Screening the PM

The Times has a cracking story this morning about how everyone in Whitehall is coping—or not—with Gordon Brown’s ferocious appetite for work. Apparently,

“His weapon of choice is the mobile phone, which will ring from 6.30am, with the bright-eyed, perky Prime Minister demanding papers, discussing strategy and even asking for feedback.”

The Times reports that it has got so bad that people are now not picking up when Brown calls. There’s lots of other great details in the piece; including how he kept Ruth Kelly, Ed Miliband, Hilary Benn at No. 10 until one in the morning while he waited to be satisfied that a moment of danger during the floods had passed. Do read the whole thing.

The real question is whether this form of government is sustainable and effective. I guess we’ll find out with foot and mouth.