Can't polish a turd

So within a week of Gordon Brown making his weird video message to announce his flawed plans on MPs expenses they look dead in the water.

This attempt at using new media was clearly an attempt to follow the lead of Barack Obama who was so adept at using these methods to talk directly to voters in his election campaign. New Labour was always more about style and substance and while many commentators insist the Budget has marked its end, this episode illustrates that in one aspect - the obsession with presentation - it survives.

The Government still hasn't grasped that, in the end, it's what you're saying rather than how you say it that matters. Obama had a message that appealed to the voters. Brown's proposals on MPs expenses were garbage.

Or to put it another way, you can't polish a turd.

Why is Brown laughing?

Gordon Brown was memorably once described as "psychologically flawed". The quote is often attributed to Alastair Campbell which he denies.

Anyway, somebody has clearly told Brown that he needs to seem more human. The result is the scary grin he now uses at every available opportunity. The problem is that while he can tell his face to perform the action he still likes the emotional awareness to use it appropriately.

How else to explain his mysterious gurning during his online video announcing his plans on MPs expenses? He was at it again during Cameron's budget response yesterday.

Stop it Gordon. These are serious times and the people losing their homes and jobs aren't smiling. Take the risk of looking like an emotional retard and stick to glowering. At least it fits the awful mess we're in.