Twice a year Gordon Brown fills his party’s sails with pride. His tornado of facts and figures magics up images of untold national wealth and success. Sixty per cent more personal wealth!

Most chancellors sound as if chunks of their speech are penned by officials, not quite convincing in their grasp of macro or micro details. But here is the man who studies everything, consuming documents with the speed of a shredder. Standing at the dispatch box, the towering superiority of his brain makes intellectual pygmies of his opponents.

Lawks.

That was 8 December 2006.

Now:

The one character who has been tested to final destruction is Gordon Brown. The music stopped on his watch, first for the economy and now MPs’ sleaze, for which the government of the day takes most blame …  The expenses mess would not be fatal if the prime minister were upright and strong. But Labour is already ­dangling over a cliff, and this affair prises its fingers off the edge.

It’s all over for Brown and Labour. The abyss awaits. As long as he remains leader, there is nothing that wretched Labour candidates can plausibly say on the doorstep at next month’s European elections. They are struck dumb. Why should people vote for them?

Good question.

130 or so weeks are not a long time in politics.

Or in Guardian comment from you know whom?