Anthony Barnett (London, OK): Thanks to Slugger O'Toole I've seen the Wardman Wire on Brown's reform package, he writes:
"David Cameron’s reaction is spot on: 'Surely he has to realise he’s been at the heart of a government that, more than any other in living memory, has damaged trust in politics.'
The initial reaction MUST be cynicism. Mr Brown has been at the heart of - and been a hugely important player in - the government that undermined the nation’s confidence in politics, that he says he is trying to repair.... So this is a gift horse that must have its molars examined, must be X-Rayed and must be observed in action. No credence can be placed on anything except irrevocable actions.
"And the acid test of Gordon Brown’s intent is his response when he realises the scepticism and cynicism that exists throughout the country (and his own party, for that matter) about his intentions. If he recognises that he starts from a position of less than zero trust, and works continually to gain that trust and work genuinely with other parties, then we may be on the way to something new - and that would be good. But the proof of this pudding can ONLY be in the eating."
I'd like to think that I'm known for my criticism of Blair since writing about his corporate populism in Prospect in 1999. But it simply isn't the case that he damaged trust in politics more than John Major who surrounded himself with, as he put it, "bastards" (judge a man by his friends) and gave us almost non-stop sleaze.
However the point that matters now is that there is all the difference between scepticism and cynicism. WW is wrong to use them as if they mean the same thing. Scepticism is a necessary part of intelligent judgement. Of course there is a party element to Brown calling for all-party politics, for example. Nor should we want to 'believe' in Brown, or surrender our own judgement. But this is not the same as cynicism, which is also a form of religious belief - only negative, that of dis-belief. All this talk of "testing"etc, sounds tough but is actually a form of Brown-dependency. He who would judge another by his molars should also X-ray his own teeth.
