Gordon Brown: Organ harvester

The Prime Minister is plummeting in the polls. The government is seen as encroaching on civil liberties. So, two weeks into a new year "relaunch" seeking to revive his political fortunes, how does Gordon Brown want you to start out your Sunday morning? Naturally, by reading an op-ed in today's Telegraph announcing a new government programme to take your heart after you die, without your consent.

As comedian Jerry Seinfeld might say, "Who are the ad geniuses who came up with that one?" Anybody out there in the blogosphere who still thinks this government is basing it's policy on the polls, please Go. Away. Now. After this announcement, Westmonster is wondering if anybody in No. 10 even knows how to read a poll.

It's not a question of policy, which is based on a similar "opt out" organ donation policy in Spain that seems to work well. The policy may be perfectly sensible.

Instead, the policy announcement indicates a remarkable degree of political tone deafness. If the PM truly wants to rebound in the new year, Westmonster is rather confused as to how this image helps — how much of a stretch is it to envisage El Gordo in a lab coat leaning over a dead body, and holding a bloody scalpel, flogging your kidney on eBay? Is that what his handlers want? This is the kind of announcement that would be difficult to finesse if the government were soaring in the polls.

Westmonster has no stake in the PM's political future, but whomever is behind this policy announcement ought to be sacked. This reeks of just the stench of political incompetence we've been sensing with increasing frequency from No. 10.