Ruminations on boredom and Gordon..

Indeed, perhaps Tony was an exception to the rule. He was charming, had a big smile, and youth was on his side. Labour politicians must have felt that somehow his charm oozed down from the top of the political hierarchy and applied to them also. Now all they have to aspire to is the droll mutterings and double chin wagging of boring Gordon. If it's ego that's playing a part in any of the Gordon recoil then perhaps this explains why.

But the weirdest thing about the Gordon backlash is the way that the media has gotten involved. Most newspapers seem to have taken the stance that Gordon is boring and ineffectual, but this is despite the ways they used to complain about the smarm and extravagance of Blair. Blair's lofty visions of the 'Blairforce 1' plane were criticised for example, but Gordon's decision to fly in a down-to-earth plane is not good enough either. Blair was ranch buddies with George Bush and chastised for it, Gordon's body language shows that him and George don't get on so well, yet that's not good enough either.

Perhaps the real issue is that after the media circus that was the Blair years, we've become accustomed to nothing more than spin and nonsense and propaganda. And without that excitement in our lives we've simply come to remember how dull our regular politicians can be...