TELEGRAPH BLOGS: It is a facet of human nature that, when in a deep jam, even people who are non-believers sometimes turn to religion ("Please, God, get me out of this and I swear I'll be in the front pew next Sunday - and every Sunday!"). It appears that Gordon Brown, erstwhile son of the manse, is no exception to this trait. With his government and economy in deepest doo-doo, he is trying to use the Pope as a buffer between himself and an electorate that is fast metamorphosing into a lynch mob.
Today he visited Benedict XVI at the Vatican (one hopes the exorcists are currently doing a thorough job on the polluted premises) and invited the Pope to visit Britain. That is the politics of distraction. "He was very welcoming of the invitation," reported Gordon. That did not entirely chime with the Vatican version: "For the moment, no travel by Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom is scheduled or under consideration."
When it comes to a factual contradiction between the Pope's official spokesman and the snake-oil salesman with a track record of mega-porkies ("No return to boom and bust"), even the staunchest Ulster Orangeman would probably feel he must reluctantly give credence to Rome. But the Number 10 spin machine remains undaunted, insisting it knows the Pope's mind better than he himself does. "There isn't a date in the diary - we just made the invitation a few hours ago. But they are definitely looking at it." Oh, yeah? Gordon Brown Tries to Spin the Pope - Vatican Response: 'Spin on This!' >>> Gerald Warner | Thursday, February 19, 2009
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