Dire prophecies

For the most part, the London commentariat has welcomed the coronation of King Gordon - or at least they have suspended judgement pro tem. But going against the grain is Mary Ann Sieghart of The Times whose reading of the runes is filled with foreboding:

I don’t think the Brown halo will last for long. He may look amiable enough now, but I suspect that, as soon as events turn against him, he will start shouting at his colleagues again, withholding information from them and retreating into his bunker with the few people whom he trusts.
Brown hates criticism and is likely to lose his rag at Prime Minister’s Questions. His reluctance to take decisions will be the despair of his officials. His colleagues will stop telling him home truths when they see how badly he reacts. As a result, he will quickly become out of touch.
This is the opportunity that the Tories will be able to exploit. Brown won’t be stupid enough to give them openings on policy. But – like anyone else – he cannot easily change his personality. If we elect a Conservative government next time round, it will be because we are fed up with Brown the man, not the Labour Party he leads.

I would not be surprised.