apologising for is not a lot. 

Brown used his New Labour loving pals over at the Guardian to spin an 'apology' for his part in the economic crisis, by admitting he could have taken tougher action to curb the financial markets when he was chancellor. 

Led by Brown cheerleader, Patrick Wintour, the Supreme Leader only admits ‘full responsibility’ for all his actions in the run up to the downturn, in an interview  clearly designed as a blatant party political electioneering puff.

Until now, the deluded prime minister has steadfastly refused to say sorry for his part in this country's downfall by blaming everything on global this and that.

But anyone who thinks this is some kind of full blown apology should think again. Brown doesn't do apologies, he plots. There are words of apology but you've got to look hard to find them and he's certainly not gone far enough.

What is he apologising for? Not for selling off the gold reserves at a knock down price. Not for cosying up to his greedy pals in the City and letting them rip the heart out of the economy. Not for using smoke and mirrors off balance sheet accounting to make everyone think things were better than they actually were. Not for creating the very false boom years which have now come crashing down our ears. 

No. It's just more of the same old bullshit and we've heard it all before. The prime minister acknowledged that he should have pushed for concerted international reform in the aftermath of the Asian crisis of the late 1990s. And that's it.

Last week, Tory leader David Cameron did say 'sorry’ but that was for cosying up to Brown last year and buying into the pretence that everything in the economic world was rosy. 

Cameron played his cards right and came out well, boosting his credential as prime minister-in-waiting. For Brown, even wearing a hairshirt sackcloth and ashes won't be enough to escape the wrath of the public and the voters. 

Everything Brown does he does in the interest of Brown. He lives and breathes wrong-footing the Tories and plotting a general election to his political advantage and today's spin of an 'apology' is just part of that cunning plan and political fight-back ahead of the election. 

If Brown thinks this will close down the whole sorry issue and get him off the hook he's got another think coming. Brown and the gang are on the run and the Tories can smell blood. 

Cameron can now congratulate Brown for having the courage to apologise and then stick the knife in by listing all the things Brown should have apologised for - but didn't. 

But the economy is only one aspect of the fag end of this government. At the heart is a government riddled with internal treachery, sleaze and general arrogant denial, led by a prime minister and Downing Street spinners who are flannelling and floundering away while they make the last desperate throws of the dice. 

Today's leader in the Sun captures a public mood, highlighting "sleazybag" Keith 'Vaseline' Vaz and his odious dealings as the 'descent into the sewer continues':

"Cops were quick to march into the Commons to arrest innocent Tory Damian Green to keep Home Secretary Jacqui Smith sweet. Will Jacqui now break off fiddling her expenses and send in the cops to arrest Vaz? The evidence is solid... In the House of Lords Labour peers take cash in exchange for changing the law, while in the Commons a Labour MP tries to bully a judge.

"We are at the last knockings of Labour’s long run, and they are going out on a tidal wave of sleaze. Everyone from the Speaker downwards is grabbing what they can before the ship sinks.

"And nobody ever resigns or is sacked any more. Even when they’re caught with their hands in the expenses till, they brazen it out and carry on pilfering." 

With friends like that, who needs enemies?