Showcasing the Talentless

Via Mr E (and it is well worth following that link, if only for the funniest picture of Adrian Mole, - sorry, David Miliband- that I think I have ever seen) I see that Gordon Brown is pushing the "bright young things" of his cabinet in an attempt to reinvigorate his beleaguered premiership.

Of course, if you have been in the job for less than a year and are already having to re-launch yourself, then things really aren’t going well. But understanding that is going to be a little complex for someone lacking in self awareness as much as that prig Brown.

However, one paragraph really springs out in this article:

Mr Purnell, 37, Ed Balls, 40, his wife Yvette Cooper, 37, Mr Burnham 38, David Miliband 42, his brother Ed, 37, Ruth Kelly 39, and Douglas Alexander, 40, will be encouraged by Mr Brown to make an impression with the public and to show that they have radical ideas. "Their talents will be showcased," an adviser said.

Two points. First of all, it is difficult to imagine that dour git encouraging anyone to do anything. I mean, what does he do when he encourages people? Bring them into his dank, dark office and sit there, bullying them into doing what he wants? Does he threaten to cut their faces if they don’t bend to his egregious, self-serving will, and carry out his evil deeds? And what on earth does Brown – a man afraid of his own shadow – mean by radical? Radical for his government would be not fucking up or accepting corrupt donations for five minutes.

And then, the wonderful, and no doubt ironic, statement of "their talents will be showcased". Seriously, what? Those terrible, odious little shits listed in that paragraph? Showcase their talents?

Well, that shouldn’t take long then.