Are we lining up for an almight Brown-Darling bust up?

The outcome of last week’s snow plot is that Alistair Darling seems to have convinced Gordon Brown of the need to talk about cuts. He made this plain by immediately getting out and telling the Times that he would be setting out the worst comprehensive spending review for 20 years.

 

Unfortunately, we’ve been here before. In the middle of last year when Brown was using the Investment vs Tory Cuts there appeared to be a parting of the waves. Until the nearly successful coup forced Brown to start using the C-word. He then  reverted to his previous message, managing never to use the C-word in last week’s interview with Andrew Marr.

 

It seems that the Cabinet drags him to the centre, then as time goes by Ed Balls drags him back to the left until we get a coup attempt. It was in this backdrop that the Pre-Budget Report was made, and typically avoided any mention of cuts. It was then made known that Darling and Mandelson wanted to make clear that cuts would be needed.

 

What if Brown starts to go back to the investment vs cuts arguments in the run up to the election and budget? Could Alistair Darling say enough is enough and walk out. It would be devastating. If he stayed, he would still leak that Brown had stamped all over his budget. It could get very messy.

 

For all Brown’s words of bringing in Darling, Mandelson & Harman, he can’t shake his Balls.

 

Squiffy.