Lynne Featherstone

Interesting piece in the FT from Sue Cameron about life under PM Gordon Brown for those in government:

He has been in Number 10 less than six months but, to the horror of civil servants, he has already hunkered down and cut most communication with the rest of government. Insiders say that no papers, no ideas and no decisions are getting through the barbed wire – only announcements from the leader that have been discussed with no one outside Mr Brown’s inner circle.

As a result, the corridors of power have become the corridors of impotence. Whitehall teems with unhappy cabinet ministers who have not been consulted or even informed about proposals that concern them – little details such as the date of the Budget, troop withdrawals in Iraq or the cancelling of the general election.

Not much change there then from the old Gordon Brown! Reminds me of what I wrote after Gordon Brown's election as Labour leader:

What can we expect under Gordon? More announcement, re-announcements and then announcement for a third time of the same pots of money - and a dark, brooding, master pulling the central strings from behind closed doors. I hope I'm wrong, but ...