2008: The Brown rollercoaster
- 19 Dec 08, 06:12 PM
He didn't quite say we have nothing to fear but fear itself but Gordon Brown is increasingly adopting the tone and language of a war time leader.
Today he spoke of a "can do attitude" and "a fighting spirit". Tellingly, he declared that Britain had been the "victim" of the economic downturn which, as no doubt you recall by now, he says came from abroad.
As forecasters line up to compete to tell us just how gloomy and miserable 2009 will be, the PM is trying to stay resolutely upbeat and looks more relaxed than ever.
In comparison, at his news conference exactly a year ago, he looked rattled and defensive when facing questions about his alleged dithering over the future of Northern Rock, the loss of the names and addresses of millions of child benefit claimants and another party funding scandal.
The opinion polls tell the story of the Brown rollercoaster - up and up went the Tory lead. In the past three months it's gone down and down until now the two parties stand roughly where they did 12 months ago.
The big difference is that now the momentum is with him, not his opponents - so much so that today he had to insist that he was not even thinking about an early election.
If this goes on, we political commentators may start to suggest that what a failing leader really needs to rescue them is a massive economic crisis.
But then, the next 12 months look like being as unpredictable as the last 12.
