This morning the Guardian’s political editor Patrick Wintour quoted an anonymous cabinet minister off-the-record.

Gordon Brown’s authority was further undermined last night after it emerged several ministers sharply criticised the decision to use this week’s political cabinet to discuss Tory weaknesses rather than Labour’s own unpopularity. One member said the tenor of the meeting was “bizarre and a denial of reality as we sat listening to how deep down David Cameron is not really popular”.

That cabinet minister was David Miliband. Guido knows this because David Miliband is always using the word “bizarre”, it is his favourite word in television interviews, in print and in speeches.

Indy
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
We badly need a treaty to control the arms trade
It is bizarre that we’ve treaties to stop nuclear arms, but not to stop weapons flooding into conflict zones

David Miliband interview on Radio 5 Live
February 2, 2008
“Well I think it’s a very bizarre comparison to compare Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe with China.“

Sunday Business Post
June 22, 2008
…The other member states see themselves as perfectly entitled to decide on the basis of their own national interests – just as Ireland has – whether to ratify or not. British foreign secretary David Miliband described the idea that Britain should not take its own view of treaty ratification as ”bizarre’‘.

Daily Mail
May 12, 2008
Disease ‘could push Burma toll to 1.5m’
…Mr Miliband said the decision to go ahead with the poll, despite the crisis was ‘bizarre’.

Daily Mail
March 26, 2008
Our troops deserve full inquiry on Iraq, say Tories
..But Foreign Secretary David Miliband said: ‘There is agreement that an inquiry into the Iraq war will be necessary.’ He added: ‘Given reports from Basra today, most people would see that as a bizarre choice of priority now. We say the right time to look at these issues and review the lessons learned is when our troops have finished their work in Iraq.’

Having ruined Gordon’s holiday he is due to be off himself today. The collective Westminster fever will possibly die down now. Though Labour’s lemming-like urge is always strongest in the run up to their party conference. Who knows?

Miliband made his forecast (video here) to a Question Time audience. YouGov confirm that Labour would be better off (25% v 32%) with voters if Blair was back in charge…

The thing Guido doesn’t understand is that 1 in 7 people believe Gordon is up to “getting on with job”. Who are these people? Where are they? Nobody really thinks Gordon is up to being PM do they?

It appears the game is very definitely on. Team Brown is now fighting for survival in the only way it knows how – anonymous briefing. The Standard quotes “allies”, presumably Damian McBride, saying that Miliband is being “disloyal” and “self-serving” and of lacking “judgment and maturity”.

It goes on “People at least thought he was a serious figure and a grown-up politician but by allowing his head to be turned by this leadership nonsense, he has revealed a surprising lack of judgment and maturity.”

It was of course about this time 2 years ago that a not at all disloyal or self-serving crowd of Brownies sent a letter to Mr Blair telling him to go. Has anyone got a stamp?

The malevolence of the Brownies deterred Miliband from running for the leadership last year – to the disappointment of the now vindicated Blairites. Miliband is, we are told reliably, preparing himself in readiness to save the party from catastrophe. Guido was told – by someone who claimed to have spoken to him directly – that he is worried that if Gordon leads the party to disaster, New Labour will be buried forever and the party will fall into the hands of the left-wing once again. Miliband realistically hopes to diminish the likely margin of defeat and put up a stronger fight against Cameron than Brown can manage.

Miliband is clearly too afraid to wield the knife himself so is having to make over-the-top pledges of loyalty while pundits, backbenchers, donors, activists and supporters grow restless. Miliband needs either a credible stalking horse to come out or for Charles Clarke to organise a round-robin letter (along the lines of the Tom Watson letter to Blair) sent to No. 10 . Jack Straw putting on the grey suit and going to see Brown looks unlikely today, maybe the offer of a deputy premiership for him will be required. Maybe Miliband, like Portillo, just doesn’t have the balls…

Last night Miliband was on Newsnight, unlike Gordon he does have the courage to face Paxo, and was arguing that “Green is the new red”. All very worthy and dull eco-technocratic-tosh. More interesting were his protestations about not wanting Gordon’s job. That is something that Alan Johnson emphasises as well. Clearly if you want to survive and not be mauled by the Brownies briefing behind your back, you have to say repeatedly “Gordon is the best man for the job”. Despite the fact that, as Martin Bright writes in this week’s New Statesman, the Labour Party is no longer in denial post the May Day Massacre.

Miliband’s word formula is that he is getting on with being foreign secretary, it is becoming almost as familiar as Heseltine’s old word formula: Heseltine used to say that there were “no circumstances imaginable currently in which he would…”

Last night it was nuanced very deliberately in Guido’s opinion:

Paxo : How much longer can you resist these calls for you to take on the burden of leadership?

Milibland : For as long as it takes until Gordon Brown calls the next general election. Gordon was the right leader last year and he is the right leader this year, and to take us into the general election

Clearly Gordon is the captain and he can go down with the sinking ship, then it is everyone for himself…

Miliband’s word formulations have to allow for the non-cerebal Brownies’ psychotic tendencies. Hence he pledges completely over the top total fidelity and loyalty – with a time limit – until the day after the general election. The truth is Gordon has the job until election day because no one else now wants it. That is also why Alan Johnson doesn’t want the job of spinning on broadcast media, the job Hazel Blears undertook in the past for Blair. He clearly does not want to be associated in the public eye with the Brown disaster.Guido still stands by his 2005 prophecy: Cameron will be PM and Miliband will immediately challenge for the leadership…

Guido was listening to the news from the Middle East on Radio Galatz* (he finds it has a more balanced approach to Israel/Palestine issues than the BBC), when he heard the news that David Miliband had dinner with his relatives who live in a settlement near Jericho.

The UN declared “illegal” settlements being visited by the Foreign Secretary foreign minister? That would be a bit of a breakthrough change in British policy. The Jerusalem Post has followed-up the story.

Not true says his office – and the British Embassy in Israel is desperately trying to kill the story.

UPDATE : Miliband did give profuse thanks to the Israeli football team on his visit. “Every Englishman is a friend of Israel today, an even greater friend of Israel. We thank you very, very much. It’s amazing after our partnership in science, in politics, in education — we have a partnership now in sport and in football especially. I think it’s wonderful. So I give the foreign minister the personal credit for the performance of the team yesterday”. English football supporters will be even more grateful if Gordon Brown stays away from the England-Croatia game. It has not gone unnoticed that the Brown match-jinx hit Scotland as well. Every match Brown attends England loses…

The Miliblogger is back and this time he has a gang. Guido is pleased to say he was the first to welcome him. If you want to give him some feedback, perhaps about the EU constitutional treaty, he would love to hear from you. Tell him Guido sent you…

Yesterday David Miliband told those who tuned into his Downing Street webchat

I am completely committed to the idea that diplomacy needs to engage the public as well as diplomatic elite and also to the notion that I need to lead that in the Foreign Office. So the blog will be back, supplemented by other tools for discussion and debate.

That will not be engaging by actually asking their opinion in a binding referendum, just blogging down to them from on high.

Ominously he tells us “please follow developments on the FCO website over the next couple of weeks.” Hang on to your wallets.