Would Brown have become PM – or be in a position to cling on to power – if Campbell had not edited out the less than flattering details about the former Chancellor in his much-heralded diaries, a man who he reputedly described as being "psychologically flawed"?

I doubt it, though further evidence will be provided when Keighley-raised Campbell chooses to publish the full, unedited account in some distant decade to top up his pension fund.

Yet, in many respects, it is disappointing that Campbell chose to rush into print – unlike Bernard Donoughue, a senior policy adviser to Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, who has just published the
second volume of his diaries that culminate with the 1978-79 winter of discontent and Margaret Thatcher's political ascent.

The political book of the year, providing the most comprehensive analysis of how Labour tore itself apart over fiscal policy, Donoughue defends delaying publication for three decades so that the key protagonists could leave the public stage with their dignity intact.

He adds that the individuals concerned "might have spoken and acted differently had they known that they were on the record".

However, the Downing Street Diary leaves three lasting impressions. First, Brown's difficulties are tiny compared with those that faced Wilson and Callaghan when Labour was so ideologically divided. The primary issue today is solely the presentation of policy.

Second, Leeds MP Denis Healey was such an influential individual that Callaghan contemplated replacing him with two people at the Treasury.

And, third, the Government in the 1970s – just like today – was hopelessly dysfunctional. When King Hussein visited Downing Street in 1978, Callaghan made his own arrangements for the serving of afternoon tea when it emerged that the Government hospitality service was charging £9 – per person.

TORY pipsqueak-in-chief George Osborne should take note. An admirable feature of Jim Callaghan's demeanour was his steadfast refusal to make personal attacks on his political opponents.

His reluctance to denigrate Margaret Thatcher's character, instead concentrating on policies, is a recurring theme of Bernard Donoughue's diaries.

Callaghan would never have used the language that the Shadow Chancellor used when he described Gordon Brown's appearances in the Commons as "effing awful" – before adding: "Well, I was right, wasn't I? He is an effing awful PM."

That may be so, but it is no excuse for Osborne to lecture the masses
on political communication when he uses such bad language in an interview.

The pipsqueak would be advised to go on a crash course in growing up, and the importance of statesmanlike behaviour, before he has the chance to assume high office.

For, frankly, if this is the best that the likes of Osborne can offer the nation, then heaven help us.



BEFORE George Osborne starts measuring up the 11 Downing Street curtains, he should perhaps study more closely the opinion poll, conducted by the PoliticsHome.com website, that predicts a Tory landslide at the next election.

Despite this, there is still little likelihood of the Tories regaining the Parliamentary seat of Harrogate from the Lib Dems – once one of the Conservatives' safest seats in the country. What does that say about the size of the huge electoral mountain still facing the Conservatives?



HOME Secretary Jacqui Smith's attempt to portray herself as the champion of community policing has been exposed as a sham by Roger Baker, the Chief Constable of Essex Police.

His force has just been criticised by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary – a government watchdog – for having the temerity to insist that his officers attend every crime so they can speak to the victims. The powers-that-be claim this approach is too time-consuming, a criticism that is not accepted by Mr Baker. What he was too polite to say, I will say for him. The Home Secretary is part of a government which came to power in 1997 promising to put victims "at the heart of the criminal justice agenda".

If Ms Smith is serious about policing, she will over-rule her own Inspectorate.



THANK you, Gordon Brown, for confirming the prediction that I made on this page a a week ago; namely the Labour conference would be dominated by politicians making promises that they simply will not be able to honour.

Within 24 hours, the PM was raising the prospect of free nursery school places for all two-year-olds, though he was – just as I predicted – reluctant to reveal details about the cost implications, or when this scheme will be introduced.



ON the back of the Labour conference's broken promises and gimmicks, the nation now faces the prospect of being sunk by the hidden cost of the Government's plan to introduce "free" swimming for the over-60s ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

One local authority has calculated that its pools currently receive £162,000 from senior citizens paying to swim each year. Yet, under the Government's plan, it will only receive a £62,000 a year subsidy.

It now has to find £100,000 out of its own scarce resources in order to implement the PM's promise. Yet this can only be achieved by raising council tax levels.

This council is, evidently, not alone. Local authorities across the country have expressed similar concerns, and are considering similar recourse. You have been warned.



A SELF-absorbed control freak, unwilling to listen to advice and, sadly, devoid of tactical knowhow and public charm, is golfer Nick Faldo – Europe's defeated Ryder Cup captain – the sporting equivalent of Gordon Brown?

Discuss.