Brown's Depressing Interview

Cheeky Andrew Marr has popped the question - is Brown popping pills? The grilling brought a petulant reply from the prime minister and caused some consternation from the commentariat.

Brighton on the Rocks is turning into one helluva leaving party, with a Party that has lost the will to live. New Labour has lost it. Get over it. What Bumbling Brown was droning on about in his BBC interview, no one knows or even cares.

A fag-end government with a lame duck leader has lost the right to be listened to. All Beeb viewers were left with are lingering doubts over the health of the lamentable leader and why he looked so pale and sweaty.

Commentators have been quick to ask whether it was right to pose the question: Is Brown popping the happy pills? Too right it was.

He wasn't elected but Brown is the prime minister. The guy's nominally in charge of the country. Decisions over sending troops to their deaths in the Afghan killing fields and wrecking the economy need a clear head, not a clouded judgement.

If Brown is on anti-depressants that could affect his judgement then voters have a right to know.

The Orange Party's gripe is that Marr's question was too woolly and could have been more tightly framed. Brown's health may well be deteriorating but he's still a very canny politician with years of ducking and diving under his belt.

Casting aside any of his concerns about "innate liberal bias" at the BBC, Marr asked Brown: "A lot of people in this country use prescription painkillers and pills to help them get through. Are you one of them?"

Judging from Brown’s reaction, that question wasn't in the script.

Brown replied: "No. I think this is the sort of questioning which is all too often entering the lexicon of British politics" and went on to deftly duck the main question and deny his sight is deteriorating.

Rumours have been swirling around Westminster since blogger and journalist, John Ward, claimed Brown is suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder as well as drug-controlled depression.

The Orange Party posted at the time this raised doubts whether deluded Brown is fit for purpose.

There's been growing MSM speculation over the PM's health since Matthew Norman raised it in The Independent. The rumour should have been dealt with clearly. Clearly it wasn't.

When the eyesight question was put to Brown during a US interview on NBC's Nightly News, the UK media seized on it with glee. When a similar issue is raised in Brown's own back yard, there's some shock horror.

Health aside, generally it's the performance what matters - and that was depressing. Arrogance and petulance came to the fore.

Despite grandstanding on the world stage, all that will be remembered is the Obama snub in the UN kitchen. While back in Blighty, Brown is propping up his crony government with a Scotland scandal whitewash.

Once again life's little irritants just keep getting in the way of 'getting on with the job'.

But a PM and Party leader who cannot get a political policy point across and cannot connect with voters is a dead man walking.

With suicide laws now a bit befuddled, Martin Ivens over at the Sunday Times asks: Will Mandy push Gordon over the cliff?

Tired, pale and sweaty despite the slap, no wonder no decision has been made to put up Brown against Cameron in a live car-crash TV debate. Tricky Dicky Nixon and smoothy chops Kennedy all over again.

Should Cameron be asked a similar question? It's doubtful Dave's on anti-depressants. He's on too much of a voter high.