Osborne and Cameron - The New Laurel and Hardy

Recently, following comments on Twitter expressing surprise that Osborne did not take part in the Commons budget debate, I set up a Facebook Group called "Where's George Osborne?"

Now, as some rightly point out, that it's the Leader of the Opposition who responds first to the Budget, it did occur to me that, for a young, dynamic, intelligent, and thoughtful and caring rising star, we see so little of him on the Today Programme, BBC Question Time, Newsnight etc..

That said, I thought I was a little premature when he appeared for ten minutes on the Today Programme yesterday, but it soon became obvious why this economic genius is rarely allowed out by Spin Doctors. Put basically, he fluffed it! Not my judgement (although regular readers know how little I respect the guy), but that of Janet Daley in the Daily Telegraph.

You would have thought that, weeks before an election, the Conservatives would have a united front, but those who know that Osborne would mess things up at the Treasury don't keep silent and their concern is worrying on a no of fronts. Worrying because we see an imploding Opposition that commands little respect (and politicians and activists tend to want to respect their opponents), worrying because it is obvious to many across the political spectrum that George Osborne has delusions of Machiavellian genius but has not got what it takes!

Then we come to David Cameron who has had the gall to say that the scandals affecting Labour are worse than the last Conservative government. You know I do wonder whether some senior Tories think the electorate are thick! You don't mean to say that they think no one will notice the Tories involvement in MP's expenses, the Lobbygate affair, or Lord Ashcroft and the ten year blindness to his non dom status! It seems then that Cameron and Osborne are the new Laurel and Hardy of British politics, going from one fine mess to another.