Digby digs in deeper on Brown's account!

Digby Jones was once the boss of the CBI. As such, he would travel the globe doing his best for British business. Then Gordon Brown, on becoming Prime Minister, decided it would be a good wheeze to have a "government of all the talents". However laudable this is, it doesn't really work in an adversarial parliamentary system. We have the Government and we have the Opposition. Being semi-detatched from one or the other will always lead to speculation.

Now it is said that Lord Jones of Birmingham, as he has become, is wanting to stand down before the next election in order to avoid questions on whether he supported the prime minister. Well, he either does or he doesn't support him. It can't be support of a curate's egg proportion. Some days yes, some days no. Lord Jones protests that "I am a supporter of Gordon Brown and I believe in what he is doing". Apparently, two-thirds of the country do not believe in what he is doing, and want him gone.

In all this, I detect a certain amount of distancing. Digby Jones says he's not a political animal, but he is. It's just that his politics is business politics and not party or Westminster politics. I'm sure he's doing his level best as Trade Minister. He's not a member of the Labour Party, true. But he is a member of the British Government. When it comes to an election, his membership of whatever will not be an issue. His being a part of the Brown era and his support of it will.