Politics | 18 October 2008

Few would dispute that, in the last fortnight, Gordon Brown has shown why he has been a fixture for so long at the very apex of British politics. His economic model has imploded and his debt pyramid collapsed. The taxpayer is up to his neck to the tune of half a trillion pounds to clear up the mess left by the abject failure of the bank regulatory system Brown personally designed. He has taken Britain into recession, with property prices collapsing and unemployment soaring. And yet still the Prime Minister stands politically triumphant, comparing himself to Picasso and Churchill (among other giants) while soaking up the applause of Nobel laureates for his handling of the crisis.

Lazarus only did it once. Gordon Brown has set new standards. He is back, on form and delivering a message on the economy with such power and clarity that one might almost believe it to be true.