Brown at odds

GORDON Brown's statement that he intends to stay on as leader after the next election and his announcement that he is going to increase defence spending makes one wonder if he has moved to a parallel universe.

Despite having a lower popularity rating than Chamberlain did in 1940 and having caused the country's biggest deficit by his policies while chancellor, he seems to think he is an asset to the Labour Party. Around him are a mob of disaffected Labour MPs who, while not wishing to take the helm of a sinking ship, would certainly want to lead a rebuilding Labour Party.

His tenure after the election brings to mind the scene from Carry on Cleo when the line "Infamy! Infamy! They all have it in for me" is more likely to be the result.

The other problem is that while his Treasury MPs are slowly coming round to the idea of spending restrictions, he is saying the opposite. This is not what the international markets want to hear. Bond traders already have the difficult decision of whether to place Britain's credit rating just above or below that of Zimbabwe and North Korea.

BRUCE D SKIVINGTON

Pairc a Ghlib

Strath Gairloch, Wester Ross