The Same Boy You've Always Known*

From some of the sycophantic arse licking of the man who will be king, you'd have thought that Gordon Brown has completely transformed himself from the dour drip into the most charismatic saviour the media has seen since, well, the young Tony Blair. Have a look at Kevin Maguire's gushing prose on Gordo's coup d'etat - sorry, my bad - ascension to power:

"He was like a tornado as he swept through the Manchester hall promising initiatives on housing, health, education and poverty. If Blair was a sometimes wimpy Vicar of St Albion, Brown intends to be a muscular High Priest of Social Progress."

But it gets worse. Brown is being presented as the anti-spin PM - a refreshingly honest and unpretentious occupant of Number 10 , flying in the face of the PR obsessed Blair and Cameron.

I have no issue with those who take Blair and Cameron to task for being spin and PR focused. But don't think for one moment that Brown isn't doing exactly the same thing. His new persona is entirely spin. Do you really think that he doesn't want something like the crowds that welcomed Blair to Downing Street in 1997 to also welcome him to his new home and office? Of course he does - but he knows that he cannot have it, partly because the media would attack him, and partly because no-one feels enthusiastic about the Labour party anymore. And do you really think that he isn't the sulking, brooding, over grown teenager when things don't do right for him anymore? Or the truculent, smug fucker when things do go right for him? What do you think has happened since he has become PM elect (perhaps designate would be a better phrase)? Nothing. He's the same as he always has been. He just has better PR operatives because he's been promoted.

Nothing's changed in the world of Gordon Brown. And anyone who is fooled - just you wait and see for the re-emergence of Sulking Gordo as soon as his government hits a barrier or a problem...

*From The White Stripes song called, well, The Same Boy You've Always Known.