Are Brown and Darling the Del Boy and Rodney of British Politics?

Have a look at the stock market today, then the housing market, and then ask what kind of idiot would try to flog a mortgage bank like Northern Rock right now? Brown and Darling are fast becoming the Del Boy and Rodney of British politics – churning out dodgy figures, mesmerised by their own little scams and then getting fleeced when they engage in the real market and try to do deals with real business people (remember that gold sale?). The truly terrifying thing is it’s our money – about £60bn of it – bundled in the back of their Robin Reliant as they head off to see a man about a dog and a bank.

At 11.30am the FTSE100 is down a bloody 3.6% but there’s one exception. Northern Rock is up a gravity-defying 35%. The City can see Brown and Darling coming a mile away.