The forces of Hell from No 10 Downing St

I was very surprised this morning to hear details of Alistair Darling's interview about the response of No 10 Downing St to the economic crisis. While a certain creative tension is inevitable at the heart of any effective government, to have a senior cabinet Minister pointing the finger quite so bluntly at Gordon Brown and his cronies is quite remarkable. It really does illustrate how dysfunctional this government is.

Darling for what its worth comes out of the crisis with some credit. His instincts were largely right on public spending prior to the recession - though he was over-ruled by Brown; and his focus on the magnitude of the challenge in contrast to his 'See No Evil, Hear No Evil' neighbour next door who seems to be living on a different planet to the rest of us.