Nick Robinson's Newslog

Uncomfortable questions

• Nick
• 1 Sep 08, 02:39 PM

Not only is it worth taking another look at Alastair Darling's Guardian interview, it is also worth watching the whole of my colleague Brian Taylor's interview with the chancellor on Saturday.

At one stage his lip trembles, he shuffles awkwardly in his chair and has the crushed look of a schoolboy who's been caught stealing from teacher. This comes when BBC Scotland's political editor quizzes him on whether he said that Wendy Alexander, the former leader of the Scottish Labour Party, was "unlikeable". First Mr Darling says he has "the utmost respect for her", then he denies saying "unlikeable" and then, when realising that he almost certainly did say that, he begins to visibly crumble (which you can watch here).

Earlier, when asked to justify his statements on the economy Mr Darling repeats the same formula four times in answer to four different questions.

First he's asked why he had given such a bleak assessment of the economy. He replies: "I think it's important that I tell people that we, along with every other country in the world, face a unique set of circumstances where we have got the credit crunch coming at the same time as high oil and food prices..."

Then Taylor asks: "But isn't it the job of the leader of the opposition to say - and I use your words - "we are pissed off" about the economy?"

Darling: "I think it's important that government ministers and me in particular are level with people..." etc.

Taylor persists: 'But chancellor, the strategy here is puzzling. Shouldn't you be reassuring people rather than talking down the economy and saying it's the worst for 60 years?'

Darling replies: "I think it's important that..." (you can pretty much guess the rest)

Taylor ploughs on: "Do you regret blurting out the truth in such a frank fashion?"

Darling briefly falters and abandons the "I think it's important" formula saying "I have been saying for many weeks now that we along with every other country in the world are facing a unique set of circumstances: the credit crunch along with very high oil and food prices...'

Taylor spots that this is a different way of saying the same thing and says: "Chancellor, forgive me, but you have made that point a number of times. What I am after is what was the thinking behind this? Usually chancellors of the exchequers should provide calm reassurance. You are talking about people being 'pissed off' with the economy and the worst crisis for 60 years. Won't this make things worse?"

Darling is having none of this. He reverts to the answer he gave previously: "I think it's important that ..." etc. (You can watch that section here)

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Darling's indiscretions

• Nick
• 1 Sep 08, 10:23 AM

What on earth do you mean by that? That is the question that is still being asked about Alistair Darling's interview with the Guardian at the weekend. The one in which he declared that the economic times we're living through were "arguably the worst they've been in 60 years".

It pays to return to the original interview with the feature writer Decca Aitkenhead to find an answer to that question. The chancellor declares, amusingly with hindsight, "for most of my political life I've kept out of doing this kind of interview. You have to be quite careful". Oh yes Alistair, you do.

So, why did he invite Ms Aitkenhead to his croft on the Isle of Lewis? Why did he, as one cabinet minister pointedly said to me yesterday, invite a hack to his holiday? The answer, I am sure, was not to attack Gordon Brown but to assert his own independence.

Those close to Alistair Darling have grown tired with the fact that he is being attacked, and his reputation sullied, for mistakes they're certain he did not make. It was, after all, not he who toyed with an election, and altered the pre-Budget report accordingly. It was not, after all, he who dithered over what to do about Northern Rock. It was not, after all, he who abolished the 10p tax rate, and was then in denial about what to do about it.

Those close to Mr Darling wanted the world to get a glimpse of the man others see in private. Not grey but amusing. Not indecisive but competent. Not panicky but in control. Thus the chancellor let his guard slip whilst looking out at the landscape he loves so much. Not just about the state of the economy, not just about Labour's political problems but also his dislike of the former Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander, and the fact that he loathes the metropolitan habit of kissing people you don't really know.

So, will Gordon Brown reward his old friend's indiscretions with the sack? Will there, as today's Times predicts, be an imminent reshuffle in which the chancellor's moved? It's no secret that some at No 10 were considering that. I reported as much earlier in the year. However, Mr Darling's assertion of independence, just like that of David Miliband in July, now makes the cost of a reshuffle that much higher for Gordon Brown.

Perhaps the prime minister will care to ponder his chancellor's words in the very same interview on that subject. Mr Darling declared "you can't be chopping and changing that often. You name me a reshuffle that ever made a difference to a government". Perhaps it would have been more accurate to observe that reshuffles that make a difference tend to be botched ones or ones that create dangerous enemies for prime ministers.

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